Digging Deeper.

So over the past few weeks I have grown a little bit closer with China and some of my students. One of my favorite things about this whole experience has been when I'm walking home or just out on the streets somewhere and I see one of my students or hear a loud "Hellooooo Ash-a-leeey" or just get mauled by hugs from the back. It is always completely unexpected and a great treasure.

I recently started tutoring one of my students, a second grader named Nicole. One of the Chinese English teachers set it up and took me to Nicole's home for the lesson. Let my start by saying "jaw drop" because her home is B.E.A.UTIFUL. It is on the top floor (25th) of the building and is a split level apartment consisting of (I think) 3 or 4 levels. The apartment has a top notch view of dowtown Guiyang, including the signatuer Jiaxiu Tower, People's Square, and the Nanming River. I seriously couldn't believe it. She also has a pet golden retriever named Princess and an indoor swimming pool. Now, you may all appropriately let your jaws drop too.

So after I finish oggling at everything and playing with Princess I am brought drinks and snacks and fruit and they keep asking what else I would like and yada yada. And I'm all like "woah now. You've given me watermelon and yang mei (most delicious fruit ever) and crackers and yogurt and juice and water." They were so incredibly hospitable. And I was sitting on the couch next to the grandmother who didn't speak a lick of English but kept saying how beautiful I am and how nice my teeth are and my hair looks so nice and I thought I would die from cuteness overload of this grandma.

I then had a two hour session with Nicole which I'll kind of skip over because I mean really, who needs details of learning about the grocery store and labeling things in her play/study room. But I guess I should comment on some of the things in this study but really play room. The girl had a red Ferarri bike and a little motorized Harley Davidson bike. Oh, and two regular bikes too. The kid has it made. But you would never really know that because she is the sweetest thing and would rather play with the dirt then al her crazy gadgets. Only she does love to ride her bike. But only one bike. Its kinda crazy she has so many because she just rides the one. But she's super cute and I love her.

So we finish our session and I think I'm gonna go home. But no, they want to take me to their grandfather's house out in Huaxi district (very green and pretty and about 45 minutes from downtown Guiyang). So we drive out there (her parents, Nicole, Journey (my teacher friend), Journey's cousin Mason, and Nicole's sister Flower. When we get there, I'm offered even more snacks and drinks and the four "young ones" (Mason, Nicole, Flower, and myself) all get bikes and we go on a ride through this park near the house. So I finally fulfilled my dream of bike riding in China. And I was not disappointed. The bike path was along a river and every couple of yards there were wild orchids blooming sky high and trees of every shade of green. And that day was one of the most beautiful days we've had in Guiyang. Not a cloud in the sky, a nice light breeze and endless sunshine. I'm not even sure how long we rode the bikes but I wanted to freeze time and never let it continue. I was feeling so incredibly grateful and was in a state of pure bliss.

We took a short rest before heading back and you guessed it, they bought us more snacks and drinks. All over Guiyang, peope set up little stalls where they have buckets of hot coals and wire screens so they can cook little snacks. Most commonly they serve squares of tofu, sausages, and the ones near rivers have dried fish. So we got a little of everything and it was all so good. Mason also got me a local snack that he could only call "ice noodle soup" which basically describes it.  It was a bowl with huge chunks of frozen clear noodles, ice, chopped up apple, sesame seeds, and other fruits and juices. It was sooo sooo good. And the perfect refreshment for a hot day. I was a little skeptical when I first saw it but I have lived by my "try everything" motto in China; usually that motto does me no wrong.

We biked back to the house where even more snacks were waiting for us. There was rose sugar candy (yes, made from real roses), these biscuit things made from peas, sunflower seeds...you name it. Well, actually, I can't really name most of it.  And then within minutes dinner was ready.  We set up a table outside and enjoyed the setting sun, good company, and good food. There were these delicious egg roll type things (not really eggrolls, more like a taquito actually but I wanted to never stop eating them...so good), rice, veggies, lentils, chicken (which happened to be alive before we left for the bike ride...I try not to think about these things though), soup, and potatoes.  And another pleasant surprise showed up on the table. I once told myself trying it one time was enough to last the rest of my life. But when you are a guest in someone's home, you try everything at least once. So yes, I did eat pig kidney...AGAIN. I now think I have eaten enough to last a lifetime. Its not that they are even bad...I just can't seem to bypass the thought "you're eating kidney. you're eating kidney. you're eating kidney"

After dinner, I played basketball with Nicole but she got bored quickly and took off on her bike again. I then just relaxed as the evening cooled off and got to know my new friend Mason.

I am beyond grateful (I'm pretty sure I've already said that) for everything China has given to me. I seriously am in awe of how much I have gotten out of this experience. I never expected to make China a home. I never expected to fall so in love with the culture, the people, the food, the environment...with everything. I never thought I'd get the chance to become a part of a student's family. I never thought I would dig so deep into China. And I never thought it would dig so deep in to me. China has placed its everlasting roots into my heart and soul. I know I will never be the same.