ok, it's sometime after I arrived and still weeks away from return trip to the states. That of course implies I still don't have my days straight, damn dateline thingie...
Sunday was pretty much hanging out, went for a drive up the road to Xingtai procure what is apparently some d@mn tasty donkey meat and I will agree, that was tasty stuff. Not absolutely certain the drive is worth it. I've had little interaction with the stuff, so I guess when I have some terrible stuff, I'll know for certain.
Yesterday we we went to lunch, chilled out for a little while and then mama, ayi and another uncle I had not yet met tossed us into the car and we drove out to I believe they said Yongyun or Yongyuan. Kind of a big deal for TaiQi, not just guessing, it's a walled city, walls are pre-Ming in appearance and design. The folks in Beijing are apparently building a massive TaiQi school there... I just know awesome little trip, except for the ride in the back of a Kia Soul, I am definitely not a fan of the hamster car. The trip involves the option of walking the wall, riding a bike, single or tandem on the wall, or riding a go cart (tour bus style) on the wall. 4 gates, completely surrounded by water and I'm guessing the area was once a heavy rice area, with the water outside the moat like structure which is about football field's length (American or Soccer Pitch take your pick). I just thought it totally cool to see a place so apparently remote (there's a mini ghost city going in north of the actual city and school) they have kept the wall and a lot of the rectangular courtyard homes, with some obvious 20th century 2 stories that are grey brick, not red brick. if your curious we hiked the wall, I've got to download the pics from her cam, not mine though. It's a long walk, but we had fun, she kept throwing "tantrums" for the last quarter section from the East Gate (one of two massive gates) to the South gate, before we got lost in the car and I lost the sensation in my legs riding in the back of the hamster car.
Today, we overslept only a couple hours, long enough for mama to know without a doubt we were not sleeping seperately and I know mama chewed her out. bad part is, we were just sleeping, very comfortably together, but sleeping. As we all know, with mama, that's no difference, still a play foul. Went to lunch with mama, ayi and a friend I had never met and her son (about 8 I would guess). After lunch, it's official, I have met the enemy, and they bend her ear with Mahjong tiles. Apparently they think I am stupid and I let them think so. One of them figured out I understood a little and he (married to one of the other players) proceeded to try and work me over. These people don't seem to understand, but I am certain they will all watch their tongues around me in the future, because he wasn't expecting me to speak full complete sentences back to him. My vocabulary is limited, but the army did want me to be a linguist and I have some aptitude, granted, if they talk fast or with their mouths full, I'm boned, but I'm getting better.
Coincidentally, I was severely punished today, I had to watch her lose at Mahjong for 2 hours, after she had won for the first hour, then after she realized we hadn't gone to the bank today, she spent 30 minutes cleaning house and walked away with 80RMB, then it's home and we had dinner with mama. Now just kicked back again and wasting my time talking to you, "what am I doing that for" later!
Lloyd