Swimming with Dinner

It is not every day that one can shower with his dinner. Last night, a few of us went out to dinner for what ended up being an experience to remember. I guess the naivety of foreigners can turn into some fairly funny situations. It all begun with a waitress pulling a fish out of the tank about 10ft behind our table. As with most fish of the sea, the slimy creature slipped out of her hands and under my seat. Flopping all around and sliding amongst the cleanliness of the floor was the preamble for the seasoning entertainment to come in the kitchen. The truth of the matter is that we took it as a funny experience and laughed it off. It wasn’t until the waitress went in for a second one which put up a fight sending a tsunami wave of water down my back that was the icing on the cake. Was this normal, or just my lucky day? We are still not sure, but it definitely made for the start of an interesting evening.
Due to National Day today, the country of China has begun an 8 day vacation which makes for an interesting time in the town. Last night we were invited to a Moon Cake Party which was a blast. A few of us hung out in a Chinese friend’s apartment drinking tea, eating moon cakes and trying some of the unknown we have been afraid to tamper with. It was an incredible time to learn a little more about them and China, to share Western culture and to experience life beyond Xiamen University. Because of National Day, the city and country for that matter has had some interesting events. A huge parade to flex the muscle of China, Female dancers in front of McDonald's (Bet Dan’s McDonald's doesn’t have that) and moon cakes are everywhere. This is an extremely important time for the Chinese and we are in the middle of it.
The past few nights we have been soaking in the culture. We went to a Communist History presentation and a talent show the other night which commemorated Western and Eastern culture for the international students. It was nice to finally here others playing some more familiar tunes. As the weekend approaches and class work dramatically lightens these next few days, I look forward to a fun time. Before I know it, we will be off on the Trek, traveling the vast nation of China and experiencing its differences. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss you all, but it is more of a …I wish they were here to see this…kinda feeling.

Life in China is amazing.