I just got ripped off by the rombutan man
And just what is a rombutan? Here is a photo of a bunch of them.
http://www.anthropology.pdx.edu/ISLE/ISLEimages/classes/rombutan%20thumbnail.jpg
You rip off that rough exterior and reveal and white fleshy juicy almost lychee like fruit. I see similarities with this fruit to myself…
Even with my so-called Chinese speaking ability I am still getting ripped off! I have reached a level of frustration with my inability to recall words in Chinese that I once knew, to the point where I actually picked up a borrowed textbook and STARTED STUDYING AGAIN. Crazy I know. I do have to admit, the last time I was in China I had been studying Chinese for four and a half years straight, now I am back in this country after not speaking it for four years, so no wonder it sucks. It’s coming back to me rather quickly. I just find it ridiculous that I was at one point writing research papers in the language and now I can barely communicate with the waitress. I do still refuse to pay for classes, my goal is NOT to be fluent in any way, I love speaking my own language with my own peeps way too much, it keeps me sane, but I would like to get back to at least where I was when I last left.
Apparently the actual blog about my day with pat wynne never came through. That will be the third time that that blog did not come through, so sorry pat and pat, but now you get the super condensed version. I am sure you can understand my frustration with the machines that disappear by beautiful prose.
Had dinner at the latest new restaurant near my home last night, a Dongbei food place, when I asked my new friend Hannah just where that was, she snidely responded, ‘the north east?’ [For those non Chinese speakers dongbei is literally east north]. Hannah is a rad girl, an ideal friend, from Decatur, yes the ATL baby, and she also enjoys teaching her Chinese friends slang that not even other young Americans can understand. Example: instead of saying ‘bye –bye’ [the Chinese love that one] she taught them ‘holla at a player when you see me on the skreeeeeeeeet’. Word. We had a good amount of laughs. She’s my gateway to a million and one lesbians, can’t wait to chill with them all.
The current job story: [since my father continues to ask] had a brief meeting with James [my boss] yesterday. This morning he left for Warsaw to go to Nicholas Hall’s OTC conference, wish I was going with him, but I guess I can get over it. He is definitely a man of a grand vision, details are just that, details. He has this whole plan for me, which works in a way that I help him start his China- specific OTC newsletter/journal, and he helps me become this… OTC expert/saleswoman extraordinaire. Still he does not focus on the actual goings-on of this massive project I am entrenched in, such as, how will I magically transform these hundred articles into a coherent journal that is not totally plagiarized? Haven’t got that far in discussions with him. Nor have we focused on the 1129 pages of uselessness that my Chinese coworker came up with. For some reason I have doubts about his researching abilities. But I am staying with the job, because to be honest I am about to be flat broke, I am down to my last… oh, about 80 bucks, which is pretty funny. I love a life with no credit cards and 80 bucks is actually a livable amount until I get paid in two weeks. Ha!
I just sent an invite to view my latest photo album, so if you didn’t get it, email me. There are a bunch of other albums in there, including some from friends that might not be all that parent- appropriate, so older peeps you are welcome to view them, but you know… all that jazz.
I have a phone number! Yes, a real phone that rings in my house and if you call me I don’t have to pay for it. My cell phone is… I would say four times as expensive to use regularly here than in the US. It is probably the only thing that is more expensive here that I purchase, but still it is sucking me dry. OK, the phone number is, with calling codes to call from the US to China, 011-86-10-6417-6714. So call me sometime, should you feel the need, but don’t surprised if I’m not there, I am rarely home when I’m not sleeping. But, good times to call are: Monday-Thursday 6pm to 11 pm. To figure out when that is where you are, check out http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedform.html
My friend Alison had a funny convo with Summer’s boss at my party, which she related some of which to me: “he was hilarious. I was criticizing him for wanting to bring that Italian Barbie magazine [somehow this magazine ended up at my party] to china, saying it's the last thing china needs now that all these young girls are already having surgery and stuff to look more western, they didn't need Barbie too. and he turns it around and starts complimenting me. I guess that's Chinese, kiss up so someone stops criticizing you. maybe you should try that with the Wu's -- when they start nagging, start complimenting their drapes or something.”
