Once a giftee, always a giftee
Oh, and I apologize for the inevitable length of this post.
3 Weeks in China
Surprisingly enough, I had little to no jet lag, both on the trip there and back. I fared a lot better than my dad, but he's older. And, pulling all nighters aren't so different. Or so I figure.
Things I Liked
1. Well, this isn't specifically in China, but I love flying. Like a friend said to me, "It's magical." It truly is. You can understand all the science behind it, and you know why it flies, but still. At the moment of takeoff, it's still magical. My return flight had two transfers. The last leg was on a tiny Canadair CR7, which is a tiny plane with a 66 passenger capacity, from Washington to Toronto. It took a little over an hour, and we were flying in the night. That was my favourite flight, for a number of different reasons that are too long to mention in this post.
2. It's sort of odd that I should like my first house, seeing as the "neighbourhood" doesn't give any impression whatsoever of being clean, the paint on the walls is crumbling, and everything exudes an aura of old. But it felt like home. And the winding alleys/streets (I'm honestly not sure what they are, because they look like alleys, but cars and even taxis can drive there. Usually. Sometimes it's too narrow.), however smelly they might be, were home to a close knit community of people. It was all very familiar.
3. The food. This one is very mixed. I'm not sure which section it should go in, so I put it up here. On one hand, I liked trying food I wouldn't be able to eat here, like "silk melon," (<-- Ahem. Very, very rough and literal translation. There's probably a proper name, but I'm too lazy to Google it. [Nevermind. I just did. It's called loofah, luffa, or lufah.]) which resembles a hairy cucumber with "silky" insides. And freshwater shrimp. There was also "sour berry," (again, an approximate translation) which could be used to make a juice. I liked the juice better than the berry. >.>
On the other hand, I really dislike the habit my relatives have of asking me if I've had a particular dish, and without waiting for an answer, putting it on my plate themselves before I've had a chance to respond. This infuriates me to no end, because it keeps happening. After the first time, it's "Oh. Um, thank you?" After the nth time, I start mumbling to myself.
Things I Didn't Like
1. The smoking. First and foremost. The smoking. Apparently, people here are willing to smoke anywhere and everywhere. On the street, in cars, in elevators, in restaurants, in train stations, and probably in the washrooms, too. Which brings me to my next point.
2. The public washrooms here are nasty. There is no other way to describe it. It's not even because they're the squat kind where they're not always doors, it's the smell. I won't bother to describe it, because, naturally, it smells like what you would normally flush down the pipes.
3. You know the stereotype that Asian drivers are really bad? Well, they aren't bad drivers, per say, they just have a blatant disregard for rules. Really, they've got good reactions (especially with the brake,) and maneuvering their cars into tight spaces. Again, it's only their "Rules? What rules?" attitude that makes the roads so dangerous. They don't stay in their lanes, they don't stay on their side of the street, they don't stop at lights, they don't pay attention to right of way, they don't use signals, and they don't wear seatbelts. The only rule they ever seem to observe is the speed limit, and that's probably because it's impossible to go faster than 40 kph without crashing (into a pedestrian, bike, car, or a tree).
3 Weeks of Camp
In about another three weeks (during which I have to prepare for everything, which includes school), I will be going to camp. Two different ones. One, which is a science based UofT program called Jr. DEEP. Tom, Halalcohol, myself, and another friend of ours (who is in French Extrended, so we call him and his "kind" frenchies) will be attending the 5 day camp. After that, I go to a two week long camp called Pinecrest, during which I will be going on an 8 day hike in the Lake Superior region. : ) I am really (really, really) looking forward to both. After I get back, I get to rest for 3 days and then go to school. This is why I have to prepare for school now, while I still have time.
Of course, this also means I have to write and post as much as I can before I am absent for another two weeks.
treefrogs and airplanes,
~Yaning : )
Oh, I just came back from a two day camp in Georgetown. 12 km on the first day, and 8.5 on the second, I think. The only problem was the fact that we were all hiking with packs on, and with troop equipment and food, so now my shoulders are hurting >.>
ReplyDeleteI always feel weird on airplanes. I don't find the sensation magical at all, though maybe you could say that the ambient noise radiating from the engine magically puts you into a sort of trance sometimes. That happened to me, which is probably why I felt weird. Or maybe it was because I was watching House, and he was pulling out the intestines of a man, searching for the mysterious cause of abdominal pains.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in China, it didn't feel like home at all... It was so foreign, and the whole time, I kept thinking about Giftees. And I really don't want to go back again, cause this time I'll be even more depressed.
I actually like airplanes, except for three things:
ReplyDelete1. THE FOOD IS BEYOND DISGUSTING.
2. I can never fall asleep.
3. It can get kinda claustrophobic at times.
But other than that, airplane rides are really fun. Speaking of which... I'm leaving in less than 15 hours! :D
I like China... it's a whole different atmosphere there, and besides... you can forget for a little while everything going on back home.
I agree with number 2. As for 1, sometimes the food is okay, but I once had this really disgusting beef burger, which everyone else seemed to like, so I gave it to my parents.
ReplyDeleteGasp! Less than 15 (now 13) hours?! Where are you going in China?
Oh my. Everybody was on quite recently, as I can see. (During which time I was watching How to Look Good Canada on WNetwork).
ReplyDelete@Hannah, I LOVE AIRPLANE FOOD! It's awesome tasting. Well, at least JAA makes good food, like terriyaki and udon, and instant noodles!. ;D
I never really have a strong opinion about food, but I do remember feeling very queasy after eating on my flight there. That might have been because I was sort of jetlaggy, and my body was protesting ["It's 4 in the morning? Why are you stuffing yourself with even MORE food? Why are you even awake?] to my mind.
ReplyDeleteI used to fall asleep better, but usually only with window seats, since whoever designed the chairs didn't seem to have ergonomic designs for short people in mind. [I think it worked better when I was even shorter because the annoying dip that makes my shoulders sore was just the right height for my head. Maybe.]
I don't like China in general. It's too loud, and dirty, and filled with people, and generally not that pleasant. There are familiar parts, though, and I liked those. : )
[Every time it got a little too unpleasant for my liking, I would mutter sarcastically under my breath - in English, so that people would think I was insane, with the added bonus of not understanding me. And then I would think wistfully of the people that would be laughing at them.]