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March 3, 2007 - Guyuan, China

Spring Snow Showers

Mien Dian Guest Photographer

Bring June Flowers

Two days of my second semester of teaching under the belt and I’m already happy its the weekend. Not for any other reason than my voice doesn’t seem to have the stamina it did a month ago. It is awfully difficult to have yourself heard over the top of cheers and hoots and hollers when you walk into class. Back into training vocal cords!

Just yesterday a good friend was extolling the virtues of winter being over - no more snow, cold and ice - and how happy she was about it.

This morning?

Six inches of the fluffiest snow these eyes have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Fluffy or not it has put a serious dent in the number of people out and about. You’d think it was Buffalo, NY 12-feet and counting, lake-effect style. Quite the juxtaposition from scorching Vietnamese sun to gray Guyuan snow, however this seems slightly easier to manage… put on a sweater.

Being Watched

In the last four days that I have been home I have been stopped no less than five or six times by strangers - some who I recognize, but none-the-less strangers - and asked where I went. Maybe it isn’t that I’m being watched, there’s something slightly paranoid about that, noticed might be a better term for it. They’ve noticed a lack of the goofy foreigner for a month.

Still, it is a nice feeling to be noticed.

My favorite little mien dian ground to a halt during the busy lunch hour when I walked in this afternoon - all four of the cooks/owners dropped their rolling pins, ladles and dough to flock over like a bunch of hungry chickens. I stood there being poked and prodded while they clucked away far to fast for me to understand until they seemed satisfied that it was me, that I’d been eating enough and their curiosity had been satiated. It was back to noodle rolling as usual until one of them noticed my camera.

Work be damned again as we had a 10-minute slideshow at the expense of the other poor hungry and slightly bewildered patrons. One of the cooks - sufficiently emboldened - grabbed my camera and started clicking away. Much to her delight this sent the other three scurrying back to the kitchen shrieking and covering their faces.

The seeds of disorder had been sown. My souzi mien came out as chow mien ro ro amid the sound of giggles and kitchen towels being thrown.

» Link lovin’

OpenID - Decentralized open source authentication. Sounds good to me.

Served OpenID - Serve OpenID yourself.

Swooning Over the Heavy Ones - Oh, Avenir, you sexy thing you. Did you put on some weight?

Didymo - Although the name is strangely fun to say, looks like we’ve got an algal problem. Do you know where your invasive endemic species is?

Fire-colored Cat - Mephitidae, Procyonidae, or Mustelidae?

Tumbleweeds... and no comments. How 'bout livening things up?

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