Ducks are Perverts

As you can see from my recent flickr pictures, I've bailed out on China and am now living it up in Sydney. Haha, no I'm just uploading my past now. I don't really want to be in Sydney - sunshine, good wine, nice cheese, thai food, good looking people. No, not for me. I'll stick with Lin'an.

I had my first Chinese date last night. I wasn't that I was so interested in the guy, more of a mixture of curiosity, boredom, and amusement. Plus I was totally trapped into it. This happens everywhere in the world. I usually find myself on dates without realizing that's what was happening. I'm not sure if it's comforting or disturbing to know that the Chinese have also mastered the art of elusive dating. I think we, or at least I, decided this date isn't going to lead anywhere, but here's the quote of the night:

"The Bible? That's a famous book, yes?"

Don't ask me how the conversation turned to theology. Actually I know how, he was asking why it's called an Adam's apple and that was sadly my second religious conversation of the day.

I was talking to a teacher in the economics department earlier that day who had studied at one of the University of London's colleges. He was asking me if I had a religion. I told him no and he said he had found one while in London. Apparantly he had joined up with the Jehovah's Witnesses in an attempt to learn English. I think that kind of sums up religion in China.

I used to be really interested in Daoism and Buddhism and Confucious and all that until I started actually learning Chinese. The English translations are much more deep and interesting than any of the works in Chinese. Nowadays, all the young people in China just think all of those philosophies are silly superstitions and holding China back from fully developing. The older Chinese still kind of adhere to them but not in the deep, guru way that most of the Western world pictures. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has an entirely different meaning in Chinese. Which also came up on my date last night. Not the movie, but the idea of the Dragon (which takes some explaining I'm not getting into now) and how if the Chinese hold on to that ideal they'll never progress to the level of the West (his words, not mine.)

Anyway, I guess my point is the China was a much more magical and exciting place before I started learning Chinese and living here. But that probably happens anywhere. Actually, I know that happens everywhere.

In other news, I was called into my bosses office today. At first I thought I was getting fired - almost hoped - but no, they just wanted to add an extra class on Sunday morning from 830-11. Man a whole 14 hour week now. I'm not sure if I can handle it. Actually, that news really ruined my day. I've been planning a weekend escape to Shanghai since before I even arrived in Lin'an. And since I've been here I've been dreaming about it more than cheese. I was going to go to Shanghai this weekend, eat cheese, buy cheese to bring back with me, buy other necessities you probably all take for granted on a daily basis, and get completely and totally fcked up western style. I was going to risk getting my stomach pumped in China. But now, I have a class Sunday morning, so I can't go this weekend. I'd rather work a 60 hour week M-F than the extra 2.5 hours on Sunday morning...

Actually, I would have been in Shanghai weeks ago but I haven't had my passport which is necessary if you want to travel within China. I finally got it back along with my year long residence permit for a foriegner. I can now come and go from China as I please for the next year. A little scary.

Anyway, since you've made it through this terribly written blog, I'll leave you with some interesting reading material:
Necrophilia among ducks ruffles research feathers