hahaha, I love this place!!!! Whenever I begin to have doubts about my ability to function in China or to fit in, something amazing happens, like today's events. :) Let me tell you about them!
Well, first, let me apologize to Mom and Ben, who I vented to about my misgivings last night. I was beginning to have serious doubts about myself and my abilities here and questioned whether I really liked it (dumb, I know, considering I haven't even been here a week). However, thanks to Mom, who spent at least 40 minutes reassuring me over the phone (God bless Skype and it's rate of .02 p/minute!!), I reevaluated some things, took my health back into my hands, did some serious meditating, and woke up feeling better than I've felt all week. I don't know if I manifested this or what, but EVERYTHING has been going my way as a result! I stepped out of my bedroom this morning and Mandarin began spewing out of my mouth as though it were my first language (okay, I'm bluffing, but I DID manage to uphold some decent conversations and my family seemed impressed. my host "mom" even told me my Chinese was becoming very good!! and I understood her!! haha). Then, to top things off, I decided to take notecards and label things around my room in Chinese. I sat on the couch with my family labeling the cards and when they caught on to what I was doing Xi Liao decided this was a good way for her to learn English, too. So I would write a word on one side in Chinese, and she would write the word on the opposite side in English. Not only was it a cool studying technique, but it also was a fun bonding experience. :) Afterwards, she left me alone for a while to iron my laundry (did you hear that?! I IRONED!! I didn't even need Wrinkle Ease!! I'm becoming domesticated!!!!) while she bought vegetables, so I just spent some time getting comfortable in the apartment, which was nice. After she returned, Xi Liao let me help her cook (DOUBLE WAMMIE!! I cooked AND ironed!!!!!!) and she taught me how to make a great noodle dish which I cannot wait to share with all of you some day! :) We ate together, and then I told her I wanted to take a walk and explore (using the dictionary)...she understood that, too!!! :) My walk was a real hoot! I didn't realize how diverse Chengdu is! For a very large city, I am certainly in a rural area...I discovered these back alley markets where chickens and ducks and dogs and cats and rabbits were running around like nobody's business (yes, I was worried about Avian Flu and certainly whipped out my hand sanitizer...I would have left had I not already been so far in and it was easier to walk through than turn back). I saw dead bloody rabbits hanging by their feet from hooks and I witnessed a man beating fish over the head with some god-awful torture devise. Meat (unlike anything I've ever seen in the states...I don't want to guess what it was...) was hanging from hooks all over and dripping blood...and people pointed and shouted to each other about the waigoren! waigoren!. I smiled and tried to communicate to the best of my ability, which I think actually wasn't terrible because soon word spread and people were coming out of their shops to greet me and shouting "na er! na er!" ("there! there!") to one another and smiling kindly. Soooo I think that means it's ku and safe for me to hang out around here. :)
Anyways, it's not even 2pm yet and I've already had a fun day. I think my host family has a small trip planned for us tomorrow afternoon, so I'm sure there will be plenty to write as more things come. In the meantime, stay well, know I love and miss all of you, and I am happy. :)
xox
Fei Fei
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