And we're off!

Today was kind of silly and kind of weird. First of all, I actually woke up at a slightly normal hour (thanks Tylenol pm! And mom, the buyer! And Lily, the suggester!) and went downstairs to meet my Chinese buddy. It's funny how we were paired like little children (who still uses the buddy system?) but it turned out to be a great experience. My buddy's American name was Echo! It's funny how names work here in China. All of our buddies had Chinese names, but they also had American names, as though they were already preparing for the workforce or higher education abroad. I met one buddy named Delia who had changed her name from Jennifer, to Tracy, to Delia. It's like it changes with their mood or the weather or the fashion. Who knows? Tis a Chinese mystery.

We were herded into McDonalds for breakfast, which was weird for so many reasons. I'll name a few. 1) it was McDonalds...in China 2) it felt like 8pm American time, so I was starving and just wanted some lunch food but instead ordered breakfast food because of peer pressure and the intense need to get used to the time change. Someone annoying once told me that the word "few" actually meant "three," so I'll add one more for him/her. 3) we got our own little back room of the McDonalds, like a secret MickeyD suite or somewhere where they would hold birthday parties.

My buddy was so friendly, she reminded me of my cousins a lot, although I may just think that because she's friendly and Asian. I'm sure a lot of people are that same way, especially here, in Asia. She had two roommates who were also volunteering to be our buddies. One was a beautiful girl with porcelain (sp.?) Asian skin and these round almond eyes that were accented by the sweeping upward lines of her eyeliner. She also had dainty features, like a dainty nose and ears. And dainty earrings. Then, there was the other buddy. She was so tiny. Miniature. Pocket-sized. Although she was a college student of college age, she literally looked no older than 8 years old. She had this cute, wide slab of a face, fitted with the smallest lips. It was quite cute. She couldn't have been taller than 4 ft 9 in or so.

We went to Tianemen (sp.?) Square and walked around. Although we didn't see the actual body of Mao, we were able to take pictures outside, and we saw the statue to the fallen heroes where the students protested years ago. It was such a sunny day with clear blue skies. Professor Pong said it was the best weather he'd ever seen this time of year (knock on wood.) I wonder if they have superstitions like knocking on wood in China.

Sometimes I get homesick or face a bout of loneliness here. It's weird. It's a mix of missing things. At first, I feel like a fish out of water, being surrounded by a language I can barely understand or speak, and feeling like my head might explode with unspoken words and messages left uncommunicated. I am such a talker, and being faced with forced silence is mind-numbing sometimes. Also, I am experiencing so many new things with new friends, and sometimes I just really wish I had close friends with me to experience all that I'm going through and think that it was as cool as I do. Thus, I was sooo relieved to meet up with my good friend Steven, who is working in Beijing. I couldn't have been happier. Not only did he give me his old cell phone, but (not trying to sound cheesy) he gave me back a sense of normalcy and home and comfort. It was really nice. Even moreso than I expected it would be (and I had my expectations set pretty high.) I just noticed how many ( ) I use. I'm sorry if it annoys you, readers. And I'm sorry that I can't remember the technical name for ( ).

Interesting facts follow:
1. I learned how to make dumplings from scratch today - even how to cut and roll the outer flour shell
2. I ate a delicious treat today of something that looked like mini apples skewered on a stick, dipped in hardened sugar
3. I learned how to say "supermarket" and "cute" today. I learned "cute" because Asian babies are the cutest in the world, and they love to run around outside in hundreds of layers of clothing and funny hoods with elaborate designs
4. Most of the toilets don't have toilet paper here - you have to supply your own. Most of the toilets are just holes with foot pads on either side. I'm going to have strong leg muscles from squatting
5. I saw a mini toilet today in the mall
6. I saw scorpions on a stick today - served as food. Word on the street is that they're not bad tasting

And with that, I'm done for now :)

Love,

Amy

Now for a list of random facts!