China 7: Family Life
weird food: A few nights ago there was a whole duck on a platter for dinner but it was cut up into pieces. I was instructed to eat it and in concurrence to my 2 rules about about culinary immersion I took a peice. Of course, of all the peices my chopsticks could choose they got me the neck complete with neck, bones, and no meat. Yet I ate what I could while they gazed at me searching for approval.
Family life has improved a lot. My family worries over me way too much. Every night they want to take me out or something. They'll come into my room while I'm reading and try to start a conversation. However, I've learned how to treat this by sometimes accepting it and learning useful techniques to avoid it (like saying I need to do my homework).
My host dad is really cool. He's got a head shaped a lot like an acorn with two squirrel like teeth. He's really into badmitton. Yesterday, he planned out my entire upcoming Saturday:
1. play badmitton at his club
2. go out for pizza
3. go home and invite some of my friends over for dinner
4. go out and sing kareoke
I like my host dad. He's not too intrusive, and is pretty laid back. He's got about 300 unopened DVDs sitting around that he says I can watch whenever. They're all in English too. Movies like EuroTrip and Kill Bill. I guess the fact that DVDs only cost 8 kuai ($1) explain his collection.
My host brother is like a little monkey. He's always making clever comments, I think. (I can never really understand any Chinese comments, but his seem clever and mischivous) His mouth is always pointed in a small pointed grin while he narrows his eyes so you can barely see them. He knows the most English in the family. He kept me entertaining and informed for the first few days of my time so far in Xi'an. We would play ping pong together and watch movies, but now that school has started he leaves at six in the morning and comes back to do his homework till twelve. His dad's always yelling at him for not working hard enough but I think he's really working hard. I feel bad for him sometimes when his dad compares him to me. (for some reason I'm held up on a pedastal wherever I go in Xi'an)
Now we get to the mother. My small, piggish host mother. The same host mother that walks into my room whenever she pleases to sit down and chat or search through my stuff. The same host mother that has walked in on me naked saying "it doesn't matter". The same garrulous mother who talks forever while I simply smile, nod, and say the occasional "doi" (right) to. My host mother claims she wakes up at six, but in order to put on all the makeup she wears she must get up at 5. Her drawn on eyebrows alone must take at least 15 minutes with the red pencil she uses. (it really goes well with her black hair) Her concern with her image has led her to believe she's fat, which she is though I deny it. This concern has given her the brillant idea to start running. I applauded this idea thinking that it'd give me more time to myself. Who knows maybe she'd run so far that she couldn't run all the way back. (which probably wouldn't be very long) Well, she came in the other day with this brilliant idea and asks me if I want to get up a 6 every morning to run with her. In my head i think Well, no.. I think the only reason she's asking me is because she wants to show me that she isn't simply a squeaking blob, she's capable of being a rolling blob too! Knowing I had just gone for a run the day before she caught me in a debaucle because of course I wanted to run during my stay here. I tried to play her off by saying I'd rather run in the afternoon, but she quickly countered me saying that she could do afternoons. FUCK! I don't want to waste my afternoons with her! So I hastily changed my mind and agreed to run EVERY SINGLE MORNING AT 6. I have to admit I'm impressed with her for coming up with the idea. I've been less impressed with her ability to run. So far it's day 2 of the RUNNING ROUTINE and we've ran about 50 paces and walked the rest. I'm giving her two more days before she gives up.
time for dinner gotta go. peace.
Eating with friends at the welcoming banquet.
posted by dAVID @ 5:21 AM
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