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Thanks to the miracle of modern science, it is Friday night as I write this and yet you will be able to read it on Friday morning. Isn't science a wonderful thing?
Remember I mentioned Julia Roberts? Well, it seems they sell video and audiotapes here of American movies, accompanied by transcripts, and the Chinese use them to learn "real English." The transcripts are about 80% accurate, but even so, I guess it's a good idea. Well, Vivian and I are going through "Something to Talk About" together. The language is definitely R-rated and this is why I found myself sitting on the second floor of a small library on a small campus in Beijing, China explaining to a very sweet young woman what it means when one woman says to another, "It wasn't his head he was thinking with."
I also had to explain which bad words weren't as bad as other bad words and which one might actually hear among friends.
Random thoughts on a Friday night:
- In this country, husband and lover are the same word. How odd.
- Our dorm has an elevator operator. When she's there, she pushes the buttons for you. When she's not there, you have to push them yourself.
- Our dorm supplies sheets and towels and blankets, but no toilet paper.
- In China, when you see a toilet, use it.
- At the Beijing Opera Company of Beijing (yes, that's its name), the curtains are closed by two men walking across the stage pulling them. (We went to the opera last night. Huang Zhong does a great imitation of the women singers.)
- I've had Ma Po Tofu in three restaurants, twice in one.
- A new building appeared on campus yesterday. It wasn't there last week.
- The two words I have the most trouble saying are "tea" and "bathroom." I suppose there's some beauty in the symmetry to be found in that. (Am I sounding eastern?)
- I heard the macarena today.
- And, yes I did go to Pizza Hut today. Went shopping with some friends and we couldn't resist going. More interesting than that, a new cafe opened next to the school last week: Bella sells bagel sandwiches, subs, and croissant sandwiches. So, today for lunch I had a chicken salad sandwich on a bagel and a diet coke. No joke. And for dinner, a couple of slices of veggie pizza and an iced tea. (Get this: the iced tea was from powder. Had I been able to do so, I would have complained.) I spent more today on food (about $20) than I have all week up to today. Descriptions of my western meals available upon my return. In sum, not too bad, although no New Yorker would have called that thing a bagel and that pizza crust... well, I told my friends that mom would sometimes make something like this with pita bread and try to pass it off as pizza. Hi mom! Love you lots!
But nothing beats yesterday. Picture this: Video night in the library. What do they show? "Romeo + Juliet," the Leonardo DiCaprio film, subtitled. So, we're looking at transvestites in postmodern Los Angeles speaking Shakespearean English and below the words appear in modern Chinese. I bumped into Vivian and a friend at the movie, so afterwards we strolled around campus discussing the movie and other stuff. We walked arm in arm, as you may have seen in pictures of China. It was a very pleasant evening.
But, of course, you're all waiting to find out why I taught the word "pimp" to another friend. You see, he's in very advanced English and is reading a number of essays about the decadent, corrupt west. Every story seems to be about the Mafia (and he's reading The Godfather for fun). The day we met, he had questions about the words in his book: coffers, backroom procedures, and such. Yesterday, he found me on campus and needed help with "prostitution ring." What else could I do? I explained what a prostitution ring is.
A side note to Elizabeth: The first day I moved in to my room, I saw a small package in the fridge and jokingly asked Hyun Zhong if it was kimchee. She laughed and said no, then pointed to this huge vessel--that's the kimchee, she said. As for recipes, and as for your other questions, "Why is your roomie learning Chinese? How will she use it?," I know you're new here, but the extent of our conversation is limited to chapter 7 of my Chinese textbook. Today, I learned how to ask the time. I can ask her how many people are in her family and I might be able to muster up "what is today's date." Beyond that, well, when I learn how to ask your more in-depth questions, I'll get back to you.
I think I'm going to Tiananmen tomorrow. Yes, mom, I'll get out of the path of any tanks.
Debra.
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