Today started off great with me giving my Chinese Teacher a manderin orange in honor of Teachers day and then proudly speaking the chinese words I memorized last night. Class was followed with a fabulous breakfast full of poppy seed paste stuffed pasteries. Yum!
Lunch was one of the highlight of the day, being the first meal I ordered in Chinese all by myself! (See picture of Lexi, Zach and I at the restuarant) And I didn't just order for me I ordered for the whole group. "Miantiao Mei you rou" (noodles without meat) Pointing at myself and two others in the group and then "Miantiao you rou" (noodles with meat) pointing at the remaining two in the group. Although it was only a few words, it was the first meal I had ordered in Chinese and I felt a huge sense of accomplishment.
After lunch things went down hill for Juanita. As we were leaving the noodle shop one of Juanitas brakes flew off the bike. This left me riding her back to the dorm with very minimal braking ability. However, we made it back safely and headed straight to the bike repair man and a mear 1 yuan later Jaunita was as good as new....well, that is for the time being.
With a fully repaired bike I headed back out with others in the group to register at the American consulate. Upon arriving at the American Consulate we learned that, although we had made it though during the appropriate hours to register (between 1:30-3:30pm), no one is allowed to register on Wednesdays. So we headed back to the dorm with a quick stop at the Grocery store. However, on the way to the store Juanita's brakes decided to go out completely, leading to a very delayed stop in the middle of a busy intersection. We both survived although the brake handle was no longer attached to the actual brake. I some how made it to the store, collected the items I needed, and returned to Jaunita only to find that now not only were the brakes no longer functional, but the front tire was completely deflated! It was at this point that I decided Jaunita's life was most likely over, however I decided to give her one last chance and hobble my way to the closest bike repair men (a very LONG 10 minute bike ride away).
The whole ride to the repair man I prepared myself to retire Jaunita and find a new bike. But the bike repairman preformed a miracle! He brought Jaunita back to life and she made a full recovery and all for just 2 yuan!! The bike repairman is quickly becoming my friend and I do not think I have seen him for the last time just yet. I am sure he will preform many more miracles as the semester continues
The day concluded with a Chengdu classic: Sichuan Opera. A show more like a variety show than an Opera, complete with puppets, dancers, magical face changing, and fire spitting. The show was entertaining and full of rich Chinese culture, through the costumes, colors, and traditions. It was quite a day! Full of many different experiences and adventures. I look forward to whatever China has to offer next!
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