Oh No

I've become addicted to online Tetris.

Wonderful Day

Today was a great Day!

My day started at 12am, I was at the club dancing like a mad man until 3am. Oddly, my friend ran into her teacher outside the club who subsequently facilitiated out entrance into the VIP line (what what!).

My day took a brief recess from 4am to 12am. Actually, My friend's mother woke me with a phone call at 10am and upon hearing my groggy voice told me to call her back later. However, when I called her back at 12:30 she demanded my immediate presence at restaurant that was not near my dorm. She told me the directions and instructed me to get in a taxi. I threw on my clothes, slapped on my shoes and ran out the dorm and into a taxi. I arrived at the restaurant to find my Mrs. Chang and her friend anxiously waiting my arrival. They then treated me to a delicious meal of crab, tofu, fish, green beans, tofu-skin wraps, chicken, etc... The meal was a sumptuous surprise.

Next stop was Eastern Taipei where we went to many traditional shops selling Chinese medicine, dried goods and a staggering amount of birds nests! I did not consume any. It was really interesting to see and hear people discussing the uses of Chinese medicine. We browsed and shopped until the sun was setting

Next we headed to a place where I partook of a delicious chicken and rice meal!! (with some veggies on the side). There was an adorable little girl in the restaurant who kept waving at me. And then, she called me 哥哥 (brother). Then, everyone in the restaurant decided to love me lol... I was moved beyond words.

I then walked from the restaurant to the subway and headed to central taipei. I walked out of the subway and a few minutes later hopped on the back of my Taiwanese friend's motorcylce and headed to Taipei 101. I went to the top and saw an amazing view of Taipei from 93 floors up！(Until last year Taipei 101 was the tallest building in the world). I also got to ride the world's fastest elevator.

I then walked down, hopped on the back of my friends motorcycle and headed home. Being driven in Taipei at night is indescribably fun!!

Today was awesome!!

Thanks Y'all

Thank You To:

The Lady at the milk tea stand who, upon discovering that I am single, offered to introduce me to her granddaughter.

The lady at the vegetarian restaurant who gives me free fruit.

The owner of the movie theater who offered to give me a deal next time I come back.

The girl at the night market who said I'm 帥 (handsome).

Little Brown Boy

As I boarded a subway train heading for a busy shopping center in central Taipei, a little brown boy caught my attention. I (incorrectly) assumed he was African American. I immediately felt concerned because I also (incorrectly) assumed that, because there were no other African Americans on the train, the little boy was traveling alone. My assumptions were soon debunked.
Upon sitting down one seat over from the little boy, the old Taiwanese man beside me, (between the boy and me) promptly initiated conversation. He wanted me to talk to the little boy who was now bashfully smiling at me. Although, I often have an unfavorable view of children, I have to admit this little boy was unnervingly adorable. I soon discovered that the little boy's mother is 1/2 Tanzania 1/2 Taiwanese, and the father is Tanzania. The little boy was born and raised in Taiwan.

I feel sad for the boy. Being brown in Taipei is anything but simple. The inappropriate staring and pointing can become overwhelming; often leading me into day dreams about the diversity of America. I regret that the little boy will group in a society which values pale skin and is woefully ignorant of other cultures (A fact highlighted by the unconstrained reactions of shock and awe by many Taiwanese at the sight of two brown people on the subway train together). I regret that he will at times feel alone and conspicuous. Nevertheless, he seemed happy-go-luck, and, although we only exchange sparse words, he made my day!

Praise in the Club

Well, I was at the club gettin my groove on when my ears suddenly perked up at the sound of one of my favorite gospel songs. The song was "Shackles" by Mary Mary. I have absolutely no adversity to the promotion of gospel music in clubs. However, I found it particularly hilarious that I was probably the only person in the club aware of the fact that the whole dance floor was dancing to gospel!!
What what!

Are you Kobe Bryant?

At college group at church I was asked where I was from. I told them to guess. the following are the guesses in the order they were put forth:

1. Pacific Islands
2. Cuba
3. Hawaii
4. France
5. Are you Kobe Bryant? (seriously)

*Why would all these guesses come before America?
Maybe Kobe Bryant was the closest guess...

Ouch, Old Man

As I ate lunch at a Chinese food restaurant with the mother of one of my friends from back home an old man walked up and asked (in Chinese) "is the food good." Naturally, I told him (in Chinese) "it tastes good."

Surprised at my ability to speak Chinese he hit me and jumped back and said "wow!" lol...
I thought: ouch, old man

Awkward Dance Class

Today I took a hip hop class at my university.

