Some random thoughts...

We are on the bus for 3 hours on our way to Hangzhou. I thought I would share a few of the things the students have noticed during their first week in China:

- "My shorts are so baggy!" We've all probably lost about 5 pounds this week. None of the food here is processed- it's all fresh- plus we've been doing so much walking in this heat. It may also have to do with the fact that half the food put on our plate has eyes. We let it stare back instead of eating it.

- "Their English has improved so much, but mine is getting worse!"
Our grammar has completely gone downhill, mine included. I proof what I write on here and sometimes wonder what I was thinking (and I still don't catch everything- sorry). Many kids have noted that they are only speaking in sentence fragments, repeating themselves when it's not necessary, and pronouncing words incorrectly. Honestly, it's really, really bad.

- "There are so many cars on this road- and this is a 'little' city."
Cars are a sign of affluence here. They are EVERYWHERE. Plus, you still see all the motorcycles and bikes. It's difficult to imagine so many people living in one area, but here, it's reality. Another observation- there are a LOT of German-made cars here. All the taxis are VW and it's not all that uncommon to see a Benz or BMW roll down the street.

- "When I get home, I'm going to honk the car horn all the time."
We're so used to that sound now. People actually try out the car horn at the dealership to make sure it's a sound they can tolerate hearing NON-STOP. I'm sure Town Council will be really happy to have teens driving all over laying on the horn.

- "It's sad, but I'm getting used to the smell of cigarettes."
The smoking here is beyond epic proportions. At dinner last night, the man next to me (the school headmaster) smoked 3 cigarettes during an hour long meal. One afternoon our bus driver had two lit at once. And the cigarettes are different here- so much more potent. People even smoke in elevators when they aren't supposed to and blow smoke right in their children's faces. I think I may come back with black lungs. Speaking of...

- "I can't believe how much pollution there is."
I felt bad when I heard this one- because we haven't even been to Beijing yet! I wasn't totally positive if it was smog hanging over Linhai our first day, but I am 100% positive now. That cloud NEVER cleared. The smell of exhaust makes me sick on every car and bus ride.

- "I covered my eyes the entire hour cab ride!"
Taxi drivers are paid by the mile, not by time. Time is money, so they drive as fast as they possibly can in order to get to the next customer.

- "They play basketball in a totally different way."
I can't put my finger on what it is exactly, but the international game is really different. While the NBA has the best players in the world, it is easier to understand why the USA team struggled in international competition leading up to Beijing in 2008. One guy from another country in the NBA may not make that much of an impact, but put him out on the floor with 4 of his buddies and US guys don't know how to handle this new style. They used their speed and jumping ability to run the floor and play a finesse game.

- "It sounds like yelling all the time- if that happened in America, look out!"
Students noticed that their is a definite hierarchy when shopping or dining out. Anyone in the service industry is there to do what you want- no questions asked. It sounds rude and demanding, but that's how it is. If you did that in the US, your food would be spit on or you'd get cussed out. It's been interesting to see how respect works between all individuals, equals and those of different ranking.

- "I wonder what kind of perception they have of Westerners since we have our picture taken all the time. Or do they think we're famous? I don't get it."
It is very awkward having strangers take pictures of you without asking. Or even when they ask, why do you want to take a picture with me? And why do you insist that I do the peace sign with my hand?
Some of the students were even told that they looked like famous people. Ones that I heard:
Cam - Justin Bieber (the Chinese students even call him Bieber)
Kelsey - Bella from Twilight
Thomas - Forrest Gump (I can't make this stuff up)

That's all the different quotes/observations I can remember for now. I'm sure I'll write more like that later. It was a nice way to kill time on the bus ride instead of watching Chinese music videos :) Everyone is really excited for the back half of the trip- who knows what Shanghai and Beijing will have in store.

Hope you had a great Friday! Saturday is off to a good start halfway around the world :)