Stephen

Ramblings of a seriously bored person in Hainan, China

Numbers That Can Heal

Mista "P"

Today I heard a very interesting story about numbers and healing an illness.

A lady friend of ours told me that two of her husbands friends came to their house for a visit.

One of the men noticed that she was sick and told her that he could heal her. He asked her to write her name down on a piece of paper. He then counted the number of strokes and then told her to recite some numbers he had chosen based on the number of strokes it takes to write her name.

If she recites the numbers out loud a certain number of times, she would be healed.

The thing is: his father just got out of the hospital! Huuummmm.....guess it didn't work.

She knows it doesn't work and managed to poiltely excuse herself before she really had to embarrass him.

Numbers...strokes of your name...recite..your healed - then go the hospitals and close them down!

posted by: stephenthegreat at 16:47 | link | comments (1) |

I Want...I Need

Mista "P"

I sent my vote off today and it only cost me 25 bucks! Have you voted?

I need...a 3 piece catfish dinner with hush puppies and cole slaw. Man, I would be so happy. Someone ought to raise catfish in China!

I want...to speak Chinese! There are so many people here that want to talk. You can just see it in their faces! Life here would be so much more fun. Everyday I try to talk to folks here.

Yesterday one of the apt. security guards asked me if I could speak Chinese. I said a little and went on to catch the bus to class. This morning the same guard stopped me and wanted to talk. I was able to answer his questions, "where are you from, where is your wife from, are you a teacher and his comment about being tall (i'm 6 ft.). Then his speed picked up and I lost it, ting bu dong - I don't understand. I hate to say that! I want to understand but man it is so hard at times.

If I had a catfish dinner and could understand chinese...

posted by: stephenthegreat at 15:00 | link | comments (2) |

ME?!

        The other day.. I was out playing ball with a bunch of my friends.. a new guy came up, and like all other people when they first hear me speak Chinese.. just stood there and stared at me.. and finally got around to ask, "ARE YOU A CHINESE!?!?! You're Chinese is way too good for you to be a foreigner!" I finally got him to believe, with the help of some of my friends.. that I was actually American.. it was then that I got my new nickname.. 'xiao da shan'.  If you live in China, you've heard of Da Shan.. the Canadian dude who lives in BeiJing and has amazingly good Chinese. So they called me a little Da Shan... eep! i don't know if i like that or not..

         on to other things.. the group of guys i usually play basketball with.. well.. they made their own little team.. and they're playing other teams from other departments in their university.. the only thing is.. these 5 guys are like the best in the college.. so.. their games.. aren't too much to kill over.. the last three games they've won by a 30-40 point margin.. at about the 2nd quarter everybody starts leaving cause basically it's just them showing off.. I find it really funny.. but now most of the teams they ask to play against them.. politely refuse.. saying they have to study for a test.. HA! these university guys studying for tests.. not likely!

       Speaking of basketball.. i think i wanna go play some now.. so i'll be gone..

posted by: stephenthegreat at 17:20 | link | comments (2) |

Jiaozi or the Bed....OOPS

Mista "P"

Today in my chinese class, I was reciting new vocabulary words. One of the new words was shui(3) jiao(3) which is steamed jiaozi; a kind of dumpling with meat or vegetables inside. Pretty good eating but I prefer the fried ones.

Anyway, I try to make sure I say the tones correctly because different tones mean different words. And besides, my teacher will stay on my back until I get it right (just a part of the learning process).

Here's a good case in point about the tones of similiar words that I've been warned me about.

Let's pretend I go to a restaurant and the waitress comes over to take my order. I want to order a (one) bowl of this kind of jiaozi. I forget the tones or speak too rapidly and say, "yi(1) wan(3) shui(4)jiao(4)" instead of "yi(1) wan(2) shui(3)jiao(3)".

If I say the first line, I just got myself into a whole lot of trouble because I just asked her (the waitress) to spend one night with me instead of ordering one bowl of steamed jiaozi.

