MHV 2

Greetings... It has now rained non-stop, extremely hard, for three straight days, and the weather is supposed to continue through tomorrow. The rivers are very flooded, and the local schools cancelled classes for today and tomorrow. Luckily, my home is high enough that there is no threat of flooding. Because of the rain, though, I STILL have not been able to go rock climbing. I think I am going to go crazy! I'm heading over to the Lizard Lounge in a little while to do some bouldering inside, so I can at least get in a workout.

Sunday was one of the Xu family annual festivals, timed to coordinate roughly with the Dragon Boat festivals held throughout China. Fireworks were used the summon the spirits of the ancestors for the meal, and then we enjoyed a delicious feast. The food included pijiuyu, or "beer fish," which is a local specialty; not surprisingly, it is a large fish cooked in beer. An American family staying in Yangshuo also came home for the meal (Yu Lin had been acting as their guide), and I can't tell you how nice it was to have a conversation in English. I hadn't realized how long it had been since I had last spoken at length in English. Their two daughters - ages 8 and 12, I believe - both speak excellent Cantonese and some Mandarin. I couldn't understand how this was possible at first, but then the parents explained that the kids go to one of the schools experimenting with a new language program. Coincidentally, I had just read about this program and think it is one of the first intelligent things a US school, public or private, has done in regards to foreign languages. Students there are taught simultaneously in English and Chinese beginning in kindergarten. They begin with Cantonese (which, incredibly, has 9 different ways to pronounce each sound, as opposed to Mandarin's also difficult 5 ways) and transition to Mandarin in the sixth grade. Cultural activities are also part of the curriculum. The kids graduate with a complete understanding of China and both of its major dialects. Fascinating...

Xia Li had told me he wanted to go fishing with me yesterday, but I assumed that our plans would be cancelled because of the rain. Not so... We went out to one of the fields, which normally has crops but was flooded with water, and fished. I'm not sure, but I don't think the water was actually connected to a river or anything - just a standing lake - so I was very doubtful that there would be fish. Nevertheless, Xia Li waded out into the middle with his rod, holding an umbrella over his head with the other hand (there was still heavy rain). After an hour or two, we finally concluded "mei you yu" ("there just aren't any fish").

I spent a lot of time studying and reading yesterday because of the rain. I'm trying to really expand my Chinese vocabulary. I also played the Chinese version of "Sorry" with my xiao pengyou last night. I found it interesting that you have to roll a 6, not a 1 or 2, to get out of the start area (I believe 6 is a lucky number in China). One last note: for some reason, I haven't been able to read my own blog here in China (I can only make posts), probably because of government restrictions on accessing certain websites. Because of that, I can't read any comments my readers make. Please continue to do so, though, as I may find a way to access them, and can always read them later. Additionally, I have thus far been unable to post any of my pictures but am still hoping I will find a way to do so in the future. Signing out -