alright, well it’s a little late, and so this entry’s likely to be short as well. oh well. but again, before i get back to the week’s recap, i’ll start this one with some of the bullet points i made today on my phone as the day went on—something that could be very useful, actually…hmmm…anyways:
[in no particular order, other than the order in which they were remembered…]
- · first off, hangzhou is pretty and full of history i understand, but to be honest, it’s rather inconvenient. by this, i mean that transportation [at least when compared to shanghai] is not nearly as 方便[fang-bianàconvenient] as what i’ve gotten used to. basically, there’s no subway system. now while hangzhou is certainly not as large as the massive shanghai, it’s still freaking big. [about…6-7 million i think!?] anyways, yeah. it’s big. and with that large of a city still only operating by buses [as far as public transportation goes], it can get really frustrating. i would have taken pics of the lines at the bus station, but by that point, i was sooo done with the photos…my back hurt from my bag, my shoes from the miles and miles and miles i walked, and then the soft rain also deterred me. okay…that about covers that point…next.
- · alright, so my dad’s a pharmacist, right? well being soo used to having medicine pretty accessible, i was sure that today when i had a pretty significant pain behind my eyes somewhere, that i would be able to just run over to a pharmacy somewhere, and that that’d be that. wow. i do believe that was the most difficult search for tylenol everrr. i would all but guarantee that we walked about…2 miles total…just in searching for the ‘medicine shop’. this was after walking tons at 西湖 [west lake…more on this later]—including the 2-3 mile loop throughout and around the lake/park. okay, so yeah, the walking, mixed with all the freaking conflicting directions [i’ve quickly learned that people here—china—give terrible directions, as most don’t actually know where things are because if the sheer magnitude of the cities. okay…back to the medicine—it turns out that there’s apparently only like 1 pharmacy in what seemed like a 1 mile radius…or more!? anyways, all i know is that everyone was trying to get us to the same one…so whatever that’s worth i guess…[and] this place was by no means extravagant…nothing to the effect that its existence should just overshadow every other store had there been any. so yeah. i could honestly not believe that there’s soo little availability of drug stores in such a densely populated area. however, i came to learn [via lu chao] that in china, when people are ill, they almost always go to the hospital. a little extreme i thought…but he said that they believe it to be safer [which i guess it is…]. it seemed like they are a little unsure about the idea of drug stores. weird huh? i remembered the other night when i was over at jeremy’s apartment [ getting help with a thing on my phone/talking/and eating pancakes! ha :) ], i remember him going on a spill about western medicine vs. chinese medicine when i told him about my malaria pills i brought with me. needless to say, over here, medicine is somewhat of a ‘last resort’…
- · oh, by the way…tonight i realized that i had actually put my bottle of tylenol rapid-release gel-caps in my backpack before i left the states…in an obscure pocket…ahhhhh…it’s always sooo ironic/bittersweet when i outsmart myself.
- · while walking around in search of my meds, as well as while we were standing in lines for the bus, i caught several extended whiffs of this terrible odor…which i found out was tofu…and then remembered being told about ‘smelly tofu’ or ‘stinky tofu’—i consider the latter more accurate. it was horrid, and i cannot imagine how one would actually come near eating it. ewww.
- · on to another subject…aren’t asian kids adorable!? haha…seriously though, i think they are just one-of-a-kind when it comes to their youngsters. i found my camera drawn to them constantly…[be looking for a new album inspired by none other coming soon!] they’re really fun, and always smiling [well, almost!...next point]
- · so, despite my fixation** [thanks mom for the edit] with them…i found that things are not always mutual!...so today i saw all of these little kids wearing this funny little masks with like glasses, a nose, eyebrows, and then two like party thingamidigies that you blow…you know, that make noise?! [and] so i decided…i havE to have one! haha. so for like 2 kuai i got one…and loved it. it was nice to finally have what i felt like was an excuse for all of the stares and funny looks i’ve been getting since arrival. ha. lu chao actually taught me a new term [dui ren…i believe] and to my best discernment, he said that it means something like silly/embarrassing/crazy/weird? ha…i think it is what he said people would say when they saw him with me, or what he was feeling like, or just what i was…idk. anyways, it was fun playing around a little bit amongst all the freaking walking. [ annnnd] back to this point…so i found these little kids walking together with their parents—they had the masks on. so we asked their parents if i could please take a picture with their children…and they were like ‘sure!’…the kids, however, were definitely not so down with it. two of them his behind their parents, the little girl all but cried, and then one boy just found himself on an island all alone…not sure where to go or what to do…but i didn’t get the feeling he meant to have lead in his feet. soo…effectively shot down, we continued on our trek. then a couple of minutes later, the parents yelled across to us, telling us something to effect of ‘try again!?’…so we did, and only two of the kids had resolved their fears about standing next to the 外国人 [foreigner] for a quick photo. so it was a pretty disheartening moment that turned around okay. i was pleased, and especially happy that i wasn’t going to terrify [if only 2] kids from now on. the pic’s good i think…i plan on putting it with this entry.
