Stuff White People Like

Salutations, friends. Today was a very white day in red China. After a little bit of trouble, my classmate Clare and I were finally able to meet up with each other. We decided to meet at the Beijing Language and Culture University since it is the only place we have both been to and the only place we knew how to get to. From there we went to a nearby shopping mall and traded stories while browsing the various shops. We also bought school supplies, which for China standards was quite expensive. I bought a notebook, mechanical pencil, lead, and an eraser which combined was about 6 American dollars. But considering that my dinner last night was about 2 American dollars, I feel cheated out of a deal. Oh well, sometimes China doesn't make sense. Regardless, after we walked the entire mall, Clare and I set out on a quest to find other "bai ren" (white people). We headed over to Tsing Hua University, China's most prestigious institution of higher learning, and gave some of our UF friends a visit. We got to see their dorms, which compared to what I lived in last year, were pretty nice. Each room has it's own bathroom and air conditioning. The only catch is that there are regulated hot water hours and the air conditioning was not yet working. Like I said, sometimes China doesn't make sense. After a few hours at Tsing Hua, it was time for us to go back to our homes. Well, we chose quite possibly the worst time to return home. It was 6 o'clock. Turns out Beijing has a rush hour too. After getting closer than I ever wanter to my comrades, I finally got home. There I was greeted by a Ah Yi, our housekeeper. These past few days I think I've grown on her, because we ate dinner together. And I was able to tell her that although I can't always express my feelings, I understand a lot of what she says. She then asked if I enjoyed her cooking, and I responded saying that her cooking is always delicious. She responded with a smile and then forced me to eat more. In Chinese society, a way to show affection for someone is to give them food. Even as I write this, Ah Yi is making me eat large slices of watermelon. And to think, I was worried I would lose weight in China.