To describe the experience I will first describe the class. The class was conducted in a huge room, about the size of a professional basketball court. As usual I arrived late to find a room filled to the brim with Taiwanese students sweating it out to some hip hop music.

When I entered the room, time seemed to stop. When I was spotted a buzz went throught the back half of the class, like a disturbed bee hize, which soon had the complete back of the class looking at me expectantly and excitedly and literally pointing. Have they no shame!?!?!

They seemed to expect me to break it down for them right then and there. One girl walked up to me, look at me and then turned away without a word (seriously).

The class was fun but really easy. I plan to go back, it was free. (If it's free, It's me!)

Typhoon

The City of Taipei has shutdown.

An oncoming typhoon has prompted stores to close, and students to stock up on water and essential vittles. I personally opted for raisins, peanuts, bread and crackers. I enjoy the intense onslaught wind and rain characteristic on typhoons, but I also am getting cabin fever. The University advised students not to leave the dorm.

As I sit here, I can hear the wind truly howl. This is the first time I have seen wind personified: it dragged bikes down the street, snapped trees in half and pounded on my windows in entertaining and frightening displays of unadulterated power.

Upside: sometimes classes are canceled due to typhoons. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Despite this storm weather, Taipei is still hot!

Stinky Tofu 臭豆腐

Never eat this!

The Taiwanese love to recommend this snack as a dish with style and local flare. I would not even recommend this dish to my mortal enemies (Satan/ Glenn Beck) lest they shoot me in the face in a fit of vengeance and fury.

After a little bit of convincing I took the plunge and tried some stinky tofu which was quite possibly the biggest mistake of my adult life. I was willing to eat this dish despite its malodorous nature because I was reassured that "it doesn't taste like it smells." Stinky tofu tastes just like it smells.... NASTY! If you want to know what it tasted like, go to your kitchen and deep fry some fecal matter.

This delicacy (I use the term liberally) is produced by deep-frying tofu that has been fermented along with milk, vegetables, and sometimes seafood. Yum. :(

The locals of Taiwan are typically trustworthy. However, as far as stinky tofu goes, don't trust them. Trust your feet which will have you instantly backpedaling upon smelling this dish.

I will describe this food in 4 words:
1. Offensive
2. Heinous
3. Repulsive
4. Bad

Shame on you Taiwan for unleashing this snack upon the world!!

*Sorry if you like it

Hot and Messy

I once again find myself wondering the perilous streets, and often pushing my way through the maze of back-alleys, of an Asian metropolis. Thus far, I love Taipei; the people are kind, the food is scrumptious and the city is simply fascinating. However the sweltering heat compounded with the unrelenting humidity is nearly unbearable!

Needless to say, we are always sweating profusely. And while I like Taiwan, I am sick of feeling hot and messy!

Who Am I?

According to The Chinese, I resemble:

Tiger Woods
Will Smith
Barack Obama
and...
Michael Jackson (I'm assuming they mean a young Michael)

Mama

As students in the Chinese language program, we are all assigned Chinese families with which we spend time. Lately, I have spent time with my "Chinese Mama" as she styled herself. Not only did we go to museums with her but we also acquired cooking skills.

One night we had a sumptuous meal consisting of dumplings (pictured above), which I helped to make, and many other dishes that I am unable to name.

Another night we had traditional noodles: 炸酱面 zhajiangmian (pictured above). They were scrumptious!

Exploring Beijing

The past week has been a whirlwind, I have gone to dozens of famous places in Beijing- countless temples and myriad museums. At the risk of sounding euro-centric and blasphemous I would like to say that in my mind, Chinese temples seem to all resemble one another. Although the tour guide never fail to insist that each temple has distinct architecture. However, I do appreciate their history and cultural significance.

Additionally, I further reconnoitred the Beijing club scene. Admittedly, my friends and I only patronized bars catered toward foreigners as local bars can be quite dangerous. I have found that American students, typically inebriated, are usually demarcated by their scurrilous denouement. Conversely, sometimes Chinese patrons at bars can be slightly and aggressive (borderline pervy).

Food For Thought

I saw these signs in a restaurant and wanted to share them with you all!

Summer Palace

Today I went to the summer palace. It was enormous, and I think that its grandeur really speaks to China's immense wealth during some of the imperial dynasties. As always, it was ridiculously tiring which was made worse by the fact that I am currently sick. Above are a few pictures. To see a more exhaustive collection of photos, please visit:

http://picasaweb.google.com/115246050986604787344/CHINA

"Oooh, Black Person!"

I was strolling along on my way to the supermarket when I hear a miniature voice squeal "oooh, heiren," which literally means "oooh, black person. I quickly turn around to discover a school bus full of school children waving and me and saying "HELLO!!" It was oddly endearing...