Now I'm really getting self-conscious of speaking. I sure don't want to make a mistake like that!

Besdies, I don't especially like getting slapped by women, beaten up by angry boy friends or husbands and or getting thrown out of restaurants!!!

Maybe I should just stay away from trying to order that kind of jiaozi for a awhile until I get a very good handle on the language.

posted by: stephenthegreat at 20:18 | link | comments (7) |

How Much.....?

Mista "P"

It's been my experience that most folks in the States really don't like being asked how much money do you make (your job) or even how much did that cost. At least I never have.

One question I have been asked a lot is "how much do you make?". I tell people that I'm a student and I don't work but they don't seem to believe me.

I teach 2 hours a week so, without lying, I have started telling people I'm a teacher. That seems to be easier to deal with but I don't get paid because I'm here on a student visa.

But then comes the, "How much do you make?" I never liked that question and in the states I would always say, "not enough" or "it's okay, I'm getting by". I guess I felt it's really not any of their business.

Here it seems like every one wants to know your business and they don't mind asking that question or how much is your rent, how much is your utility bill, and so on. From what I've been told it's really no big deal to ask those kind of questions and folks here don't seem to mind giving an answer.

I've actually had people come up to me and reach down and try to open my bags to see what I bought!

Anyway, I just can't shake that, "none of business" idea. Even if I was getting a salary for teaching I still wouldn't tell them.

One reason - none of your business.

Maybe in time I'll change but for now...

posted by: stephenthegreat at 19:33 | link | comments (5) |

Keep That Shelf Neat!

Mista "P"



One thing I've noticed is how neat and tidy the shelves are in most stores. Even the upright drink coolers are nice and neat. Every item on a shelf is pulled to the front so when you look down an aisle, everything is straight and inline. There are no empty spaces.

For example, when you pick something off the shelf to buy, an employee will immediately run over and bring the second one to the front. Makes you kinda think no one is buying.

Well, today, I thought I would have a little fun and mess with their heads. This afternoon after my chinese class, I went to Ming Men Supermarket to buy a few things.

As I would pick an item off the shelf, I would look over and see an employee watching me. She was patiently waiting for me to leave so she could pull the next one forward. I used to think they were watching to see what a foreigner buys.

Ha! Not his time...I did it! I pulled the next one forward. I wish I had my camera to take a picture of her face. You'd thought I just shot someone.

She was dumbfounded. I don't believe she had ever seen anyone do that before. Every aisle, every time, I did the same thing. Every employee had the same confused, bewildered look and blank stare.

When I got home, I went to the apt. store and did the same thing after I reached in and grabbed a coke. The same look!!

A fun day of shopping.

Just thought I would try something a little different for a change. I won't do it every time because I know it's their job, but one thing is for sure...they won't forget that foreigner!!

posted by: stephenthegreat at 20:57 | link | comments (2) |

Pedestrians Beware!

Mista "P"

I ran across a very interesting article today: This is from the Insurance Journal:

WHO Study Finds Auto Accidents in China Kill 600 People Every Day
October 10, 2004

A report from the World Health Organization estimates that more than 600 lives are lost and more than 45,000 people are injured on China's roads every day.

"The Chinese Government has made road safety a priority, shown by the formation of a 15-ministry committee under the State Council and the introduction of the first Road Traffic Safety Law in China which took affect on May 1 this year," the announcement noted. "These are important first steps.

Unless some action is taken, the organization estimates that China will have half a million deaths each year by 2020.

Man that's almost hard to believe.

I don't know if it's because of the congestion, people can't drive very well or the fact that everyone shares the road; pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, push carts, etc. You name it...it's on the road.

Everyone here at least seems to have the idea that the road belongs to them and everything else has to wait.

Just the other day I saw two girls standing on the side of the road. The bus starts to leave and then...for some dumb reason...they decide to walk, not run, but walk out in front of the bus. I hear the driver yell some kind of pleasantry while the rest of us are bashing our heads against the seat in front us.

