What am I doing?
Well, let's see. I walked through Baiyun Park the other day with a group of 5 other people or so. We walked up hills and steps, granted not that taxing, but I felt surprisingly healthy that day and not even particularly sore after walking probably the most hours since my rice terrace hike in Longji way back when. I spent most of the day speaking English and listening to a great deal of Italian and Cantonese. I played Ping Pong a while back too and actually beat a Chinese person, although the rumor is she let me win. I still felt good about the victory.
In my apartment, I did laundry for the first time. As warned by the previous tenant, the spin cycle does not run automatically nor does the water drain. While pressing random buttons to attempt to initiate said spin cycle, I pressed the one that opens the door and spills that water out into the living room instead. So I cleaned my apartment which looks nice now. I'm also getting the hang of washing dishes in the one sink with no hot water in the bathroom/kitchen. My hot plate cooking is progressing, I think I figured out how to simmer now. Saute is going to be the final step to greatness, last time I tried the oil turned awful black awful fast. Despite that setback I have managed to make some soups with noodles and vegetables that have come out decently considering I have no recipes and I am totally winging it. I bought a toaster oven to add a new dimension to my cooking output in this apartment. As a result, now I can include toast with any meal, just watch me. In a more ambitious step, I roasted a head of garlic to mix into my second homebound attempt at hummus which actually came out really good and I had to pat myself on the back for that one. A nearby imported foods store has yielded a bounty of canned beans on top of my refrigerator and increased the methane content of my apartment's atmosphere by unknown and impressive quantities. That is undoubtedly more than any of you wished to know.
I looked through my un-uploaded pictures on my camera and they are mostly food. I should weigh way more. This week I ate at a Turkish restaurant that was pretty good. They had hummus and other vegetably items. I mostly cooked. Sunday after the park I went to a Cantonese restaurant. The vegetables tasted good. I did not sample the snake or the chicken despite it being clear from the cage behind me that the ingredients were very fresh. I ate at a sushi restaurant one night. The vegetable sushi was good. I found Ore-ida fries in the imported foods store. I nearly cried. I haven't made them yet, maybe as part of lunch tomorrow. I have been considering eating fish lately if my stomach didn't improve, but the word from the latest doctor is lab verified, and there is nothing serious wrong with me. No parasites, no bacterial infection, no gestating alien soon to burst from my sternum. I have been diagnosed with something called chronic gastroenteritis. The doctor said it happens to tons of people and is the number one thing he sees in foreigners who come here. He was surprised I didn't have anything sooner. He claimed two weeks prior to my visit to have the same thing himself. So is that good?
Anyway, I've been attempting to be more social venturing out here and there for dinner, drinks, walks and whatnot. I have been studying Chinese on my own and wrote a nifty little program I'm proud of which helps identify new Chinese words derived from characters I already know. It needs some polishing but the idea works. I have been reading a lot. I read Les Miserables, Made in America and Notes from a Small Country both by Bill Bryson, and a novel called Backpack given to me by a friend. I only have one book left about life on the Silk Road around 750AD and then I'll have to go book shopping again or borrow some from somebody. I'll always have my Chinese language books which take a bit longer to go through. I still haven't gone through the Calvin & Hobbes translation of Revenge of the Babysat which I purchased way back in Kunming, though I take it in the bathroom with me every now and then. Apart from reading I've been playing the guitar a lot. I'm really glad I bought that thing. I've been playing along with some songs on the ipod and figuring out old songs I should've figured out a long time ago. I don't know if I'm actually getting any better but I can tune to Drop D other stranger and lower metal tunings really quickly now so that's something. I have also been figuring out Ben Folds's songs and other piano stuff on guitar, so that's kind of a nice change. I'm sure my neighbors' are developing an advanced appreciation of rock & roll anyway, especially around 1am or so.
So all in all, life in Guangzhou. I look out of my windows at the tall apartment buildings and the shopping complexes surrounding my apartment building and think how strange it is that I am actually living in China. I must have gotten used to it somewhat. I no longer pay attention to people staring at me. I'm no longer shocked and amazed by how different things are. I read the Chinese signs best as I can wherever I go but I feel more like I'm in Chinatown than China. It's remarkable the extent to which I've adjusted in such a short time. Hard to believe it is closing in on 5 months since I left New York.
