I am gradually starting to realize that I am too old to do homework. Or at least, that is the best excuse I can come up with for not wanting to write sentences including all of the grammar points we study each day in literature class, or not wanting to write compositions entitled, "Why The United States Educational System Is Different From China". There's just so much more interesting stuff out there that I want to do!
One thing that helps make homework more tolerable, though, is being able to sip a cappucino while doing it. This morning I headed out to Hamamas, a nearby cafe jointly-owned by a Taiwanese woman and a guy from Polynesia (or was it Tahiti? I forget what the book said...) In any case, they not only had cappucinos, but also waffles, omelets, and chicken salad wraps - v. good! It made writing sentences like, "要是有钱，何至于开那么旧的汽车？" which translates roughly into: "If I had money, why would I be driving such an old car?" At least, that's what I hope it translates into... my attempt to be creative while writing grammar sentences sometimes gets me into trouble.
One last thing before I head back to the dorm to keep studying - I forgot to mention that on Saturday night, after we got back from skiing, I saw my first salt truck. It was four guys standing in the back of a pickup truck with shovels, tossing rock salt onto the road. It wasn't glamorous, but it got the job done, which I guess is the way a lot of things work in China.
The last, last thing I almost forgot to say (and then I'm really going to start studying...) on our way to the gym yesterday, Ed and I passed a guy dressed up as a space alien handing out flyers for something or other. Ed pointed out as we passed him that it was hard to figure out what people were staring longer at - the spacesuit clad alien complete with helmet, or us. Just goes to prove something which I have long suspected - when it comes to blond, blue-eyed people and space aliens, sometimes, it seems like there's not much difference at all.
