一 个星期 (Yi Ge Xing Qi) – One Week

We are really settling into our lives here. Amanda with the talking thing (she is really coming along). Me with the eating thing (I actually am starting to enjoy spicy food). It seems though, that no matter how exotic the climes, things can become routine. So what is a week in our lives like?
星期一 (Xingqi yi) – The week usually begins here much the same way as the rest of the world… Wishing the weekend was one day longer. This is especially the case for me because bright and early we have school. Intellectually, I know how important going to school is, how much I need it, and how much it has helped. But what does not liking school have to do with intellect? I guess there are a lot of nouns that we could replace “school” with and those sentiments would still be true for a lot of people, i.e. work, the gym, Walmart. Anyway, I usually wake before the sun at around six thirty. I get up and check my email, see if anyone has left a comment on either of the blogs (we love hearing feedback), and our course check and see what is going on in Packer land (This season things are not looking so good. You would think it is because Brett is in New York but he doesn’t play defense). After that I go over the lesson for the day, and it is off to school. After class we either go somewhere for breakfast and to do homework, or we go home to do the same thing. Once homework is done, I start stretching to get ready for basketball and Amanda meets one of our friends in the city. Once we return home we eat dinner and unwind before bed.
星期二 到星期五上午(Xingqi er dao xingqi wu shang wu) - Tuesday thru Friday morning
These mornings are the same as Monday, school followed by homework. After we are done with our homework, we usual go our separate ways into the city to find people with whom we can 练习 (lianxi) or practice the things we have learned. I guess I am making progress because I don’t mind going places without my “wingman” anymore. In fact, when I am alone I seem to do pretty well communicating. “Pretty well” might be overstating things a bit, but at least I can get rudimentary thoughts across. We try to lianxi Chinese everyday with people. It serves a twofold purpose. Not only do we work on speaking and comprehending Chinese but we also meet a lot of really interesting people.
星期六 (xingqi liu) – Saturday morning we sleep in. Well, Amanda sleeps in; I am up at my usual time. I do sometimes sleep until seven so I guess that is sleeping in for me. How I wish I had cartoons to watch! I now understand the importance of Saturday morning cartoons while I was in school growing up. After a week of studying hard, the brain needs to unwind and there is something therapeutic about Bugs Bunny. Would doesn’t laugh at the antics of Bugs, Daffy, Elmer and the gang? After breakfast though, I usually do more studying, but in English. I don’t mind this studying at all. In fact, it always seems to give me the strength needed to muster up boldness and overcome any reticence that I may have. It is like food for a hungry man. In the evening we usually get with some of our waiguoren (foreign) friends which also serves to incite us to keep working.
星期天 (xingqi tian) – Sundays are often spent in one of the many parks here. The Chinese have a knack for parks. They are simple but wonderful places to relax. Last Sunday as I strolled through a park I came across a group of old people playing Mahjong. I decided to watch for a little while so I asked them if they would mind. They gave me the warm traditional welcome 欢迎 欢迎. One of the ladies tried to explain the rules to me but I got more out of it by just watching. Mahjong is a fast paced game that they really enjoy here. There is also a variation of chess that is popular with the men here but so far the rules are beyond my ability to comprehend. I think I will Google Chinese chess, and see if they have the rules online. On Sunday evenings we do whatever homework we have left, 预习课 yuxike or preview the next day’s lessons, and watch a movie or TV on the computer. Then it is off to bed so that the week can begin again.
Having stated all that, we have 一个星期 (yige xingqi) before our routine changes temporarily. We are approaching the end of the first three months of our stay, so we are going to have to make a visa run to Hong Kong. We were originally planning on going to Thailand but with the recent unrest we have diverted to HK. We have heard it is a wonderful place to visit. As always, of course, we will keep you posted. – 付伟国 Fu Wei Guo (my Chinese name)
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)