Day 16/17/18

1. Day 16 July 20^th

2. Day 17 July 21^st

3. Day 18 July 22nd

4. Point outs

5. My thoughts at Sky Sea

6. Best Pics

1. Day 16 July 20th

-9:20, got up and ate breakfast, then washed dishes in the book bar

-got the most recent post up

-A rustic pathways high school group came to Sky Sea to climb and kayak. They were such high schoolers, it totally gave me a flashback. Paul and I took them half of the group kayaking while the other half climbed.

-we got back at 1:30 ish. It took a bit to convince the cooks to leat us start eating even though the other half of the group hadn’t got back. Finally they decided it was okay to appropriate half of the food to us(I really need to do a highlight on decision processes here in China, it can be painful at times)

-Yuki, a guest then wanted to go kayaking, she grabbed some life jackets and we chose a kayak. I suggested we choose our orange plastic kayak because it’s the hardest to flip, easiest to get back into, and safest. We headed out and after about 15 minutes I decided we turn around because the kayak was filling with water. We flipped it about five times on our way back, due to its weight, and I ended up swimming it back to Sky Sea. Xiao Jie and I tried to move it, but it was too heavy to move, we drained the water out of a hole in the front(it took about a full ten minutes to drain. The design is such that it should be the safest kayak, but the doors to the compartments don’t prevent water from leaking into the inside of the kayak, which is supposed to be an indestructible air cavity. So lesson learned, yes Chinese goods are incredibly cheap and fake.

-While putting away my life jacket at reception Xiao Yun chewed me out for a few reasons 1) apparently the red kayak is one of our investors, not for customers.(but it’s next to all of our kayaks) She didn’t listen when I said no one told me, how was I supposed to know? 2) Yuki didn’t sign a waiver. Which someone at reception should have had her do when she walked into reception to grab the paddles and life jackets.

Then Xiao Yun repeated next time I can’t do that, is that clear?

Needless to say I was peeved, I cooled off and went back and asked her to not talk to me like I’m a child. She apologized, air cleared.

-I showered till 6:30 and ate dinner, Youyong told me about a special request from Jiaming, the owner. I was requested to go over, on Saturday July 23, to Caicun, a village next to the old city of Dali(across the lake from Shuanlang, to teach Jiaming’s friends child English(this is a terribly constructed sentence, whoops, sorry y’all). I asked the level of the child and if they could read so I could make an appropriate lesson plan. Jiaming told me that simple things should be fine “how are you” “what is your name” etc, should do. The goal is for me to incite interest in learning English. Honestly, I can’t stand teaching English, but of course I’m going to do the best job I can do.

-Washed dished in the Book Bar and then helped Lina prepare Hot pots(a Sichuan specialty dish of very spicy food). It’s a bowl of spices which you dip a variety of items into and then pull out to eat. During preparation, Lina added a spoonful of white powder to each bowl of spices. Curious, but near sure, I asked Lina what it was. Yeah it was MSG. Maybe that’s why the food is so damn good..

Luckily, Lina they only used it in a few dishes at Sky Sea.

-I hung out in the Book bar and then Xiaojie, Yuki, Sheng and I headed into Shuanglang. Amigo’s was closed so I joined the crew for bbq food.

-at 11:30 we made our way back. From the end of an ally way, a group of dogs started barking at us. I turned off my headlamp and we kept walking past the ally way and the barking continued.

Xiaojie said “不要跑” “don’t run”. About ten yards past the alley, we heard the dogs come out from the ally way. I know Xiaojie said don’t run, my thoughts were how about sprinting? As long as I’m faster than the slowest runner, right? This was the most scared I’ve been in China. The barking continued to get closer, and just as I was thinking about sprinting, the dogs turned around.

-Got back at 12 and went to bed.

2. Day 17 July 21^st

-got up, ate breakfast.

-10 Was requested to go out and get some bike locks, requested to go help out in the Book Bar. After about twenty minutes of deliberation between Youyong and Shoujun over getting 5 bikes locks, I finally went out to get them. (seriously I need to do a highlight on decision making and management in China.) After getting the locks I stopped at Amigo and checked out their internet, was treated a smoothie by the owner, and made my way back to Sky Sea at 12.

-I set up my computer and by the grace of God I managed to upload 35 photos

-After lunch, Xiao Yun requested me to go to a police meeting with her. Jiaming and I thought it wasn’t the best idea, to the Chinese government I’m just a guest that is staying in Shuanglang for a long time, not a worker. Instead, I went to get trash bags while Xiao Yun went to the meeting. I was supposed to get “liang zhang lajidai” “two sets of trash bags” (I din’t know that dai were bags, I just knew it had to do with trash)

-At the store where I bought the locks, I said exactly what XiaoYun told me “liang zhang lajidai”, the clerk went over to the bike locks. Then I repeated it, “liang zhang lajidai”, he then headed over to the trash bins. I wasn’t sure, but it did look like what Xiao yun described so I bought two.

-I went to wait for Xiao yun at the ATM machine. While waiting I saw Ashima on her way to the meeting as well and told her I’d be at Amigo waiting. I talked with Max, the owner of Amigo and got good tips on anecdotes on his Chinese  business experience from running Amigo. Basically, you have to really really really trust someone of you want to make a business partnership.

picture: Amigo’s Cafe

-Xiaoyun and Ashima came back to Amigo, then Sansao, the head chef came was right outside, so we all sat down to eat street vendor food with Max and his wife. We called Lina over as she rode by.

picture: the street food we ate outside of Amigo’s

-After eating Lina and I went to return the bins and get bags and then bought some vegetables. I had returned the trash bins I totally would have bought the wrong item again. Xiaoyun’s explanation + my vocab=misunderstanding.

