Author Topic: luckiest man alive  (Read 11268 times)

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Offline DougK

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RE: luckiest man alive
« Reply #15 on: August 18, 2009, 10:17:13 pm »
Good news for you!

You make a good-looking couple. Best wishes for the rest of the trip.

Doug

Offline Neil

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RE: luckiest man alive
« Reply #16 on: August 19, 2009, 08:02:53 am »
Day 2 went well.  They picked me up around 10:30 and we took a bus to Xin's apartment.  It's small, on the third floor, inside a secure gated area.  I met her niece who lives with her, another pretty younger girl named Xia.  They cooked lunch for us.  We went out to go swimming but the pool was closed so we came back home and watched a bit of TV and talked and looked at pictures of Xin.  It seems like a cultural thing but she has books and books and books of pictures of her in various places, ages and poses.  Xin grabbed an english language book and cuddled up beside me on the couch and we taught each other english and chinese.  I met her brother's wife at supper.  She's older and seems more traditional.  She seemed to like me though not knowing Chinese is a real hinderance as far as keeping up with the conversation.  It's easy enough to follow faces and expressions and I can understand the odd word so I can tell when they're discussing me or Canada though.  

We're going for a 3 day tour of Guilin in a couple days.  Mini was warning me that it is an 8 hour bus ride and I will be very bored.  I told her that I'll get to sit beside Xin for 8 hours.  What's not to like?  She is so easy to be comfortable around.  When we walk, if I end up on a different side of her, the purse disapears to the other arm and her hand reaches for mine.  Traffic rules are awesome.  The bigger vehicle generally has the right of way.  The busses will edge into crosswalks and people will disperse around it, allow it to pass then continue on their way.  Scooters and cars going the wrong way down lanes.  Not once accident yet.  

Xin just messaged me, more later.
« Last Edit: August 19, 2009, 04:13:19 pm by Neil »
...as irresistible as chocolate

Scottish_Rob

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RE: luckiest man alive
« Reply #17 on: August 19, 2009, 09:37:34 am »
Mike I think he meant the neice's (Xia) husband... :blush:

Offline maxx

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RE: luckiest man alive
« Reply #18 on: August 19, 2009, 09:41:25 am »
Mike yeah I got lost to

Offline Neil

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RE: luckiest man alive
« Reply #19 on: August 19, 2009, 04:14:29 pm »
sorry, got sidetracked.  my posts disapeared.  I posted after Mike saying that I meant Xin's brother's wife.  I also posted more afterwards too.  attached pictures and everything.  odd.
Turns out Xin's brother's wife is actually Xin's friend.  "Sister" means best friend.  

Xin came back to the hotel room last night with her friend with concerned looks on their faces.  Her phone rang and she handed it to me.  I talked to a man that Xin knows that speaks a little English.  They are concerned I'm paying too much to the translator and wanted me to tell him how much I was paying.  Turns out the agency told Xin they were charging me 300 a day.  I don't know what the fallout will be from this.

Xin and Xia and some Canadian dude

Gang signs

Peace
Pro tips:  Eating is a social occasion.  Since I don't speak the language, I'm passing the time eating while everyone else is talking, so I get full faster.  If my bowl is empty, it needs more food in it.  Don't refuse.  Martin mentioned 2 refills of rice minimum so you don't offend.

Stop and talk to the other Laowei's.  I was on the bus with a guy with redish hair once.  He waited for me to pass him as we were exiting and we talked briefly.  It was nice to hear some English and I regret not staying and talking a bit.  He seemed to be from Europe somewhere and seemed very friendly.  I think he was here visiting his lady but he could well have been an english teacher.  The girls noticed he could speak Chinese very well.
« Last Edit: August 19, 2009, 04:38:56 pm by Neil »
...as irresistible as chocolate

Offline Bob

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RE: luckiest man alive
« Reply #20 on: August 19, 2009, 08:26:12 pm »
Niel, thanks for sharing your stories and picture with us, you have a very beautiful lady, and Xia is also very attractive. Looks like you are having a great time there,reading your stories brings back good memories of China. Please keep us updated on your visit over there.
« Last Edit: August 19, 2009, 08:28:38 pm by Bob »

Offline Ed W

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RE: luckiest man alive
« Reply #21 on: August 19, 2009, 09:13:06 pm »
You two look so nice together. I hope your having as much fun as those pics and your posts sound like you are.
Alright earthlings, what form do you want me to take?....How about a taco, ....that craps icecream?  My trip to china

Offline Willy The Londoner

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RE: luckiest man alive
« Reply #22 on: August 19, 2009, 09:29:12 pm »
Neil,

I think we are all pleased that things are going well.

Why do you want Xin to have an English name?   The name Xin tells you she is lovely, pretty and what a damn lucky fellow you are.

You will have more fun with Xin using an electronic translator - Ok the one we use cost 1400 yuan Besta 3000 but you will save a fortune from being ripped off by translator fees.  