No wonder....!

posted by: stephenthegreat at 15:02 | link | comments (2) |

Question of the Year

Mista "P"

Started teaching Oral English the other day. I let each of the students (31) ask me one question. I got the usual; "Do you like Chinese food? Are you from America? What's your favorite food?" and on and on.

Then one student asks me if I have any children and I said no. A few minutes later another student (female), sitting behind the one that asked me about any kids, asks me if I have a son. I told her I didn't have any kids. Guess she wasn't listening.

But then she says, "That's too bad, I would want to marry him!"

I think I turned a little red and said "I'm sorry I don't have a son for you to marry!"

posted by: stephenthegreat at 19:28 | link | comments (2) |

Well.

Well hello everyone.. it's Stephen..

We went for a little vacation last week.. we went to sanya.. a beach resort about 3 hours from where we live.. it is the best beach on the island.. and it has some great waves..

After getting slightly lost on our way there.. we made it there in a record 2 and a half hours.. we get to our hotel room.. and quickly got changed and started for the beach. Me and my dad decide we want to go jet-skiing.. i've been jet-skiing before.. but he hasn't.. since it was quite expensive.. we only rode for about 10 mins.. i peek over at my dad every once in a while.. and he's putting along at about 30 miles an hour.. in fear of flipping or anything. and i'm zooming along at about 70 mph.. it was great fun.. and even though the slow speeds my dad was going.. he was quite sore the next day.. hah!

We spend the rest of the afternoon on the beach.. i rode 4-wheelers up and down the beach.. which was pretty funn.. and then we got back to our hotel .. took baths.. and got ready to go out that night.. we leave.. and go shopping.. and about 9 o'clock I decided that I was getting hungry.. we found this roadside food place that sold fried noodles.. and me and my dad ordered fried noodles to eat.. they were really good.. we finished 'em up.. and get ready to pay.. so we ask the man who owns this roadside restaurant how much.. and he says 50 yuan! the most i've had fried noodles for is 4 yuan for one bowl.. and he wants 25 yuan!! I asked him like 15 times 'how much?' just to give him a chance to change his mind and say something more along the lines of '5 yuan' but noo.. he was dead set we was gonna make 50 yuan off those noodles.. ha! after a while.. he asked me, 'you live here don't ya?' i was like.. uh.. yeah.. for the past 11 years.. just the look on his face when i said that.. a very.. like.. oh uh,.. whoops.. look.. it was hilarious.. we gave him 10 yuan which is still too much.. and left!.. The sad thing is he has probably made that much money on some foreigners before! haha..

we made it back.. i managed to not even get burnt.. which is good.. i just got darker.. skipped the whole getting burnt part. ;D and well.. back to school! X_X just two more years and high school is over! (yes!) can't wait..

all right.. enough for now.

 

posted by: stephenthegreat at 13:13 | link | comments (2) |

Where's Burger King?

Mista "P" writing:

Sometimes I really miss Western junk food. What's better than a Whopper and fries or a Domino or Pizza Hut pizza?

Now don't get me wrong, Chinese food is good but sometimes I get tired of it. I realize they have to chop up everything into small pieces so you can use chopsticks but I get really tired of biting into bones and after getting that filling the other day, well...you get the point!

Now in the States I rarely ate at KFC. Maybe once or twice a year. But there's something about living here that makes the lure of KFC just too strong to resist.

I don't know if it's because it's a Western name or if it's because you can actually eat with your fingers..yeah...finger licking good! You can't do that with Chinese food, it's too small.

But today I just couldn't take it any longer and I went and bought a bucket of chicken and a Pepsi. Yep, I ate it all; all by myself and now I'm happy again.

Happiness has now become a bucket of chicken...when it comes to food anyway!

posted by: stephenthegreat at 02:20 | link | comments (3) |