Welcome!
I expect zero people to read this, but if someone does happen across it, please let it be known you are more than welcome here. First, an introduction is in order, in case you couldn't guess that's me on the right of the page sporting the mohawk, which I unfortunately had to get rid of prior to my departure for Hangzhou six days ago. I am a senior "feb" (I'm sure I'll touch on that in some later post, so I'll leave it be for now) at Middlebury College in Vermont and during the winter pretend to be a hockey player (hence the defenseman line in my "About Me").
Needless to say, Hangzhou is a bit different from anything I've ever experienced. A "Medium Sized City" of eight million people and with enough pollution to create an ever present fog, certainly worse than the smog of LA that I experienced last year. Moreover it is my first time spending an extended period of time outside the friendly confines of the U.S., a little intimidating, yes, but also, when am I ever going to have this type of opportunity again?!? So far so good. I think an even bigger adjustment than going from the States and speaking English has been the transition from rural and suburbia lifestyles to the 100% urban lifestyle, the omnipotence of the goddamn cars and noise is a little difficult to get used to, but I think I'm starting to get there.
On a better note, city life and China life for that matter, certainly have some pluses as does, mainly the nightlife. What a blast! Our second night here (I'm here with 35 other American students, although we're not aloud to speak English) we went out to a small karaoke bar near our host college's back gate, a bar, mind you, that none of our Chinese roommates said we'd like. They could not have been more wrong! It was dirty and grimy and loud, but the music was fun, Maroon 5 anyone? and the crowd even better. I can't picture a more fun time than sitting or standing in a crowded dive bar with five Americans and twenty Chinese screaming Guns N' Roses at the tops of our lungs. Good to know that even thousands of miles from home the people are still infected with the need to drunkenly belt out the crappiest of American songs. BORN IN THE USA! as the Boss would shout...apparently not a requirement to make an ass out of yourself at crappy dive bars.
I also had my first true club experience and am happy to report that those same sketchy over 40 year old (不三不四) guys exist in both the bowels of a Middlebury, Vermont watering hole and in a major super-club in Hangzhou, China, and yes, us men still are required to act as the buffers between the girls and these sketch-balls (who says Chivalry is dead?), which although I understand, does not mean I enjoy being the one who has the old dude bumping into me either! eh 算了把... Just gotta roll with the punches, I'm where the wild things are now, and that's pretty cool.
I expect zero people to read this, but if someone does happen across it, please let it be known you are more than welcome here. First, an introduction is in order, in case you couldn't guess that's me on the right of the page sporting the mohawk, which I unfortunately had to get rid of prior to my departure for Hangzhou six days ago. I am a senior "feb" (I'm sure I'll touch on that in some later post, so I'll leave it be for now) at Middlebury College in Vermont and during the winter pretend to be a hockey player (hence the defenseman line in my "About Me").
Needless to say, Hangzhou is a bit different from anything I've ever experienced. A "Medium Sized City" of eight million people and with enough pollution to create an ever present fog, certainly worse than the smog of LA that I experienced last year. Moreover it is my first time spending an extended period of time outside the friendly confines of the U.S., a little intimidating, yes, but also, when am I ever going to have this type of opportunity again?!? So far so good. I think an even bigger adjustment than going from the States and speaking English has been the transition from rural and suburbia lifestyles to the 100% urban lifestyle, the omnipotence of the goddamn cars and noise is a little difficult to get used to, but I think I'm starting to get there.
On a better note, city life and China life for that matter, certainly have some pluses as does, mainly the nightlife. What a blast! Our second night here (I'm here with 35 other American students, although we're not aloud to speak English) we went out to a small karaoke bar near our host college's back gate, a bar, mind you, that none of our Chinese roommates said we'd like. They could not have been more wrong! It was dirty and grimy and loud, but the music was fun, Maroon 5 anyone? and the crowd even better. I can't picture a more fun time than sitting or standing in a crowded dive bar with five Americans and twenty Chinese screaming Guns N' Roses at the tops of our lungs. Good to know that even thousands of miles from home the people are still infected with the need to drunkenly belt out the crappiest of American songs. BORN IN THE USA! as the Boss would shout...apparently not a requirement to make an ass out of yourself at crappy dive bars.
I also had my first true club experience and am happy to report that those same sketchy over 40 year old (不三不四) guys exist in both the bowels of a Middlebury, Vermont watering hole and in a major super-club in Hangzhou, China, and yes, us men still are required to act as the buffers between the girls and these sketch-balls (who says Chivalry is dead?), which although I understand, does not mean I enjoy being the one who has the old dude bumping into me either! eh 算了把... Just gotta roll with the punches, I'm where the wild things are now, and that's pretty cool.
1 comment:
LOVE the blog! And what an excellent title for the blog. Its a great escape from the work grind. I maybe in Beijing in October, no clue how far that is from you. By the way, Favre really kicked butt against your Giants:)
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