Forbidden City

I went to the Forbidden City which is actually the old imperial palace. While it was undeniably impressive and awe-inspring, I spent most of the day lounging with friends inside pleasantly cool cafes and even sleeping in a dark museum which had an inexplicably narcotic effect on me. I had fun- above are a few pics!!!

"Only in China"

Being an African-American in China requires that I become accustomed to constant unabashed stares. Sometimes I stare back until they look away; sometimes they don't look away. At times, feeling brilliantly conspicuous feels tiring, but usually I don't mind. I bring this up because while a Tiananmen square a woman (Chinese) asked me to help her take a picture. I incorrectly thought she wanted me to take a picture of her and her male companion. However my delusions were dispelled as she immediately inserted herself between my Kenyan friend and me, held out two peace signs and smiled. While my friend felt offended, with good reason. I just started laughing. I don't really care, but I find it amusing to think that a random Chinese person might have photo of my friend and me (who they probably assumed to be related) framed in their home somewhere.

This situation and others has led me to coin the phrase "Only in China." I use the phrase because, quite simply, strange stuff happens here that I believe does not happen anywhere else. I have seen:

• A Taichi instructor choked out on the sidewalk as his students watched.
• A teenager in underwear (only) being chased by friends holding his pants while he laughed hysterically
• Commercials with women putting underwear on their face to show how soft and fresh the underwear feels
• etc...

Sightseeing

I went to the Great Wall this weekend which was a highly-anticipated outing considering that I have been reading about this famous structure since I was in the 3rd grade. I have spoken with a multitude of people who have previously visited the Great Wall. The fact that they omitted from their experiences the ridiculous amount of climbing required to visit the Great Wall baffles me. How could so many individuals fail to inform of the half hour uphill climb to simply reach the Great Wall which, immediately and mercilessly, presents weary sightseers with more steps (uphill) in either direction. Despite the unexpected full-body work out- the great wall was amazing. However, I personally feel that if you have seen one part of the Great Wall, you've seen it all. It is simply a long, winding wall. This cynical viewpoint may be partially informed by the heat and general discomfort caused by constant uphill trekking (I wore sunscreen mom).

I also went to Tiananmen square which, as a wide expanse of concrete with a few statues, offers no hint to its historical significance. I expected no reminders of the past, but I could not disregard the eerie knowledge of an unacknowledged history.

By the way, I am a hardcore haggler!!

KFC- A Healthy Breakfast

I finally ventured into the local KFC for some supremely authentic American-Chinese hybrid cuisine. It was not unappetizing but it was not particularly delicious. The Chicken sandwich that was primarily breading surrounding a minimal portion of chicken left me pining, like a true American, for a superlatively heart-stopping burger!!

I found the sheet of paper they gave me concerning KFC and the health benefits of a KFC breakfast amusing. I also enjoyed the waitresses which were foreign to me as far as fast food is concerned.
Pictured above is the KFC health advisory, which, among other things, discusses the importance of breakfast- particularly, a KFC breakfast.

I Saw the Sun

Today was the first day of class- it was very hard. As I am contractually (literally) prohibited from speaking English, I did not speak very much. I cannot convey the awkwardness experienced when a disproportionately enthusiastic teacher speaks to you in Chinese and all you offer is a blank stare or, my favorite, the dumbfounded smile complimented by an innocent shrug. As the teachers babbled away in Mandarin, oblivious to my desperate confusion, I began to ponder why this seemed like such a wonderful idea. These mental meanderings are rather inconsequential considering the fact that my tuition has been paid and I am already in China.

Nevertheless my day possessed two highlights: I talked to grandma (G-Mary!) and I saw the sun! A glimpse of the sun represents an anomaly in the Beijing sky which is generally characterized by a omnipresent grey haze.

Is a Big Mac Worth My Life?

So far, my short time in China has been extremeley interesting. The new sights, smells, sounds, and lack of sky are at once, intimidating and fascinating. While I would not describe my food experiences as adventurous, I have tried some interesting and tasty vittles. Admittedly, I am afraid to consume meat at the moment due to a preponderance of health advisories and a litany of safety warnings.

Meat, however, is not my only fear. I am also afraid to cross the street! The simple thought renders me catatonic. If you have been to Beijing, you have seen cars honking and weaving themselves through groups of pedestrians crossing the street. This whole situation appears unneccesarily frightening and perilous. Therefore, I have yet to cross a street in China. Unfortunately, McDonalds is across the street!! I wish to go, but is a Big Mac worth my life? Ultimately, I will cross- of this I am sure. I think I will pray, close my eyes and let the Holy Ghost lead me!