The sun rises in the East but Sets in the West

This morning I took advantage of the fact that I was not completely hung over by going on a long bike ride through Wenjiang. I headed out past the east gate of our school, down by the river and towards the epic teahouses that chengdu is known for. It was pretty busy, all tables were full so I rode on and kept riding. The tables were full of families, laughing, chatting and enjoying their tea. Ladies exchanged gossip, and old men played Chinese chess and smoked some cigarettes. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. As usual, I was spotted (my hair kind of lets me blend in but my face fools no one) and I got the usual stares, points, and lowai!! Greeting. I decided to come back later when it was less busy so I continued to weave in and out of traffic to discover new areas.

The driving here really is like an intricate dance, you just have to learn the moves and pay attention. I often ride my bike on the middle of the street now because I learned the rhythm and understand the hierarchy. If they honk, move the eff over or you are gonna get hit. It's actually kind of fun. Adds a little more Indiana Jones to my morning bike rides. I rode along the river and did some pretty good people watching and before I knew it I seemed to be out of the city, with the towering apartment buildings. I looked around. Old people everywhere. Riding bikes that were hauling food, produce, garbage and other goods. Chickens roaming around, dogs sleeping. And there were houses, lots of very old, run down houses. More Chinese people drinking tea and playing games. I got more stares than usual as I feel very few lowai have braved this part. I felt like I was seeing the China that most people never get to see.

Most foreigners just come to Beijing and Shanghai to see China. These cities are highly westernized and I feel like you cannot get the real feel of the whole diverse country. It's sad, because although I love the thought of the big city, more western life of Shanghai, I think that sichuan is beautiful. I can't really explain it, it's kind of like that one WSU quote. You kind of have to be out here to experience what I experience. All I know is that when I explore random streets and roads out here I always have a huge smile plastered to my face. I zip past flower fields and watch the people of China integrate their old life with the new, rapidly westernizing China. I often wonder what the elders think about it, and if they like it. Most of them adapt, but I use that term loosely. Many have moved to the cities but they bring their country lifestyle with them. It's really interesting, and I know I keep using this word a lot but it is beautiful. Maybe remarkable.

I zip past fields of flowers and stare into rickety old houses and shops. Most of the furniture is made out of bamboo. Some people were lighting off fireworks just for the heck of it, and when I smiled at the locals i got warm smiles back. Eventually I found myself back on the main road and towards a park where I hear music. I got closer and realized there was an exercise dance class going on. I rode onto the sidewalk and watched while still on my bike. It was mainly older women dancing, and reminded me of my Grandma Caroline. If she were still around and in China with me I could definitely see her dancing with the other older ladies! The funniest part was watching the older men who were itching to dance but wouldn't quite go for it. They would just stand to the side bobbing their heads. To the left of me there was a large tree that was full of Children climbing it. There were exotic birds in cages to the right of me, and when I looked up i could almost see sun and blue sky through the smog. It was a beautiful spring day in Wenjiang.

I was spacing out but my daydream was disturbed by an older woman who came up to me and started speaking at me in Chinese. She kept pointing at my arms. I had taken my jacket off because I had gotten on my bike, but she seemed kind of concerned about it. More old women came up and started pointing at my arms. Was there something wrong with them? I mean I know they aren't my best feature but I didn't know they would cause so much controversy! Self consciously I pulled on my jacket and that seemed to do the trick. Turns out they were concerned that I would catch a cold! That's another thing I love about China, they have their old ideals and believe they should apply to everyone and aren't afraid to tell you about it. I was once again disturbed by a different voice, speaking English with a thick Chinese accent. "EXCURRRSE ME BOOTIFURRL GRRRR, WELCUM TO WENJIANG WOURRLD YOU PREASE DANCE WIS ME?! BOOTIFUL GRRRR!" This woman would not take no for an answer. I got off my bike and busted a move with this woman. I must say it was pretty fun until I looked up and noticed we were the only ones dancing, and instead everyone had stopped what they were doing and stared. Even cars on the street. They were lovin' it. I started to love it again and got really into it. I mean, the locals are going to stare at me no matter what, so I might as well give them something good to stare at, right?

I finally peeled away from the dancing at the park and rode back to a smaller teahouse. I sat down and ordered some green tea in what I think was perfect mandarin. I guess it somewhat worked because I got the tea. I sipped it, stared at the river and listened to the birds and traffic and enjoyed a few more tranquil seconds until some excited Children approached me. They wanted to practice their English, and eventually more people came over to talk to the lowai as well. Old, young, whatever. They all wanted to come see what was up, and this led to me having some deep conversations with the locals. Like answering how old I was, and where I was from. Pretty inspiring all around. The little girl was really cute, she was around my sister's age. She was playing cats cradle (which I was pretty good at back in the day) and so I played with her for a few minutes. I was pretty happy when they all cleared out so I could go back to relaxing and enjoying my tea. I tell ya, it's real tough being treated like a celebrity in China...