road sleeping in airports and catching early morning connections. I
was attacked by thorns while hiking the Great Wall, and something's
been jammed in my calf muscle since that hike, sending a jolt of pain
through my leg every time I go upstairs. This afternoon I finally
pulled out the thorn, a quarter of an inch long. Free at last!
In Leshan, if you're not shopping on Sunday afternoon, you're playing
mahjong. Tea houses line the river, and they're packed on weekends
with wizened old faces puffing on cigarettes and betting big money on
blocks. I drove a bit out of town to the countryside with some
Chinese friends to enjoy the quiet scenery, "breathe the fresh air",
and of course, play mahjong. It's a religion here! I won a few hands
but I'm afraid to get serious as there is significant money involved
in most games. And noise. You haven't really travelled in China
until you've been kept up at night by a game of mahjong.
We haven't been able to find a bar in Leshan, and with the arrival of
patio weather it's heartbreaking to not have a local watering hole.
But drinking in China is a sort of all-or-nothing approach, and the
idea of a bar where you share a few casual drinks with friends doesn't
exist. On the other hand, at a big dinner with friends, everyone
drinks until they're quite boozy.
"Ganbei" is the Chinese word for "Cheers", but beware of casual usage!
Ganbei translates to English as "dry glass" and if you don't down
your little shotglass of liquor you risk some sort of disrespect.
I've had dinners here with strangers who have thrust their empty
glasses in my face when I haven't finished my shot. A meal with
liquor means you Ganbei with everyone at the table individually, and
often in rapid succession. Being a guest only means more Ganbei-ing.
If you say something particularly funny or inspiring (tonight I
mentioned that Canada burned down the White House during the War of
1812) you can expect to Ganbei the entire group. Even with the
relatively weak beer, the whole thing goes south pretty quickly.
Yet this blog entry is remarkably well put together!
Anway, this week I'm teaching about the environment, since Friday is
Earth Day. Does anyone care about Earth Day anymore? Is it just a
thing for public school students to talk about recycling? Anyway, I
doubt it will get much reception, as all of my classes have mid-term
exams this week. Three days of exams sounds like agony for the
students but means a short holiday for us. Now there's something to
Ganbei about.
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