It's late, time for bed. Trying to be on a slightly more sane schedule and not fall into my old 4am NYC nights. Tomorrow is another day.
In my apartment, I did laundry for the first time. As warned by the previous tenant, the spin cycle does not run automatically nor does the water drain. While pressing random buttons to attempt to initiate said spin cycle, I pressed the one that opens the door and spills that water out into the living room instead. So I cleaned my apartment which looks nice now. I'm also getting the hang of washing dishes in the one sink with no hot water in the bathroom/kitchen. My hot plate cooking is progressing, I think I figured out how to simmer now. Saute is going to be the final step to greatness, last time I tried the oil turned awful black awful fast. Despite that setback I have managed to make some soups with noodles and vegetables that have come out decently considering I have no recipes and I am totally winging it. I bought a toaster oven to add a new dimension to my cooking output in this apartment. As a result, now I can include toast with any meal, just watch me. In a more ambitious step, I roasted a head of garlic to mix into my second homebound attempt at hummus which actually came out really good and I had to pat myself on the back for that one. A nearby imported foods store has yielded a bounty of canned beans on top of my refrigerator and increased the methane content of my apartment's atmosphere by unknown and impressive quantities. That is undoubtedly more than any of you wished to know.
I looked through my un-uploaded pictures on my camera and they are mostly food. I should weigh way more. This week I ate at a Turkish restaurant that was pretty good. They had hummus and other vegetably items. I mostly cooked. Sunday after the park I went to a Cantonese restaurant. The vegetables tasted good. I did not sample the snake or the chicken despite it being clear from the cage behind me that the ingredients were very fresh. I ate at a sushi restaurant one night. The vegetable sushi was good. I found Ore-ida fries in the imported foods store. I nearly cried. I haven't made them yet, maybe as part of lunch tomorrow. I have been considering eating fish lately if my stomach didn't improve, but the word from the latest doctor is lab verified, and there is nothing serious wrong with me. No parasites, no bacterial infection, no gestating alien soon to burst from my sternum. I have been diagnosed with something called chronic gastroenteritis. The doctor said it happens to tons of people and is the number one thing he sees in foreigners who come here. He was surprised I didn't have anything sooner. He claimed two weeks prior to my visit to have the same thing himself. So is that good?
Anyway, I've been attempting to be more social venturing out here and there for dinner, drinks, walks and whatnot. I have been studying Chinese on my own and wrote a nifty little program I'm proud of which helps identify new Chinese words derived from characters I already know. It needs some polishing but the idea works. I have been reading a lot. I read Les Miserables, Made in America and Notes from a Small Country both by Bill Bryson, and a novel called Backpack given to me by a friend. I only have one book left about life on the Silk Road around 750AD and then I'll have to go book shopping again or borrow some from somebody. I'll always have my Chinese language books which take a bit longer to go through. I still haven't gone through the Calvin & Hobbes translation of Revenge of the Babysat which I purchased way back in Kunming, though I take it in the bathroom with me every now and then. Apart from reading I've been playing the guitar a lot. I'm really glad I bought that thing. I've been playing along with some songs on the ipod and figuring out old songs I should've figured out a long time ago. I don't know if I'm actually getting any better but I can tune to Drop D other stranger and lower metal tunings really quickly now so that's something. I have also been figuring out Ben Folds's songs and other piano stuff on guitar, so that's kind of a nice change. I'm sure my neighbors' are developing an advanced appreciation of rock & roll anyway, especially around 1am or so.
So all in all, life in Guangzhou. I look out of my windows at the tall apartment buildings and the shopping complexes surrounding my apartment building and think how strange it is that I am actually living in China. I must have gotten used to it somewhat. I no longer pay attention to people staring at me. I'm no longer shocked and amazed by how different things are. I read the Chinese signs best as I can wherever I go but I feel more like I'm in Chinatown than China. It's remarkable the extent to which I've adjusted in such a short time. Hard to believe it is closing in on 5 months since I left New York.
It's late, time for bed. Trying to be on a slightly more sane schedule and not fall into my old 4am NYC nights. Tomorrow is another day.
posted by Dan at 7:50 AM
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