Clubbing

I was continuing to explore the campus this morning when I accidentally walked through a student activities fair. One block later, I emerged, the newest member of two kung fu clubs (apparently they hate each other - oops), the cycling club (never mind that I don't have a bike), and the English society. (The members of the guitar club fought hard for me too, but I was able to escape by promising to attend their concerts.) I have a number of new friends too. In fact, I was accompanied to lunch by two girls wearing shiny pink kung fu outfits. I clearly hang out with the cool crowd here in China, just like I did back in the U.S.

Also today, I finally ventured off campus to the great city of Jinan. I risked my life crossing a busy road to get to a little market area. This market sold a wide assortment of goods, including live roosters, pig carcasses, hunks of cow (flies included!), beans of every color, grains of every variety, greasy pancakes, spicy noodles, pastries, kitchen supplies, and clothing, to name a few. I went there to buy sheets. (A little late, I know.) I stopped at a little stand filled with bolts of cloth in cutesy patterns. All I had to do was pick a design I liked, tell them the measurements of my bed, and they'd make a sheet while I waited. Custom-made sheets! You're jealous, I can tell. Anyway, while the idea of having my bed be covered with pastel-colored talking pigs was tempting, I eventually opted instead for an attractive orange and yellow retro flower pattern, reminiscent of my parents' sheets in the late 1980s. Total cost: $5 Seeing a puppy pee on a rooster on the way home: Priceless.