Human Chicken

There is the age old car game that people seem to play. You know the one I am talking about, it's called 'Chicken'. The drivers, heading towards each other on a narrow country road notice that there is only room for one of them to have full access to the narrow road. Neither driver deciding that he wants to surrender his passage way stares the other down and heads his vehicle straight towards him, all the while hoping the other guy will back down, hit the brake and move out of the lane so to allow him to pass.

I have noticed much of the same here. I approach and elevator and people stare straight at me, walk towards me and seem as though if I do not get out of their way that they will simply mow me down. If I am on a sidewalk, (especially with men coming my direction) they will keep walking and push me into the wall next to me or force me off the sidewalk into the road. It was during one of these episodes the other night that I realized it was like a game of "Human Chicken." No cars involved, just bodies ready to knock me over if I did not 'concede' first.

The pace is maddening. The city moves like nothing else that I have seen, yet it works in harmony. I hear more police sirens in my sleepy little mountain town in 3 days than I have heard here in over 4 weeks. The traffic, crazy as it is, moves with rapid success and although it does NOT make the least bit of sense to me, it does to the driver, the bicycle rider and the pedestrian.

I have learned how to get across the freeway. You walk into the road and stand in the street between vehicles. When there is a slight break, you move to the next lane. This goes on until you get across. I am becoming bolder with each new day. I have even found that people look at me to see when I will cross, and now some even follow. Maybe it is the bright red coat, the shiny blonde hair, or the fact that a Beijinger would never want to hit a tourist (even though they still refuse to slow down for me).

I finished my Teacher Practice #6 today. It was my last group lesson and I got my grade. In 15 years my instructor has given only one 100%. I achieved his second one today. It was a wonderful end to my lessons. I have to do a one-on-one Chinese national lesson tomorrow and then about 10 hours of paperwork and I am done with my course work. I believe I will actually get that Level 1 Certification. He only has given a handful of those as well.

It has been good. It has been productive, and it has been more rewarding than I can tell you. We had a proposal (marriage) in class today, and our little group is such an amazing family. I got flowers from a student and I hear 'I love you", daily. I thank God for this opportunity, and to be honest - I will miss my 8 hours a day of class. It has challenged my mind, my thought processes and my creativity. I am so grateful for all.

Tonight as I get ready to do a stack of paperwork, I am dining on a Black Bean and Mulberry Yougurt. It is flippin' amazing! I love these bean yougurts, weird as they sound. As I was purchasing my yougurt at the 7/11, a lady came up behind me in line and sat her food on the counter. I had stood in line for a while and the clerk had seen me. She (the clerk) reached over and grabbed the ladies food when I approached and almost completed her purchase. The lady quickly stopped her and pointed out that I was there first. The clerk seemed disgruntled but allowed me to go. I turned to the woman and said, "Xie Xie - thank you." I am not sure who was more surprised. Me, because she did not push past me - or her because I acknowledged her generosity. It was a moment where the game of chicken was halted and room was made in the road for both cars to pass.