Good Morning Everyone! 3/22 尊吧 ZUMBA!

It has been a little while - Time seems to be flying by!  Someone told me in a text just now that time is our enemy?  Lol well, I suppose if you are far away from someone, it can be…  Anyways today is going to be a sunny day I hope… it has been raining a lot lately.  As if it is 一直冬天 continuous winter?!

I finally got fed up with hanging my clothes on bamboo sticks, and just bought a dang clothes drying rack.  What a marvelous invention!  It is fantastic.  It is raining… my clothes are drying… and there are no casualties falling from the bamboo sticks on my third floor to the unknown territories down below. 

Haaa, sigh,  Guess what else I did this weekend?  Zumba!  It was so much fun!!!  I never thought a Chinese chic could shake it like that.  Not saying that Chinese girls can’t shake what their 妈妈 MAMA gave them… but I’m just saying, they don’t have dances growing up （no prom, no homecoming etc.）, so it must be really hard for most to have mimicked whatever they saw on MTV.  流行文化 Popular culture is on the rise!  LOL  - that is all we talked about in class yesterday… (Broadcasting and culture last).  So I go to this Zumba 尊吧 class (just for a free trial), and this girl is just go’n crazy on the stage… apparently she had been to Columbia where they taught her how to move like that.  I want whatever milk tea she drinks in the morning.  Just say’n~ I obviously had a blast, and signed up!  I like going to a gym.  I do get tired of running circles around a track.  Besides, the weather is so volatile here, I never know what to expect.  I feel more involved with the community taking the metro to the gym in the morning anyway!

Yesterday was (Monday) also my first time at 古筝class.  So cool!  You know, a Guzheng only has like five keys : do-re-me-so-la.  It lacks ‘fa’ and ‘ti,’ the teacher is very sweet; very patient with me.  I have homework to do yet – learning the different styles of an instrument about 20 times as old as my country… crazy!  So before I go to practice (everyday)  I have four little claws that I tape underneath my fingers.  They look like guitar picks, but more delicate.  Posture-wise, the guzheng feels comfortable.  The tricky part is giving my fingers independent-plucking power… trying not to move all but one finger is trickier than one might think!

Sunday  night.. this is two days ago.  I was invited out to a birthday party!  Yes, my progress within my Chinese social circle is improving.  It was 束方银’s birthday.  One of my other Chinese friends told me that it is kind of a girly name for a Chinese guy?  Can anybody tell me why?  I really couldn’t tell you the difference about whether a Chinese name is manly or girly… unless it is like “something-something strength” obviously a dude…. If it is like “something-something- eastern flower”  -Obviously a chic!  Anyways, it was a fun dinner.  Altogether  three girls and three guys, my addition made four girls.  The guys drank beer, offered me some… and I kept up just fine!  Everyone else drank milk LOL!!!  I told 方银 that since his birthday already passed two and a half weeks ago, we should keep throwing birthday parties for him, because it is an excuse for everyone to go out and drink… ha everyday is a birthday!

The night before last (same day I started ZUMBA), I started English tutoring.  I am counting this as my community service.  I am not getting paid for it… I easily could, however then it wouldn’t really count as a community service.

Other than that~  I was invited to Karaoke this Friday night… so I’ve been warming up my vocal chords getting ready  ;)  I love Karaoke.  I feel that learning Chinese songs is kind of a must!  Probably the most enjoyable way for me to learn Chinese!  Anyways -   I LOVE you all ~  Miss you!

Caity ~ 蓝凯琳