A Walk in the Park

It’s early Saturday morning. I hear the rooster crowing even though the sun has been up for well over an hour. I don’t think this rooster knows the time, or at least he doesn’t care. He lives right out front of our apartment along with three or four other chickens. I enjoy watching them peck aimlessly at the ground while I get ready for the day. I wonder where they sleep at night; I never see them out after dark. I head off down the pathway into the brisk morning. I bundled up a little extra because I knew it would be cold today. I have to dodge a few smoldering piles of trash and I successfully jump out of the way of a couple motorcycles.

I walk through a small park on my way to the university entrance. Passing many of the older generation practicing tai chi. They should be finishing up soon, it’s getting late for that early crowd. I get a few more (curious) stares than normal this morning. Maybe I look a little extra foreign today. Usually I can ignore this, but every once in awhile I’ll stop an older person in their tracks as they look me up and down. This took some getting used to. I still have to remind myself time and again, that although that is considered extremely rude in my culture, here it is pure innocent curiosity.

I continue on my way and find a man selling hot fresh (squeezed?) soymilk. My favorite. I delve into my vocabulary bank and extract the 4 words I know to order “one cup soymilk, thank you.”  He asks me a question I don’t understand. Oh dear. I extract another third of my vocabulary to respond “I don’t understand, I’m sorry.” He gives me a warm smile and chuckles a little (probably laughing at my terrible accent). I take my soymilk and immediately begin to warm up. Even if I didn’t like the taste, I’d probably still pay the one yuan just to heat up my hands.

I run into one of my students and ask him what he is doing out at 7:30 on a Saturday morning. “Practicing English!” he says and holds up a book. Now that is commitment. I don’t know why he didn’t choose inside a building to practice, probably force of habit. The students often get up early to practice speaking their English outside before class. I see them speaking to the trees almost daily. I tell him he can practice with me if he is headed my way. We exchange some dialogue about Halloween and what we will do this weekend, then we have to part ways. I wish him luck with his practicing and say good bye.

I’m meeting a friend to go shopping in Zhu Zhou or “The Clothes City”. Essentially a city that is full of buildings that sell clothes. Lots of clothes. I make it to the front gates and weave my way over to one of the faux queues forming for the bus. China is still working on their “proper line forming” skills. I sink back out of the way and wait for my friend. I watch the people pass by me eating their bao zi and the little dogs hoping someone will inadvertently drop a piece on the ground so they can eat breakfast too. Every day turns out to be an adventure here. This is China.