storytime.

Upon reflection of my little bloggy, I realized that I don't include hardly enough of the random, hilarious encounters that make up each day living here in the PRC.

So here are two stories from this week to make you (and me) smile:

1:

On Wednesday, my friend and I went to get foot massages at my favorite back-alley massage place. The workers there are my friends and their reflexology is legit. When customers come into the ratty shop and see me and my friends (I love to introduce people to this place), they are completely surprised and want to ask tons of questions about us.

Wednesday was no exception. An elderly man came in and started asking the workers about my friend and I, (thinking we couldn't understand). When asked where we were from, my reflexologist didn't hesitate and shouted out, "USB!"

Huh? I looked at my friend. Then we burst out laughing.

USA.

hahahaha.

2.

Last Sunday morning I took in an orphan donation collection box to chrch. We are in the process of collecting milk powder and winter clothes for the babies. I used my new oven box and wrote in green sharpie on the side "Orphan Donation Box." I gathered up my stuff, and headed outside to catch a taxi to chrch.

It is basically impossible to get taxis in this city and I was standing on the corner for quite a long time. I was totally daydreaming, not paying attention really to anything going on around me.

Suddenly I was shocked out my my stupor by the jingling of 3 kuai coins (about 45 cents) being thrown into my box. I looked at the man next to me and said hte first thing that came to my mind, "why did you do that?" I was so deep in thought that I didn't think to speak Chin.ese first and I forgot what I was holding.

He responded to me in perfect English, "I read the box."

"ooohhhhhhh," I got it. He was donating to the orphans!

I gathered up the money and gave it back to him and told him that the box was for milk powder and clothes and that I was heading to chrch.

He didn't understand me. He told me I should write that in Chin.ese on the box. But the people at my chrch are foreigners, I told him, we speak English. It must be written in English.

"No one knows what you are doing here, you need to write it in Chi.nese" he said to me as the light turned green for him to walk across the street. (our entire encounter was maybe 1 minute).

I patted him on the shoulder as he turned to walk across the street, "thank you, you are a good man." I wanted to tell him that there are a bajillion ways for him to give and help the poor in our city. I wanted to tell him that he was an example of generosity that I rarely see in his country-men. I wanted to tell him that his 3 coins in my box meant something to me and gave me courage to stand before my chrch and ask them to give. There are people out there who are willing to help. Even the random man on the corner who could read the english on my box.

So thank you again, random man. You restored my faith in humanity for at least an hour that day.

Here's some photos:

The weather has been b-e-a-utiful this past week! I am trying to enjoy it as much as I can because when winter comes I will long for these days...

11.11 is "singles day" in China. The youngsters go crazy (as I have in the past). This year I "celebrated" by going to work, then having dinner with these two monkeys (Michael and Stone):

Then I got some action, from a chicken head: beak to beak,

Last but not least, here's a joke my classmate told me:

Why did mozart get rid of all his chickens?

Because all they said was BACH BACH BACH.

hahaha.

I hope things are well in your corner of the world.

Walk slow. xoxo.