Missing the American Fall

"You are more American than McDonalds.” My friend from Mexico told me this today as we were discussing the differences between the cultures of different countries. It made me smile. For whatever reason today I was thinking about America. Topics included stuff like Thanksgiving, football, driving, steak, Medina County, trucks, farms, random. So now myself and a few other Americans are on a search for a football. Unfortunately Barack was unable to bring one over for us, its ok though, I know he’s busy. Anyway I didn’t realize that I would miss hearing about American sports, but I actually do. I guess I’m just used to hearing my friends back home talking about them and stuff. Also it is different hearing the news from your country when you’re abroad. I have noticed that now I pay closer attention to the news. I like to check out various online news sites and see what they are saying, especially the foreign stuff. Then I like to go ask my friends from different countries and hear how their country’s news companies reported the same story. It is actually pretty interesting.

Alright I have a random story, there is no transition from the last paragraph but whatever, I’m doing this Evan Vereb style. So I brought my red stapler with me. There may be a few lucky people who are reading this right now who have witnessed and maybe even used the greatness that is the Rio Red Swingline stapler, with SF 4 premium staples. Just like the one from the office. I brought out the greatness this week, cause I had some loose receipts and you got to keep your stuff together. I showed my roommate and he asked me where I got it. I told him that I got in America and that I brought it over with me. Then is dawned on me that the stapler is actually made in China, so in essence I brought it back to its home. My roommate and I found this very funny. Yes a stapler may be the last thing that anyone would bring to a foreign country, but believe it, cause that just happened. Now the Rio Red Swingline stapler has another reason to be cool and for those who get to use it, another reason to feel proud.

Ok I have a food story now. Being in Shanghai and studying at this university I have gotten the opportunity to make friends with people from all over the world. So lately I have been enjoying getting food with these people from their respective countries. For example one weekend I had Russian food with Russians, Japanese food with Japanese, Mexican with Mexicans, Italian with Italians, and of course American with Americans. This past weekend I got to enjoy some Turkish food with my roommate. The restaurant itself was very Turkish, and it was a buffet, which I am always a big fan of. The food itself was really good, not as good as Turkish food in Turkey, but for me it was pretty tasty. The food included a lot of meat, bread, and some good vegetable dishes. Also some pretty good desert as well, including a really good rice pudding called “sutlac”. The dinner was organized by the Turkish embassy so there where a whole bunch of Turkish students. They were all very friendly and I even got to see some traditional Turkish dancing. Ok, well it is about that time again, bedtime. I’ll talk to you later, bye for now.

Fall update.

It’s hard to believe that I have been in China for two months now. At first I didn’t even know if I could do it. Everything was so foreign, it seemed everyone knew Chinese, and I didn’t really know anyone. However now I can say that I feel pretty comfortable here. I have made friends, know some Chinese, and can find my way around a small part of the city. Although I do miss home now and then; the Internet and modern technology can bring America to me. The other day I watched the opening game of the World Series between the Phillies and the Yankees. It was broadcasted live, so I enjoyed the game with pancakes, bacon and eggs. However I must say it is different not being exposed American culture all the time. In fact the fall season in general has a different feel, it doesn’t really feel like fall. For example, Halloween was different, I’m used to seeing decorations, hearing people discuss their costumes and stuff. In China it was different, some people still celebrate, but it is more or less just another weekend. I was an American for Halloween, just in case you were curious. Also the weather here is a lot warmer than back home. For a while now it has been around 70 and sunny everyday, however the leaves are starting to fall and it gets dark early. Fun fact, China has only one time zone for the entire country and they don’t change the clocks for fall and spring.

All right, this particular post is being written over the course of a few days and today the weather has changed a lot. Like 20 degrees and windy a lot. Anyway, just thought I would mention that. So China. I have to say I am starting to get used to the celebrity status that I have when I travel around. There is a park across from my hotel that I like to go to for exercise. Sometimes I go with a friend, but no matter what I always get a lot of stares, especially if I’m doing any sort of exercise. I have never thought watching someone do sit-ups was very interesting, but I guess here it is. Sometimes when my friend and I are there groups of four to six people will stop and watch, take pictures, cheer us on and try to speak some Chinese to us. At first it was a little different but now I’m used to it and it is actually kinda cool. Most of the people here are very friendly and it seems they get a kick out of foreigners in their country, trying to learn their language, and enjoying the same park.

Another aspect that the locals seem to enjoy is when they see foreigners enjoying the small restaurants and street stands that are all over. One of my new favorite restaurants is just a short walk from my campus. It doesn’t have picture menu or any menu for that matter. It is actually pretty simple what they have, rice or soup. But you would be surprised how many variations of that you can get. With your rice or soup you can pick from a fridge of a whole bunch of ingredients to mix in. All raw and cooked fresh when you place your order. I normally like to get some chicken, lettuce, rice pastry, lotus root, bean sprouts, tofu, and a fried egg. It is really good mixed in with fried rice. Also it is really cheap, only around 14 kuai, which is a little over two dollars. Alright well I’m guna go to bed now, I will try not to let so much time pass before my next update. Bye for now.