Awww, you care!

I like getting bothered about updating, it makes me feel like if I don't clue you in you actually get upset and miss me and such.

So, here's what's up:

1. Chinese Kindergarten!! Tiny Chinese children love love loooove tall blonde American girls with silly putty and stickers. Here are a few pictures for your "aawww wook at de widdle kiddies" pleasure:


2. Dreaming in Chinese. Sounds cool right? WRONG. I am studying vocab in my sleep, but the problem is I'm not actually capable of learning news words in my sleep, so I just make up words and definitions to teach myself. Then I wake up freakin' confused and disoriented with a brand new repertoire of words never before heard by actual Chinese speakers. I'm serious. Before I can talk in the morning I have to stop and remember if I've actually studied these words or just unconciously formulated them. This is a legitimate problem. Takes my morning fog to new heights of confusion.

3. Condoms! LOOK! I ask you this: WHAT THE HECK ARE "JEANS" CONDOMS?? Now don't get me wrong, I have complete faith in the effectiveness of Chinese birth control (only kids with a sibling in the whole dang Kindergarten class were the twins), but what the heck does this MEAN? Are they denim?? You tell me THAT!




4.Writing in Chinese. I just wrote an essay. It was painful. I thought it might kill me. It's done now though, all I have to do is re-write those couple thousand characters by hand and turn it in. Honestly, I don't really know if it is any good or not, but it's my best and I'm sure my teacher will cover it in red ink and hand it back. That's fine, this class is baaasically pass-fail anyway. And it seriously is the best I can do.

5. The average height here is about three inches shorter than in America I think. This is in no way an empirical assesment but really, what did you expect from me? Anyway, the problem is the average height of EVERYTHING is about three inches shorter than in America. My desk. Chairs. The bathroom mirror. My bed. Daylight. I'm starting to have some back trouble and I hope I can just ignore it until my triumphant American return.

6. Muslim restaurant and Old Harbin! This Saturday we wandered around Old Habin for awhile and then ate some delicious beef-oriented food (for a change). Old Harbin is...small? Dirty? Cold? I finally got to see the silly SongHua River at least...that was cool, see below:



Well, now I'm off to do the homework I typically do during the weekend but haven't yet because this essay sapped my soul. Grab some Mac & Cheese and think of me!

Planning to see the wall at Spring Break,
China-Cat