Calligraphy, Trees and Chinese People who Look Like Americans

Have you ever met someone of a different race or culture that reminds you of someone you know? Yesterday we took a Chinese Calligraphy class and our teacher walks in and reminded me so much of a friend of mine from high school. I think I freaked him out because I kept staring at him because he looked so similar except my friend at home is White and this guy was obviously Chinese. It was strange...very strange.  The class though was fantastic.  When we got in there, we first watched a Discovery Channel movie on the history of Chinese Calligraphy. This started out interesting, but then got sort of boring after about 20 minutes...the movie was 45 minutes.  After the movie the fun began.  The teacher started showing us the different types of Chinese calligraphy and then we got to try it for ourselves! He handed out these sheets of paper that had different phrases written on them in Chinese symbols and in English.  Mine said American which directly translates in Chinese to Beautiful Country.  I then got some ink and a paintbrush and got to try it myself.  Apparently I did a pretty good job because Dr. Zhao told me that mine looked like someone who has been doing calligraphy for years.  We then got to practice writing our Chinese names.  I think I keep forgetting to mention that I was given a Chinese name.  My name is Gii Chi.  Gii is my family name and it was chosen because it looks most like Geer. (In China your family name goes first)  Then Chi means something like loyal prayerer or something like that because David said I was religious.  Back to my calligraphy, I practiced my name a couple more times and then the art teacher came.  We then had another lesson on Chinese Painting. This was a lot of fun.  He showed us how to paint the traditional Chinese mountains and trees.  My first attempts at this weren't too half bad either.  We got so caught up in it, that he let us come back up and paint more after lunch.  I hope to frame some of calligraphy  or maybe I"ll give them away as gifts!  

Yesterday afternoon, we had the great privilege of giving a power point presentation to some of the teachers at the school, and education students at the university.  It was really quite dreadful but you gotta do what you gotta do.  We gave the presentation to probably about 100 people, 90 of them probably speaking very little English.  We would speak, and then Dr. Zhao would translate for us.  Her translations were always quite more lengthy than what we said.  Which is good.  It did make it easier knowing that really no one was understanding what we were saying in the first place.  I gave my presentation on Classroom Management.  These Chinese teachers really need to learn about this one too....

Well last night, was pretty uneventful.  After the seaweed I had for dinner the night before I got squid for dinner on Monday night! Wahoo!  Sadly though it was not fried like calamari, and was quite chewy.  It was boiled with a bunch of peppers.  It was not too terrible, but not the best thing in the world.  Have I mentioned that I am so over Chinese food? Every morning I have a fried egg, and if I am lucky some noodles.  The past few mornings have not been so lucky.  Today I had two fried eggs and a bowl of milk.  Apparently I am a cat now?  Everyday for lunch at the school we have pretty much the same thing.  There is also only one dish that I like at the school.  So basically for the last three weeks I have eaten the same thing for breakfast and dinner and hope for the best at dinner.  I did just weigh myself and I've lost 5 pounds!  At least there is some good out of this and I will be able to fit into my dress for graduation!  That's about it for yesterday.  The comments have been sort of lacking lately, so get on it people!  Any questions, things you have always wanted to know about China, special orders for presents...let me know! Bye!