Mouldering

Been home for two weeks already, and I've got so little to show for it. What have I done? Seen friends, which has been lovely. Played flute, but too capriciously for it to do any proper good, abandoning long tones after one octave to gallop through Carmen Fantaisie and Flight of the Bumblebee. Submitted my Russian passport for renewal - but not yet sent off the letter in response to their refusal to renew it, because they are cruel and like to ignore evidence such as internal passports. I've tuned the guzheng, QQed in Chinese into the night, memorized songs, and read a few books. Had a lot of pearl milk tea. Slept. Lots.

But now what? I'm not really out enjoying fragrant, sunny, blooming California. China's left me sickly, worn out, with the laziest brain ever, curled up under the kitchen counter with a cup of mint tea and a laptop. I see a page of characters and my gut reaction is, "Do I haaaave to?" That's how I dealt with China: there was so much I DID have to, I could filter out the unnecessary bits, yet I still got constant practice because life, hello. You need to read and listen and speak and even write. Need to argue and get the tones right and process quickly.
And here it's all optional, yet I'm still in the China mindset, and it's not productive any more.

Still grabbing onto bits of the past too. England. Past relationships. China. High school. Need to stop all that nonsense and just read some Chinese already; non-productive thoughts are clogging my mind right now.

Pictures: ChinaCal 06/2009

Setting up shop.

The 主人 of one of our village sections.

Dr. Xiong taught us a bunch of Chinese proverbs during free time.

小和

Our hotel.

Breakfast.

If someone falls in, yell; don't mimic TV; don't play with sticks or you'll poke your eye out.

Frisbee and Dr. Xiong

Breakfast.

Xiao He's nieces.

Taking the doctor's blood pressure.

Gave Dandan devil horns.

Please take off your hat and shoes and stand facing forward on the scale...

In line for the ultrasound.

The "shao chi yan ba" written out; eat less salt, don't smoke, drink more water, eat more veggies.

The 主人 who kept popping up with half-drunken bottles of beer. I think the mianbaoche got stuck and we had to walk for a bit.

Hiking in cuz the road's blocked.

Chicken guard.

Tyler ultrasounding.

"We are the four sick men of the village."

Baba and fresh honey from the bees out back.

On the way back from the Saturday market in 九河.

Peeking into the doctor room.

Autographs on English books at breaktime.

朋友们

Rockfall on the way out of Tiger Leaping Gorge.