It is Christmas Eve Eve today and so far, so much "Home Alone" has been watched in my classes. By the end of the day, I will have watched "Home Alone" three times; roughly 5 hours of Macauley Caulkin. This nearly makes up for being away from home this Christmas! Mulled wine will make up for the rest later on tonight.
Earlier this week I had a pretty bad fever for a couple days. Since we literally can't take sick days to recover in bed, I took my sweaty, flustered self to class and complained about my illness. Chinese people are incredibly particular about their health and the causes of illness. One student told me I was sick because I am not drinking enough freezing water to regulate my body temp. Allegedly, when the seasons change, so much our ingestion of fluids-but not the way you'd think (cold weather = hot drinks). In fact, when it is freezing outside, you should use air conditioning and drink freezing water. Your inner body temp should match your outer body temp, according to ancient Chinese wisdom. The Chinese staff in our office are so bothered because we have heaters blasting all day to keep warm. It's funny. Anyway, my students are trying to help me because I have no medicine to bring down my fever and I'm all hot and cold sweats. One of them offered to write down my symptoms so I could take it to the pharmacist across the street and get something to feel better. Off I go to the pharmacist--and let me tell ya--he is no Chris Kolody--he was very annoyed by my lack of Chinese speaking skills. While he grabbed medicine for me, I perused the display cases, and what do I find? Sex toys. Yep. Anyway-he gives me medicine and writes numbers on the cases (all in Chinese of course). A Chinese teacher tells me how often to take the medicine so I start knocking it back like candy. I've heard Chinese meds are like heroin. I'm feeling better the next day and managed to sleep that night without sweating through my sheets, so I go to class all happy and rouged. I show my student the medicine I took and one box he approves. The next box causes him great distress. "Oh....Oh nooooooo..noo.nooo.nooo.nooo....." And then he starts to laugh and says something to class in Chinese, and they all laugh. Once gathers his wits, he takes out his pocket translator and types something in, then shows me, "gonad infection." "But I'm a girl!"
Luckily, my gonads are feeling great this week, so no complaints there.
Today I received a funny message in my inbox from one of my two high school friends that I still loosly keep in touch with and this is what he wrote:
So I hear that Beijing is totally over-rated and Calgary could use a little more Michelle in its life.
I don't want to mix words, so I`ll just put this out there... Bootle and I ran into each other on the weekend and we talked about you, and both decided that you are the person we are most likely to travel to Cuba with when we turn 40. So hold on to you butt, because it's gonna happen.
I hope you are having a blast in the far east, and you are staying out of any REAL trouble. If you need a white guy to come save you from pirates just let me know, I'll trade as many locks of hair as it takes to get you home safely.
Seriously though, have a great Christmas and please let me know the next time we can see eye to eye (if you catch my drift).
Warm Wishes (because it's cold here)
Warren
It just warmed my christmas-heart a little. I was thinking that it is so special to be remembered. In fact, to be remembered is like, the biggest compliment, and it really brightened my day. I find I am always surrounded by affectionate, compelling people everywhere I go, and I am the luckiest girl in the Orient!
Thanks for your love, affections, cards, letters, FB messages, and texts. I always feel undeserving of it. If you are reading this, know that you mean the world to me and the only reason I get bummed out here in Beijingaling is because I miss you--not because I am ungrateful of the opportunity.
I love you. I always will.
Plain and simple.
xox
P.S. Playlist: A lovely Christmas compilation someone very special gave me years ago, "NoelNoel." It is on repeat.
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