Recap: Kunming

So, after a week of traveling in Southern China and then a month of being home in Seattle, I have made the long trek again back to Sias.  The flight is long, but direct Seattle to Beijing is really nice.  Plus, I severely dislike LAX.

However, before I returned to the land of good coffee, beer, and cheese, I traveled to three cities in Southern China with my friends Becky and Ole.

The first (and my favorite) was Kunming.  It is like the LA of China: sunny weather even in winter, really nice neighborhoods with interesting restaurants, really cosmopolitan compared to places like Zhengzhou.  We met quite a few French people and ate at a lot of French restaurants.

First off, we stayed in this hostel called Cloudland.  This was my first hostel experience and I LOVED it.  It had a really cool atmosphere and a lot of interesting people there.  All of the rooms opened out into the open air courtyard and was really nice to sit on the patio or in the bar.  We stayed in an 8 person dorm which was clean and functional.  There was a cute little dog that ran around that I became friends with.

In the center of down town is Green Lake, which was wonderful to walk around and the weather was sunny and warm (an nice break after the bone aching cold we had been experiencing in Xinzheng).   There were old men flying kites in the park so high that we couldn't even see most of them.

Near by was a game store (just like Blue Highway Games on Queen Anne!!!) that we rented board games at.  Rather, one board game: Ticket to Ride.  I love that game.  We played it three days in a row.  We know play it all the time here as well.  The French guy who owned it was really nice and informative and served good black beer.

The next day we made the 4 hour bus ride through construction mayhem outside of town to what was called "the Stone Forrest" which I had seen on a poster in our Hostel.  It looked really cool and I pushed for us to go.  Little did we know that it was 175 kuai to enter the park!  This may be only $26.90 to you, which is a normal fee for going into a nice natural preserve (I paid that much driving through Glacier National Park in Montana), but I am a poor English teacher who gets paid in Chinese money.  So, we trekked off into the unknown, finding some of the rocks in the countryside that were not maintained but rugged and more interesting (bright side of a really long bus trip).

It was again a really nice day and I ran around in a dress and flats (maybe I should have worn more appropriate foot wear, but I thought we would be walking around a park, not hiking into the countryside).

Where's Waldo?  I am in this picture, I swear.

On the bus ride back we got to see a Jackie Chan movie about all of these Chinese dudes trying to save/kidnap a baby.  It was funny, even if it was in Chinese.  When we got back, we were starving and I ate the best sandwich of my life: BBQ lamb with blue cheese on french bread.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it now.  Mmmmmm.

Needless to say, I want to move there.  Too bad I already signed a contract for coming back next year.  

Highlight of Kunming: getting my first Yahtzee ever.  Always go for 5s, cause that's what the picture on the box it.  

Things you shouldn't do with chopsticks

The first time I ever went to China, we were coached in Chopstick edicit.  If you have a bowl of rice, don't stick your chopsticks in it, that's what Chinese people do when they leave rice for their ancestors.  Don't use them as drumsticks, especially at a banquet.  Don't let the tips touch the table, always keep them on your plate or your bowl.  Never stick them anywhere inappropriate, the like.

Wellllll....  sometimes it's too much fun to resist.

Aaron and Winston are culture partners and because Winston and Jessica (my culture partner) are dating, we go on double dates.  Or whatever it is when only two out of the four people are dating.  A four wheeled date?  Half a double date?

This is Sarah, who is the teacher of the culture student program, who is now teaching sophmores that the culture program is done for the summer.  She's doing 'two fingers,' a ninja sign that the culture students made up when playing our favorite game called Ninjia Star.  It's like Big Booty only with ninjia signs.  It's pretty awesome.

This is Eileen doing wolverine, our shout out to Hugh Jackman in Ninjia Star.

Either a bumblebee or a new creature from the Star Trek universe.  (I had been watching some Star Trek movies before this dinner.)

I'm going to say this picture is the most attractive one of me, ever.  This also got the most laughs out of the culture students.  Erin is practicing her vampire fangs because she gets to play Bella in the upcoming Twilight skit for Culture Week.  And for those of you who know Erin (hi Erin's mom!), it's really ironic because we all hate Twilight with a fiery passion.  The fire of a thousand suns.  But they are doing a parody, so I guess that makes up for it.  A little bit.  Matt Hux is going to be Edward (hi Matt's mom!).  I can't wait to see it.

Faith jumped in on this action too, as a pretty convincing walrus.  An interesting note: that's Aaron in the yellow shirt before he shaved his head.  Good before and after of him in this blog.

There will more more, in the future, but I thought I would post these now.  I don't think they have been a major fau-paux (is that how you spell that word?) and I have been on my best behavior at the banquet I've been to. 

We just had our opening ceremony at Sias, and there was a banquet with the bigwigs of the university before hand.  Some of the foriegn teachers needed to go, so Jess and I volunteered.  It was a great idea, because there was a four course meal.  First was salmon and bacon with a quasi Ceasar Salad with REAL olive oil!!!  Next was a great tomato soup with cheesy garlic bread.  Then there was chicken and mashed potatoes and tiramisu for dessert!  And Jess and I got all dolled up to go, which was half of the fun part.

We have both volunteered to go to a banquet on Wednesday in Zhengzhou of university leaders and the govenor of Henan provience.  I have a feeling that will be more of a traditional chinese banquet (hello fish eyes and chicken feet) but it will still be pretty fun.  My parents (and Jess's (hi Jess's mom!)) taught me how to be polite and smooze, so why not practice and get some good food in the process?  I'll let you know how it goes.