Good Evening… Nanjing… Good Morning Arizona. So where do I begin. Let’s talk about the happy 事情business/stuff first… I just met my boss tonight. Things are going well. He had me analyze a document about a new Kungfu moving coming out in Hong Kong called 《龙腾狮吼》”Dragon’s Roar”- really exciting! After reviewing the document, I found that all of the actors were Jacky Chan status! This is amazing… first a language school opening up, and now a Kungfu movie. After all, I never thought that I would get such a chance to use my finance skills to analyze the investment logistics regarding a Kungfu movie… but the money is real… we’re talking millions.
I will be meeting with my boss again next week. Tonight we met and he agreed to continue my internship past the semester for the required four months’ time by flagship. He also agreed to help me get a working Visa. This way, I can accompany him on trips to and from Hong Kong. I am really excited about that! During that internship time, I will also be applying to more stable jobs in the finance sector and/or possible state department in Shanghai and Hong Kong (for post-graduatio
Last night I spent three hours planning out the next three years of my life (goals –that is). Because nothing is ever for sure, I almost feel weird about writing I have this internship, …in my opinion, the cat is never in the bag ‘for sure’… we should try to maintain a certain degree uncertainty ahah... if that makes any sense at all… it makes us work harder and be more careful in decision making. For example… because I know that my current internship could possible (God forbid) be taken right from under my feet, I hired a company for a small deposit to find a four month internship for me (that is their business, finding internships for foreigners). Ha! What a finance girl- You could say I hedged the risk of not finding an internship. If I do not find an internship, or this one doesn’t work out, there is always a back-up.n).
Coming up is the final competition for the singing bit I did a while ago… Hello Nanjing, my name is Caitlin Klein… I know you think I’m Russian, but I’m really an American. See? Can you give me friends? Can you find me an internship? Can you make me Happy? I’ll do whatever it takes! Study hard for the HSK every day… treat people out to lunches… even sing lady Gaga. If you want me to tap dance, I’ll try that too? Traveling abroad in China, my friends, sometimes has felt like a Dr. Seuss tale for sometimes.
As the cat he said:
“Look at me! Look at me! Look at me NOW! It is fun to have fun, But you have to know how”
The funniest thing I’ve seen is a man outside “working-out” -by banging his hip into a tree. He was doing this quite seriously in his workout clothes while listening to hip hop on his headphones… I’ve no idea why. I wanted to stand there and stare at him; I thought soon I might join him and start banging my head against the same tree. A lot of my stories end with these “why’s”. Once I saw a man walking backwards down the stairs holding a baby… why? Once I asked a restaurant what time they clothes and they said 10, but the doors of the building lock at 10, you’d better leaver earlier… why?
When traveling, you ought to be a “Cat in the hat…” you have to know how to have fun and laugh at these things you’ve never thought possible. You have to be strong, willing and flexible. My best advice to those coming here is get involved in the same activities as you would in the U.S…. you’ll end up making friends and connections... Be a cat in the hat. Soon I will be taking up Belly-dancing at the gym I attend… these things keep me going.
So Cat-astrophe: As you probably already know, I had a cat at my apartment… Dear Fifi. So as my cat had grown, she had also grown a fondness for biting and clawing her mother. My mom suggested I ought to get her neutered right away. It ought to calm this little feline right down. So I took my little Fifi to the 兽医 Veterinarian. The conversation went like this:
V: “hello – what seems to be the problem with this cat?”
C: “oh she is quite healthy, it is not that…”
V: “-Does she eat and drink?”
V: “-Does she eat and drink?”
C: “yes”
V: “Does she poop?”
C: “yes”
V: “Does she sleep?”
C: “Yes… As I said, she is very healthy but the issue is behavior. She frequently sneaks up on me to claw or bite, almost took my eye out this morning- she is kind of wild. I’m afraid is kind of dangerous (I need my eyes). My mom suggested that I neuter her or give her shots, it might calm her behavior?”
V: “No… let me tell you something, there is a difference in American cats and Chinese cats.”
C: “Oh?”
V: “yes, Chinese cats are more suitable for restaurants, and chasing mice, American –you know, are the kinds of cats you can make fat and cuddle with when you get home from work. This is not a behavior, this is her personality… you are best to sell her on the internet.”
I was upset so much that this time I couldn’t put on my “hat” and laugh at the strange things he said. Despite the point about cultural cat differences, the ‘fat’ American cat, and posting a cat on the internet for sale… I left and called my roommate right away, we knew we couldn’t be so heartless, so we settled on putting her food bowl outside. We thought we would care for my wild Fifi from a distance, but Fifi was smart and kept standing outside our door meowing. We would let her in, but the very moment we would she would want to go straight out again. Because we were afraid of disturbing the neighbors, we decided to let her go… in a farther place.
Heartbroken, I picked her up and took her to a place where I knew there were lot of people, grass, and bushes if she wanted to hide. It started drizzling that afternoon. When I got to the place to let her go, I looked ten feet away from where I was standing to see statues; one of them was a mother holding a child, and I broke down. Call me sensitive, but she was my first Nanjing buddy, I nurtured her... and seeing that statue made me feel horrible, must I say it? -like leaving a child. One of the worst things I have ever felt. I told my teacher today, and she said I should consider her instead as “ready to leave the nest,” and not abandoned, -that she was obviously wild, and that I saved her from being killed had nobody else taken her in from where I got her. But, it still hurt. Although she could eat solid food very well, run quickly, is strong and healthy etc, she is still not fully grown… and during that time, no matter how much she would bit me, I grew attached to her. When no one was home, she kept me sane. A good analogy might be “Wilson” and Tom Hanks… but Wilson didn’t claw Tom Hanks… so maybe not.
<Sigh> still getting over it.
But, I think Fifi made me stronger… even without Fifi, I now feel as though I do not “need” something to be contented here in China, a place I am familiar with these last few years… but I don’t know what this means, my focus is stronger than before, but… that is all…
In loving memory of my cat Fifi ~
Caity