-went back to Sky Sea and ate dinner. Washed dishes in the Book bar and then was called over by the guests to join their bbq. I hung out and three guys sang and played music.

-At 12ish, I helped clean up the bbq and Ashima told the group be quiet or find a new spot because her son Ajie couldn’t sleep. They weren’t up to moving to the lake shore, as a guest told Ashima she was disgusting, Cici, xiaojie and I decided it was time for bed.

-It started raining about five minutes later, so they wouldn’t have been out for much longer, anyway

3. Day 18 July 22^nd

-got up and ate breakfast, Youyong remind me, for the sixth time that today I was going to weed outside of the first house.

-I washed dishes in the kitchen and then asked Youyong where to weed, he said he would show me soon so I waited in the Book bar. Hancheng and I drank tea and then Polan, and investor asked me to helped him out. We ended up moving a ton of heavy pieces of furniture to the top of the hill behind Sky Sea. The hilltop of the location of one of the new buildings for Sky Sea lodge. Then we moved a mattress up to the top of the hill. But instead of going around the back where the houses and paths are. We climbed up the hill along a foot wide path my mom totally would have killed me. We survived, but it was certainly dumb.

-After moving the mattress, as I was walking to help move more things, Sibaoshu called me to take a kid out kayaking. We kayaked for about 1.5 hours and I got back at 1:40 ish

-I ate what was leftover from lunch for twenty minutes and then talk Sansao’s child English for an hour. Honestly, I still hate teaching English.

-After teaching English, Lina and I went to the market to buy torches for “火把节huobajie” “torch festival”.

-when we got back to Sky Sea, Shoujun, shouted “ahhhh you bought the wrong things. Lina bought straw brooms, instead of the torches. I totally gave her a hard time, the day before she teased me for buying the wrong item.

-We ate dinner and at the end of dinner I was requested to go in seven different directions –to take guests to their rooms, take guests out kayaking, change the water container out in the book bar, wash dishes in book bar and then to watch of the book bar. It was at the point that I had officially gotten sick of Sky Sea. I went to the Book Bar and watched over it so Cici and Ashima could eat. Lina watched over as well. As I started putting the dishes away, Lina continued to read her book.

-More and more I’d become the go to person for pretty much everything around Sky Sea, as other volunteers are able hang around, I was requested to help with everything. I was getting a little bit tired and frustrated.

-Thankfully, the next day I was headed out of Sky Sea to do the English teaching gig from 10-12 and then hang around the Old city. I decided I would ask Youyong if I could stay the night as a break.

-That night I prepared a lesson plan for a couple hours and had Dong Dong help me make a board game, each color corresponds to simple things to translate. I figured I would leave the game with the parents and the kid and they could make the vocab harder as the child learns more.

-at 11ish Youyong told me how to get to the place to meet miss xiaojie. I was instructed to walk to caicun from the bus stop and meet miss xiaojie at “the wild pig forest restaurant” I figured I would teach their or end up going to her house to teach. Without asking, Youyong said I could come back the Sky Sea the next day, thank god. Cici decided to head to gu cheng as well.

-I tried to get into the kitchen to eat some peanut butter with my bananas, but it was locked. I was terribly disappointed. I love peanut butter.

-I talked with my new roommate, Will till 1 ish. He is a senior in marketing from Guangzhou and he and Yuxie came to volunteer together. Went to bed so I’d have energy for teaching this kid.

4. Point outs

-the way the Chinese say delicious is effing cute. that’s it

-Chinese culture is loud. How might one ask? Well, in most aspects of life, the Chinese are louder than westerners. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just different. When dinner is ready, Shoujun goes around Sky Sea yelling “吃饭了！吃饭了！””EAT! EAT!” When Xiao Yun needs to find Youyong, does she go around and politely ask guests “have you seen Youyong”, no need when you can just scream “YOUYONG!!” and hope that he can here you from wherever you are.

Conversations often reach a loud chatter between friends, including some shouting. Whether it be in the courtyard, at the reception, or in a room. In the same situation, back home, I can imagine myself giving a soft “shh” to settle things down.

In restaurants, when the time to pay arrives. Does one quietly raise their finger and hope that worker catches the signal? Of course not, shouting “老板！买单！”“Owner!Pay!” is so much more direct, and ten times quicker.

Those are the first examples that come to mind. One must understand that neither the Western or Eastern way is better. What one must understanding is simply that they are different. It’ll help when you make it over here.

5. My thoughts at Sky Sea

So recently I’ve been pretty frustrated at Sky Sea. For two reasons:

-One is that I am working very hard and getting exhausted. It gets pretty tiring being pulled every which way. As I’m walking to do one things, someone else calls out my name. I wish they knew the phrase “I only have two hands” It’s getting tiring, and frustrating seeing others hang around.

-The other reason is probably the more important reason. I want to get out of Shuanglang and see China. At Sky Sea I’m getting one aspect taken care of, Chinese practice. But really, I’m not traveling. Before I left, Professor Varsano, my ancient Chinese professor asked if I was going to travel, at my response of “no”, she highly encouraged me to get out and see China. It was at the point that I was “incepted” with the idea. At first my thought was that I would stay at Sky Sea for seven weeks and really get to know the town, but Leo was right, an idea is like a virus. I’ve been thinking about it more and more, I want need to get out of Dali, it’d be shame to travel halfway across the world and only know a radius of five miles. Luckily I’m going across the lake to Dali old city, it’ll be nice to get out.

6. Best Pics