- · back to traveling around in china and its struggles. i’m amazed at how frustrated i’ve found myself getting sometimes recently…very unlike normal. it just frustrates me i guess that people from different regions or cities can’t communicate with each other fully. and i’d say that i’ve been this frustrated because lu chao’s with me, and so i just assume these issues will not exist…making it worse than if it were just me or me and other american students trying to traverse the foreign land. also, lu chao is terrifically horrible with like directions and our whereabouts [admittedly so…so i don’t imagine he cares about me saying it…] anyways, it’s just been some of those days, ya know?
- · we did make it to the top of a mountain today…at the site of the yinling temple i think? anyways, it was sooo far up there, but i’d say pretty worth it once we made it. [although there’s still not much of a grand view due to the trees.
- · one of the pics from today that will hopefully be up soon is of a tapestry/painting. it’s of pandas…which are…my favorite. but for 200 kuai…i was a little skeptical of it’s authenticity. hmmm…i could regret that i guess…
- · i could probably use a haircut i think…just a thought.
- · you’ll never guess what i had for breakfast this morning here at the hostel…French toast! ha…it was surprisingly on point…and had nice chocolate dipping sauce…accompanied by slices of bananas and strawberries. it was good…probably too good…i’m telling you, i’ve gotta work on the dieting here…
- · this is what i wrote out today on my treo to describe some feelings i was having while waiting in the tremendous bus line. it reads “even though i only just got there, i long to get back to shanghai the way one would to get home…back to my newly acquired residence and friends…” so yeah, i’d say that’s pretty self-explanatory…but it’s weird the affinity i already have for shanghai, for my friends of about 8 days, and for my decently-shabby room & bed…aghhh.
- · back to the point i made in last night’s entry…tonight when i looked up and saw lil’ wayne on the t.v., i was like, seriously?! ha.
- · okay, to the last point i previously wrote down: portrait photos. which way do most people rotate the camera? which way do you?? silly i know, but today i noticed that everytime i take a vertical photo, i always turn it to the left…requiring me to rotate the photos clockwise once i get them to picasa. however, i noticed that lu chao and the random people we asked today always rotate it in the opposite direction [to the right, requiring a counter-clockwise rotation post-picture]…weird i thought. just wondering…
okay, whew…that took long enough! soo long, in fact, that i will now have to call it a night, as they’re beginning to clear the place out for the night…sooooo, i promise…i will eventually cover the happenings of this past/1st week…or if nothing else, make it into the ongoing joke to be featured regularly like the matt damon one on jimmy kimmel live! ha…
alright, well i’d like to try something new: i’d like to include a quote, a song title, and/or a scripture verse that either applies to the day, is on/being read right now, or just for any reason. so tonight i’ll try to do all three.
s.o.t.d. – “prayin for you” by lecrae [Christian rapper]…it just seems applicable after you hear the song…seems fitting for my time in china thus far…
q.o.t.d – “whatever the struggle, continue the climb. it may be only one step to the summit.”
-diane westlake
scripture o.t.d. – “take my yoke on you and learn from me, because i am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for you souls.” – matthew 11:29 … kinda came across it based on the numbers [我的生日]…but also found it very useful right about now.
okay, well seriously…out for now! hope to get back to this soon enough…though who knows, it could be until next weekend again! oh well…hope you’re all doing well.
and so until next time…
w/p
12:17am. 02/22/09. [shanghai]
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