At the end there she is relating to my constant bitching about how the Wu’s are such nice people, take such good care of me, but are Very judgmental [note the capital “V”!] of how I live my life, and also very questioning if I know what is best for me, which gets old REALLY fast. Turns out I’ve been living on my own and taking care of myself for… 8 years now, I think I know when I am cold and when I am full. Do we really need to have another discussion over the fact that I don’t want rice? That I have already eaten enough? Do I know that I am capable of biking across the city at 9 o’clock at night? And it would be one thing if it was just Yangling [mom] nagging me, but it’s WuXia too, which makes me want to chew off my arms and throw them at her sometimes. Really I’m over it, but maybe Alison is right, when they are judging/criticizing me, I will compliment their drapes? We will see how that goes over.
http://www.anthropology.pdx.edu/ISLE/ISLEimages/classes/rombutan%20thumbnail.jpg
You rip off that rough exterior and reveal and white fleshy juicy almost lychee like fruit. I see similarities with this fruit to myself…
Even with my so-called Chinese speaking ability I am still getting ripped off! I have reached a level of frustration with my inability to recall words in Chinese that I once knew, to the point where I actually picked up a borrowed textbook and STARTED STUDYING AGAIN. Crazy I know. I do have to admit, the last time I was in China I had been studying Chinese for four and a half years straight, now I am back in this country after not speaking it for four years, so no wonder it sucks. It’s coming back to me rather quickly. I just find it ridiculous that I was at one point writing research papers in the language and now I can barely communicate with the waitress. I do still refuse to pay for classes, my goal is NOT to be fluent in any way, I love speaking my own language with my own peeps way too much, it keeps me sane, but I would like to get back to at least where I was when I last left.
Apparently the actual blog about my day with pat wynne never came through. That will be the third time that that blog did not come through, so sorry pat and pat, but now you get the super condensed version. I am sure you can understand my frustration with the machines that disappear by beautiful prose.
Had dinner at the latest new restaurant near my home last night, a Dongbei food place, when I asked my new friend Hannah just where that was, she snidely responded, ‘the north east?’ [For those non Chinese speakers dongbei is literally east north]. Hannah is a rad girl, an ideal friend, from Decatur, yes the ATL baby, and she also enjoys teaching her Chinese friends slang that not even other young Americans can understand. Example: instead of saying ‘bye –bye’ [the Chinese love that one] she taught them ‘holla at a player when you see me on the skreeeeeeeeet’. Word. We had a good amount of laughs. She’s my gateway to a million and one lesbians, can’t wait to chill with them all.
The current job story: [since my father continues to ask] had a brief meeting with James [my boss] yesterday. This morning he left for Warsaw to go to Nicholas Hall’s OTC conference, wish I was going with him, but I guess I can get over it. He is definitely a man of a grand vision, details are just that, details. He has this whole plan for me, which works in a way that I help him start his China- specific OTC newsletter/journal, and he helps me become this… OTC expert/saleswoman extraordinaire. Still he does not focus on the actual goings-on of this massive project I am entrenched in, such as, how will I magically transform these hundred articles into a coherent journal that is not totally plagiarized? Haven’t got that far in discussions with him. Nor have we focused on the 1129 pages of uselessness that my Chinese coworker came up with. For some reason I have doubts about his researching abilities. But I am staying with the job, because to be honest I am about to be flat broke, I am down to my last… oh, about 80 bucks, which is pretty funny. I love a life with no credit cards and 80 bucks is actually a livable amount until I get paid in two weeks. Ha!
I just sent an invite to view my latest photo album, so if you didn’t get it, email me. There are a bunch of other albums in there, including some from friends that might not be all that parent- appropriate, so older peeps you are welcome to view them, but you know… all that jazz.
I have a phone number! Yes, a real phone that rings in my house and if you call me I don’t have to pay for it. My cell phone is… I would say four times as expensive to use regularly here than in the US. It is probably the only thing that is more expensive here that I purchase, but still it is sucking me dry. OK, the phone number is, with calling codes to call from the US to China, 011-86-10-6417-6714. So call me sometime, should you feel the need, but don’t surprised if I’m not there, I am rarely home when I’m not sleeping. But, good times to call are: Monday-Thursday 6pm to 11 pm. To figure out when that is where you are, check out http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedform.html
My friend Alison had a funny convo with Summer’s boss at my party, which she related some of which to me: “he was hilarious. I was criticizing him for wanting to bring that Italian Barbie magazine [somehow this magazine ended up at my party] to china, saying it's the last thing china needs now that all these young girls are already having surgery and stuff to look more western, they didn't need Barbie too. and he turns it around and starts complimenting me. I guess that's Chinese, kiss up so someone stops criticizing you. maybe you should try that with the Wu's -- when they start nagging, start complimenting their drapes or something.”
At the end there she is relating to my constant bitching about how the Wu’s are such nice people, take such good care of me, but are Very judgmental [note the capital “V”!] of how I live my life, and also very questioning if I know what is best for me, which gets old REALLY fast. Turns out I’ve been living on my own and taking care of myself for… 8 years now, I think I know when I am cold and when I am full. Do we really need to have another discussion over the fact that I don’t want rice? That I have already eaten enough? Do I know that I am capable of biking across the city at 9 o’clock at night? And it would be one thing if it was just Yangling [mom] nagging me, but it’s WuXia too, which makes me want to chew off my arms and throw them at her sometimes. Really I’m over it, but maybe Alison is right, when they are judging/criticizing me, I will compliment their drapes? We will see how that goes over.
posted by Claire at 2:06 AM
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