I’m increasingly convinced that China is another planet, not simply another country. I’ll admit to being the opposite side of the globe. From Minnesota, China is literally the other side of the globe (it’s not perfectly antipodal—crossing through the center of the earth—but is opposite. The exact opposite seems to lie on the border between Mongolia and Xinjiang province.
I conclude this because I repeatedly encounter situations that would never happen to me in MN. Back in Minnesota, most people can ice skate. Playing piano is a common hobby that parents encourage their children to learn. In my region in China it is only for the wealthiest. Therefore, doing these activities puts me in contact with incredibly rich people.
My usual piano practice on Monday led me to meet the wife and daughter of Henan Province #2 construction company’s chairman. They then took me to dinner at a newly opened Novotel hotel where the General Manager personally introduced himself to me and urged that I call him the second I come back.
After the General Manager left our table, I clarified to my new friend that the man is the General Manager. In a comically passing comment, the 7-year-old girl said, “Oh, my dad is a general manager.” I’m a lowly English teacher here, but apparently Blue eyes are the ticket.
In other, horrifying news, look what the Chinese copycat of Teletubbies looks likes. Yikes!
Later Days,
Rick
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