Team Awesome & Some Pumpkin Fun

The past week has been quite busy. On Monday, we met with Andrea during our weekly meetings to discuss how we should structure these meetings in the future. In the past, it has mostly been about announcements and sharing our everyday experiences here in Chengdu with the rest of our class. Now, every other week we will have mandatory meetings where we will present our research projects, discuss articles, poems, etc. and share with the group a language tidbit we have learned in the past two weeks. During weeks when we don't have these mandatory meetings, Andrea has arranged for us to participate in activities together. For example, not this weekend but the next, she will take us to SW China's largest herb market. It is near the train station up in the norther regions of Chengdu. Especially after going to the Chinese herbalist last week and then going again Wednesday, I am rather excited about seeing this place. There is also a large tea market near this herb market. :)

On Tuesday, we had a meeting with some visiting UW professors from the Asian Languages department. In our 1 1/2 hour meeting, we talked with them about our experience so far in our language classes and our cultural class. It was interesting to sit and talk with UW people again. That night, Team Awesome struck again at the Chengdu Bookworm. Every two weeks, this foreign bookstore holds a Quiz Night. We came in last the last time we played...but the topics were really hard! European literature? European Geography? etc. I believe we were the only American team...and the youngest I might add. There was also one Canadian team. This week however, we came in 2nd to last...and even tied for our spot. Not bad. We are hoping to slowly make our way up...and eventually win the prizes: 2 bottles of red wine for the 2nd and 3rd places and a bottle of whisky for first place.

The trip to the herbalist on Wednesday was short. Sarah went back and had another appointment with the doctor, resulting in another herb regiment which she was to take for week. Rather than buy the materials needed to make this second concoction, she's going to wait until after she gets back with Andrea.

Thursday was a rather kick-back day. Besides classes, there wasn't much else going on during the day. I did my 2 hour English language session with my "student". I'm not sure if I really introduced him...but he's this guy I met through Tabitha. We are sort of taking turns being his language partner. He's probably in his early to mid-30s. He works for a company doing architecture of some sort...in various projects around China. His background is pretty interesting. His grandpa is Tibetan while his grandma is Cheung, or one of the ethnic minorities in China. Our conversations varies from his childhood growing up in a Tibetan village to my thoughts/comparisons between China's education system and the United States'. He's an interesting guy to talk to...and I learn Chinese vocabulary from him too. In the evening, I met up with Sarah and Matt and we headed on over to Shamrock's, the foreign bar here. They had a pumpkin carving event going on that night. I'm not a huge fan of Halloween, but I thought it might be fun. After dinner, we each grabbed a pumpkin and started doing our thing. I don't have very much experience in this field of melon art, being the only second time I've ever carved a pumpkin. I think for me, it turned out okay. I had some trouble with the teeth...I kept on over cutting and ended up with a pumpkin with only 3 teeth. Haha, oh well. We didn't want to stay very late, so after we finished, we headed out.