taiyuan

hey! so i'm in taiyuan now. i've been here for 3 weeks. i just got regular internet in my office in the last week. before that, i had this superslow computer that made me cry when trying to do my usual to sending an email to important people. took 1.5 hours.

well, so far. at the beginning, i was very "shocked." i guess, i did have some expectations before coming here. i didn't plan everything out, but i had some idea that i would have the same reception as i did in jincheng. the local teachers at a middle/high school ain't to free here to chill with me, or even chat with me. i do have my own office, ie, i don't meet anyone new really. the net i have is just in my office. i guess i could ask for it to be installed at home, but that would cost me.. and personally i know it would waste a lot of my time not going out there to visit the city. everyone is friendly but have no time for me.

so the students at a middle/high school are younger than the college students i had at the last school. i guess my activities with them are a bit more limited, ie. drinking. not that i should. well.. last week, i decided that i would never drink. well, of course, that cannot be done.. so, i settled with that i would think twice about it. i went out to dinner with richard (he visited) and friends. we drank, and of course, chinese liquor goes down easy, but leaves to crying throughout the night. the next day i was supposed to hang with the senior 1/1st year students bike riding to the park, lunch and shopping. i could only do the bike riding to the park and visit in the park. one of the students had to haul me behind her home. apparently i was green. i just told them that i had bad food at the resto, spicy, which it was. but yeah, i learnt it the hard way.. drinking (and not being sober) leaves you to shit. hahaha... sorry.. leaves you out of good sober time, especially the next day.

i did get to walk around. taiyuan in 2003, was coined as being one of the most polluted in the world. since, then coal mines had been closed. i felt it biking to the park. of course.. while feeling awesome that it was my first trip on a bike in china, in asia! i felt the heavy musty air.

oh yeah.. so biking. it's liberating.. you just follow people. of course, you have to get used to thec constant honking here, but it's awesome. i just am not brave to go biking anywhere by myself. and it's a pity that winter is coming. i wonder what north chinese people do in that case, since biking is the thing in asia. probably bike.

so did i talk about honking before? if you travel to china, get used to the constant honking. people here honk for the reason of "i'm coming through," not really for "you, get out of my way." i'm totally almost desensitized to it here. that may be dangerous when i get back home, whenever that is.