The last post was too short so this is a follow up piece. I met my 语伴儿 （language partner) for dinner at the dining hall. I’ll start with the dining hall…it’s awesome! There are five floors. The first two floors are cheaper and faster (think buffet style) than the top three floors which are more sit down restaurants.
We ate on the first floor and the food looked delicious and fresh. I got a bowl of rice, Kung Pao chicken, and green beans for a dollar. A dollar! They had lots of options so I will definitely eat there more often.
Before getting the dining card, I have been eating primarily at a 面 (noodles) and 饺子 (dumplings) shop. I’ve mastered the following sentences: 我要一个两面。 辣一点儿。 This translates to I want one order of noodles. A little spicy. The noodles and dumplings come in a huge bowl and only cost one dollar. So nope Grandmom, I have not been cooking. You know me! I couldn’t study and survive for this long if I had to cook for myself. I’m happy that I can now expand the types of food I can taste.
So my language partner was kind enough to help me set up my dining card and we ate for two hours together. She is Chinese but from Mongolia. I didn’t know this before tonight but Mongolia is separated into three parts. There is Mongolia which is the country. There is Mongolia which is part of China (and follows Chinese laws), as well as Mongolia which is part of Russia.
We talked about her family in Mongolia and why she came to school in Beijing. She said she misses seeing the sky while in Beijing..I feel the same way sometimes. We talked about her love for Game of Thrones and the fact that in China, you can download movies and TV shows for free LEGALLY! I had a hard time understanding exacting how it worked, but it is not against the law to download Chinese (and I guess American) movies while in China. Soooooo I may be taking advantage of that.
I’m really glad the program has this language partner aspect because it gives me a chance to practice my Chinese more while learning about the country.
Hope that answered most of your questions Grandmom! Love you and miss you!
0 responses to “For Grandmom.”
Yes I feel a little better. I didn’t know your partner was helping you in Chinese the way you had helped the international students at temple. It sounds like you are happy there and that’s all that counts. Your Dad seems to be adjusting to life without Eva somewhat. He is going to a crab feast tonite and talks about going shopping for shoes for his trip to Seattle. So all my children are happy. I didn’t know how you were handling China and your Dad told me you were fine. And your new E-mail seems to back that up. He was over helping Linda to combine some CD’s and as soon as he left, she became tired and grumpy. I love you and that’s all for now. Love Grandma
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