Finally! Im in a new country...and more importantly a country that lets me view my blog! Of course now I have the thoughts...'did I really write everything below?' Wow. What a spaz.
Anyways, the himalayan bike trip was a success and if you haven't read the stats, you havent checked your email. But now Im in Kathmandu...a place that takes chaos, wraps it up, eats it, digests it, then shoots it out the other end with even more sensory overload. Smells, food, faces (oh...the faces) and pollution are all different. China seems to be dirtier from the top down...nepal from the bottom up. Garbage vs air nastiness. But this aside, Im loving it here! Not quite sure yet what to do with my 3 weeks here, but Im sure the voices in my head will chirp up soon. Here's to Hindu's!
D.T. Willy
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Tour De Heavy Breathing
Its about that time! Tomorrow I leave for he bike trip over the Himlayas.
But first let me digress...
Ive been in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, for a week now. One of those Chinese places where crosswalks are Darwinistic poky people death traps and prayer flags flutter in the breeze. Its been the cleanest air my lungs have seen, yet at an altitude of almost 12,000ft, they aren't seeing quite as much O2. Actually Ive been pretty fortunate with my body adjusting to the altitude nicely...more so then the roommate in my dorm last night. The poor chinese kid was breathing like a race horse with a sock stuffed in its mouth...couldn't get enough air in each breath. It woke me up and had my brain convinved that my lungs were competing for the oxygen in the room. Eventually a pair of ear plugs solved the problem.
My other roommate, a nice city girl from beijing, said the saddest thing I've heard in a while---"when my plane landed in Lhasa, I saw the clear, transparent air and realized I was breathing the first clean air of my life...I almost cried."
Now thats a Hallmark card you don't read everyday. The stories here go on and on...
But alas, tomorrow I start the 15 days of south/southwest cycling to Kathmandu, Nepal. My friends will include 1 Brit, 1 yankee, 2 kiwis, and a bottle of advil. We will sleep in tents most of the time with a couple nights of respute in a hotel. If you want to keep track of the journey, check out the website www.whyamIpunishingmyself.com --joke
I will send more when I find Buddhist enlightenment on a bike seat.
Cheers to chicken leg pedal power,
DT Willy
But first let me digress...
Ive been in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, for a week now. One of those Chinese places where crosswalks are Darwinistic poky people death traps and prayer flags flutter in the breeze. Its been the cleanest air my lungs have seen, yet at an altitude of almost 12,000ft, they aren't seeing quite as much O2. Actually Ive been pretty fortunate with my body adjusting to the altitude nicely...more so then the roommate in my dorm last night. The poor chinese kid was breathing like a race horse with a sock stuffed in its mouth...couldn't get enough air in each breath. It woke me up and had my brain convinved that my lungs were competing for the oxygen in the room. Eventually a pair of ear plugs solved the problem.
My other roommate, a nice city girl from beijing, said the saddest thing I've heard in a while---"when my plane landed in Lhasa, I saw the clear, transparent air and realized I was breathing the first clean air of my life...I almost cried."
Now thats a Hallmark card you don't read everyday. The stories here go on and on...
But alas, tomorrow I start the 15 days of south/southwest cycling to Kathmandu, Nepal. My friends will include 1 Brit, 1 yankee, 2 kiwis, and a bottle of advil. We will sleep in tents most of the time with a couple nights of respute in a hotel. If you want to keep track of the journey, check out the website www.whyamIpunishingmyself.com --joke
I will send more when I find Buddhist enlightenment on a bike seat.
Cheers to chicken leg pedal power,
DT Willy
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Cough and Turn...Exam Time!
Done! 447 grueling 3 minutes oral English conversational exams later and I’m now a free man! To be honest, I feel I’ve done quite a few tiring things in my life...sprint triathlons, hiking over the Teton Mountains, hell...even cycled from Colorado to Tennessee. But hands down giving all those exams in an 8 day period about did me in. My ears and my eyes were in constant battle...by the time I hit student 346, I rationalized I could listen better if my eyelids were closed.
Alas, some of the pain of sitting still for hours was muted by the humorous responses of a handful. Pages upon pages in my journal began to fill up. The following quotes made my 2006 teaching All-Star Team:
david: "Tell me about America?"
-student 1: "The people's skin are white and yellow."
-student 2: "I think America is a rich and beautiful city."
-student 3: "I like American boys...white skin, high nose, big eyes."
-student 4: "No...i don't like America."
david: "tell me about your family?"
-student 1: "My government won't allow me any brothers or sisters...but YOUR sister is beautiful."
-large, male, burly, manish student with a deep voice: "My mother is like me...very pretty."
david: "Do you have any questions for me?"
-student 1: "Are American beggars poorer than us Chinese?"
-the shyest and cutest student: "Can I please touch your nose?"
david: "What will you do next week?"
-student 1: "I will go home because I’m in toilet." (ie toilet = training)
-student 2: "I will study in the Shandong College of Tourism and Hospital." (ie hospital = hospitality)
-student 3: "I’m sorry! I don't like English!! Waaaaaaaaa!!!"
See? I told you I could listen with my eyelids shut.
I can now empathize (and sympathize) with all my past foreign teachers. So for Senior Warford, Sweathog, Ms Eastwood, and my dearest Uzbek Ilgiza Opa...next time i see you, I owe you a waffle. Thanks.
--D.T. Willy
Alas, some of the pain of sitting still for hours was muted by the humorous responses of a handful. Pages upon pages in my journal began to fill up. The following quotes made my 2006 teaching All-Star Team:
david: "Tell me about America?"
-student 1: "The people's skin are white and yellow."
-student 2: "I think America is a rich and beautiful city."
-student 3: "I like American boys...white skin, high nose, big eyes."
-student 4: "No...i don't like America."
david: "tell me about your family?"
-student 1: "My government won't allow me any brothers or sisters...but YOUR sister is beautiful."
-large, male, burly, manish student with a deep voice: "My mother is like me...very pretty."
david: "Do you have any questions for me?"
-student 1: "Are American beggars poorer than us Chinese?"
-the shyest and cutest student: "Can I please touch your nose?"
david: "What will you do next week?"
-student 1: "I will go home because I’m in toilet." (ie toilet = training)
-student 2: "I will study in the Shandong College of Tourism and Hospital." (ie hospital = hospitality)
-student 3: "I’m sorry! I don't like English!! Waaaaaaaaa!!!"
See? I told you I could listen with my eyelids shut.
I can now empathize (and sympathize) with all my past foreign teachers. So for Senior Warford, Sweathog, Ms Eastwood, and my dearest Uzbek Ilgiza Opa...next time i see you, I owe you a waffle. Thanks.
--D.T. Willy
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