- Wake up - still sick, 2 weeks now
- Breakfast
- Leave as the AYI arrives
- Drop Postcards off at the Post Office
- Stop by MRKT to grab Jason for lunch
- Muslim noodles (lanzhou lamian)
- Go to KFC to study and grab a 5.5 rmb cup of coffee (This is where it gets weird)
- Take a seat at a table behind a migrant worker just "hanging out", he smells like a horse barn
- Within 15 minutes and 2 sips into my coffee his arm is reaching over showing me a hologram,"make shift " McDonalds name tag. He points to something, I read "2005 McDonalds". Shows me the back, written is "DaBangEmperorManager"
- Through his very few English words and my awful Chinglish, I ask him if he needs to get to McDonald's. He has shown me his McDonald's button up shirt under his dirty blue hoody and red sweater.
- He his now sitting at my table about 12 inches away, this happened as soon as I opened my mouth to speak.
- He then writes "ShanghaiTheArteAcademy"...I say, oh I don't know where the The Art Academy and he looks at me strangely and then I say..."oh, the Shanghai THEATRE Academy!!!" He looks happy, I ask him if thats where he needs to go (in English).
- I get the info into my cell phone via Guanxi, write down the address and phone no. Now he wants to call.
- I dial, hold the phone on speaker to him (hell if I am going to chase him down the street after my iPhone). Very short conversation.
- I help him pronounce "Theatre"...He now wants to call the Shanghai Grand Hotel...see above process.
- Whole time thinking - "I thought when moving to a foreign country the crazies would not be attracted to me the way they were in the states, and I can't believe I am practicing my Chinese with a crazy".
- The phone calls are very short and unsuccessful for whatever he needs. He then tells me he is a "Manager" at KFC, McDonald's, The Shanghai Grand Hotel, and that he teaches Ballet at the Theatre Academy - I am a pro at charade's and pantomime.
- He try's to help me with my Chinese homework, but he doesn't realize that I can't read more than about 10 Charachters...I then catch through our Chinglish that he doesn't think PinYin is real Chinese, that its like English.
- He was able to write my name in Characters for me.
- He is able to read, and he would be the correct age for the Cultural Revolution, so I realize he was probably raised in the countryside away from the city.
- I ask him if he is from Beijing, confirmed. Difficulty in understanding the Beijing dialect.
- He says "passport" in a sentence and realize he wants to know my area, tell him I am from the US. He tells me he has a passport from there, and then writes down "England" and "Japan". I tell him in Chinese that "YingGuo" is not the same as "MeiGuo", poor guy has no idea that there is a giant body of water separating the two.
- Now he begins to get fired up about something, seems to be telling me a story, I hear a "f*%k you" in the story. Of course people are very interested in our conversation and I see people staring, even stopping right at the table to stare at him. Finally, eyes are off me! He is getting more and more fired up, moving his arms around.
- My sign to leave. I have no idea what he is saying, but he begins to tell me he is a Chairman, and I was sure I heard a "Mao" in there. And THE LAST thing I am going to be sitting next to a person saying stuff I have no idea what he is saying, but it was after I told him I was American, and tells me he is a Chairman...whoa buddy, Im outta here!
- Go to Burger King to wash my hands and pen that he and I shared. (you know about the lack of toilet paper used by the countryside and not ever accepting food served from the right hand - more noted in India)
- As for coffee here, it's a Western luxury, my only options are KFC, McDonalds, BK, or Starbucks, Costa, The Coffee Bean, the last 3 very expensive...USA prices
- Loud table of 4 American college age guys at BK - shameful
- Chinese class, again, the only one that shows up
- Walk home and stop by the Muslim restaurant that sells Naan bread on the corner and kabaabs.
- Get two, ask me where I am from, I respond with "America", and they reply "OBAMA"!! in a half singing type voice. I respond with, "Obama" and show them my button of Obama. The older one says something I don't know and pinches his cheek and smiles. As my bread is being handed over he turns and says, "what about Bush", I give 2 thumbs down and respond with "bu hao". The young one that warmed my bread is like a parrot the entire time and says, "bu hao". As I walk away, I hear "Down with Bush".
- Home, eat bread, strange day.
