Happy New Year

I began classes today. I had class from 8:30 to 12:30, then the whole CET program ate lunch together at a restaurant, and I had a one-on-one class – just my teacher and I.

After I finished class, I took a cab over to Steve’s hotel. It is very fancy, but we suspect Steve and his dad may be the only guests in the whole hotel! The lobby is always empty and the elevators are always available. There is also a huge fancy mall right next to the hotel. When I walked through it, I felt like I was back in the US except for the fact that nobody was around. I guess the Chinese are not about to pay for designer goods when they know they can get the knockoffs for much cheaper!

Steve, his dad, and I all went to Houhai – the bar district around the lake – to bring in the New Year. There are a lot of bars around the lake, but we were so cold that we ducked into the first one we saw. Unfortunately, our ability to randomly choose bars is lacking. We were seated upstairs next to another group of laowai (foreigners). At first it seemed ok, but then, two Chinese singers took the stage and began to sing along to recordings of back-up music. Not only was the music very cheesy and sappy, it was also incredibly loud. Since we could not hear each other talk, we were left with nothing better to do than stare at the singers angrily, willing them to take a break. We eventually finished our drinks and escaped out into the biting wind.

After another quick drink at a random spot, we met up with a bunch of students at a club. It was crowded and they played western music. Steve and I danced with the other Middkids, and his dad found an English-speaker at the bar.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!