Just a tip for all planning your first visit - if your getting full never empty your bowl - they will keep filling it until you burst.  

Willy
« Last Edit: August 20, 2009, 05:14:35 am by Willy The Londoner »
Willy The Lpndoner

Now in my 12th year living here,

Offline Martin

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RE: luckiest man alive
« Reply #23 on: August 20, 2009, 04:25:16 am »
Great trip updates!  I am really enjoying your posts.  But I am confused where is chocolate guy in the pictures?  Maybe that cute Chinese girl ate him, and left herself available to that other laowai.  I mean, it all makes sense...take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yigbhJX_F50

Offline Neil

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RE: luckiest man alive
« Reply #24 on: August 20, 2009, 09:02:52 am »
We agreed on a name today at supper.  She is now Nina and to make it official, she brought her cell phone to the cell phone store and got her name changed in it.  lol

Today was the best day ever.  

They showed up at 10 with breakfast and then hit me with confronting Mini about giving some money back because we wouldn't be taking the trip to Guilin as planned.  Well, I think it's still happening, but later tomorrow instead and Xin arranged it instead of getting the translator to arrange it - she doesn't trust her to not rip me off.

We took a cab from the hotel to the public swimming pool and here I learned more about Nina than I had known before.  She has the patience of a saint.  She spent nearly 2 hours trying to teach Mini how to swim.  We swam for about 3 hours.  Hot tubs, saunas, water jets of all shapes and sizes and she can swim almost exactly as well as I can.  I was absolutely impressed how completely non-judgemental people are here.  I'm overweight.  I have these bitch tits that I'm emberased about.  It is a non-issue to her and to everyone really.  We would be swimming and talking with Mini and she would slowly float to me, hug, cuddle, then float away and swim more.  While sitting in the sauna a young boy sat down beside me, said hi in English, said how are you, we talked a bit, when it was time to get out, he said bye bye.  Nina giggled and hugged me as we left, she wants a child.  Mini later asked me if I would like to have a child with Nina.  Yes, of course.  God we'd have beautiful kids.

After swimming we took a taxi to supper at a beautiful tea house.  Tea in China is great.  So ritualistic and the tea is refreshing as well.  We had a few different dishes, one spicy beef with veggies, one whole chicken, head and all, cut into pieces, noodles...oh, we started the meal with these cool green egg shaped pastries.  You take the wrapper off the pastry, tear the top of it, it has the texture of warm bread and inside is darker green goo which is sweet like syrup.  Delicious.  Finger food.  They finally let me pay for supper.  My first time paying for anything since I've been here other than translator services.  Xin showed me what she sells - it looks like rackmount computers and systems so I think she makes a decent wage.  

After supper we went shopping and bought some sandals and some snack food (fruit and drinks).  Then we came back to the hotel room and looked at pictures of Nina on the internet, looked at tons of optical illusions, installed qq, joked and goofed around, generally had a great time.  Unfortunately, they both left me for the night.  I'm going to have to start getting more agressive I think.  

Nina
She's wearing the necklace I brought her.  Playing with her translator.
...as irresistible as chocolate

brett

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RE: luckiest man alive
« Reply #25 on: August 20, 2009, 09:41:09 am »
Great updates Chocolate Guy!

Nina is adorably cute, you must be the happiest guy on the planet, well apart from me when I find my special somebody :icon_cheesygrin:.

Nina is a nice name, and so is Xin, I would love a wife with an "X" in her name, how mysterious and intriguing. But the Chinese have a long tradition of taking English names when they move to the west - I went to school with a Cantonese girl called Sandra :dodgy:.

Offline Neil

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RE: luckiest man alive
« Reply #26 on: August 20, 2009, 10:01:10 am »
Well, Xin is pronounced Seen.  Hard to say properly in english.  Nina is no problem for both english and chinese.
...as irresistible as chocolate

Offline Ed W

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RE: luckiest man alive
« Reply #27 on: August 20, 2009, 10:12:25 am »
I also found them to be very non-judgemental. My extra 20lbs is in my gut and I'm a bit self concious about it as well, but they make you feel as if it doesnt exist.

I got a kick from your lady's name since my wife's name is Xindi. Even though she also has the western name Anne, I found that once I learned to pronounce her Chinese name correctly I didn't want to call her by her western name, although my kids always do.

Happy to hear your having such a wonderful time. I'm really missing China now...
Alright earthlings, what form do you want me to take?....How about a taco, ....that craps icecream?  My trip to china

Offline Neil

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RE: luckiest man alive
« Reply #28 on: August 20, 2009, 10:37:17 am »
Right, I think Xin is a beautiful name but she likes being called Nina.  I have friends that I've corrected a million times that still say Zin.
...as irresistible as chocolate

Offline Martin

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RE: luckiest man alive
« Reply #29 on: August 20, 2009, 01:42:01 pm »
Great update.  You are having a blast!  I am having a blast reading it!