Saturday, March 26, 2011

The Chinese like Curling?

  • Friday Evening.  Conversation Class.  The topic?  Sports.  I ask the students what sports they would like to try.  One of the younger students, can't name a sport he likes, so he makes throwing gestures and says it is done on ice.  I say it sounds and looks like curling, and I ask him if he saw it during the Winter Olympic games.  He says he did.  I then do a double-check and I draw a curling stone on the whiteboard.  He confirms.  Another student in the class then nods appreciatively.  "I like it too!" she says.  Maybe, the Chinese like Curling.
  • Another student tells me he hangs a cross (the Christian one) in his car for good luck.  He says he isn't a Christian, when I ask him.  I think of something, Flannery O'Connor said.  I think it went along the lines of the Christian religion isn't an electric blanket, it is the cross.  I don't think she thought of it as a lucky charm.
  • Many students said they heard about Earth Hour after the fact.  I, of course, didn't observe it.  I was watching the end of the original True Grit movie with John Wayne.  I liked the ending of that film as John Wayne rides off -- brought tears to my eyes.
  • I then watched the first half of Mr. Smith goes to Washington.  Funny, how I could buy such a patriotically American movie in China.  And Jimmy Stewart has to be one of my heroes.  I like how an "aw shucks" kind of guy can punch out people.
  • I was able to watch the films because Tony and Jenny were in Beixin on Saturday Night.  I splurged and bought a 12 inch Subway sandwich.
  • Here are some links:  Tony's new truck: here and here.  Photos taken around Wuxi.  Ginger for Sale.  "Awkward load" photo.  No KFC on Mars.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Andis,
Which Subway sandwich flavor did you choose and what is the cost in China?
Ron

wuxi andis said...

I got a foot long tuna with extra cheese, a drink, and two cookies. It cost me 51 rmb. About 8 dollars Canadian.

Colin Corneau said...

Dear god...one of the things I like about China is they've never heard of the non-sport of curling. Sheesh...

wuxi andis said...

Curling is one of these Canadian eccentricities that I have had a hard time explaining. I defend it as an excuse to drink.

Being out in China for so long, seeing curling on Chinese t.v. makes me homesick.

But then the Chinese like ping pong, and wouldn't defend it as an excuse to drink.

They also seem to like Country and Western music.