Day 5 - Very Sick

Began the morning @ my usual 4:45; in which I take about an hour getting ready in my bed (putting pants, undergarments and shirt on under blankets and over hostel sheet takes a lot of work!) while trying to stay quiet around roommates. By 5:45, I'm out the door and chatting on gmail for about an hour or so before breakfast is served at 7:30. I enjoyed my "chinese" breakfast of wheat cakes stuffed with pork, scallions and cabbage with a glass of steaming hot soy milk. Apparently, I'm the only person here eating the 'chinese' option, and I read in a few guidebooks that many Westerners have difficulty with chinese breakfasts. Its goooood. And here, a lot more filling than toast and eggs.

Started out with my friend over to the language school where I thought I'd take a few classes (primarily to read pinyin, the romanized Chinese script) before I head off to Chengdu in a few days. That's probably where I'll need it most since Beijing is almost lost and I don't think I want to communicate in Chinese while in Tibet. On the way there, we were caught in a torrential downpour, the streets flooded up to my knees, and we hailed a cab immediately. The subway station was A MESS, I had to take off my shoes while crossing the moat that had formed .. completely drenched and wearing an embarrassingly bright neon green poncho that was made for use while on a bike (if you can imagine, the front hung down to my ankles, i looked like an idiot).

At the school, I was rejected. The cashier banished me at the counter and hid my receipt (I hadn't paid, it was only a stub). Maybe Interestingly, it is a school for learning Chinese -- but they SPEAK TO YOU IN CHINESE. Immersion's cool and all, but that was pushing it.

Outside, I decided that I didn't want to fork over the 30 kuai it would probably cost to get me back (that's less than US $4, but I'm a cheapskate and walking/biking/busing since I got here). I got very lost. I also saw too many mosquitos, swarming around the rainpuddles. I jumped on the first bus I saw and was asked where I wanted to go. I had no idea where I was so I shrugged and gave the operator a kuai.

Anyway, I returned to my lodgings soaked, sneezing, stuffy, and sick as hell. I asked to be put in a single room for the night because I didn't want to get my bunk mates sick. Spent the afternoon sleeping, left later in the evening to have tea but couldn't find the teahouse. I spend most of my days lost. It was not the best day, and probably would've been nicer if I'd been in the company of another ........... but, too bad for me.

OH YEAH. While at the supermarket, I noticed the bar soap that I've been using for the past 5 days was in the laundry detergent section. Next to a bar of Tide. NICE going Charmaine. No wonder I've been so itchy! So I bought a nice gel with a pouf.

Also, I've noticed that I often catch the chinese staring at my hair (big and poofy) and my shoes (big and clownlike). At the store, while buying clothes, the woman handed me a Large and an X-Large - both fit perfectly. In the US, I almost don't exist! China is fulfilling my Amazonian complex.