Day 5: Chinese Lessons

May 5:

I think everyone is sugar deprived...we are dumping sugar into our rice/water breakfast soup and dipping our buns in sugar, at least most people are. We swear the waitstaff here at the hotel hates us, at least some of them. It's an exaggeration but I think they just do not understand us...
Today was the "official" start of our program according to TNU. Larry told us to wear what we were wearing at breakfast, but we all felt like we should have been dressed up a little more. I wore all black so I felt okay- black works for everything...
We met the dean, the heads of the departments, the head of the international something something department, a couple teachers and a translator, named Ms. Kong. The dean introduced everyone and Ms Kong (Susan) interpreted for us. We had a welcome speech from the head of the international department (?), who introduced the wise leader aka dean.

Larry copied the Rules for International Students and told us to read it so that he could save us from sitting there during the opening ceremony and reading it to us (some of the rules are not to have a job or participate in any religious activity openly, it's interesting and different than UofM...) This tactic cut the meeting short by about 40 minutes so we had extra time after meetings. We all introduced ourselves at the ceremony and Susan translated everything. They gave us Tianjin University T-shirts..all XXL's which look like Larges...fat Americans.

The lunch was amazing...best we've had here. Courses just kept coming...shrimp was great. Frog legs. Gristle chicken legs, a whole fish, duck, chicken, pork, amazing vegetables, a semi-sweet pastry, rice, watermelon...I wish I could go into more detail...
Jia told Taylor and Michael that it was good to eat the head eyes...and they tore that shit apart...only to find out later that the waitstaff was giggling at them. When inquiring they found out that it was not supposed to be done? I've heard so many stories I am confused and Michael was upset for a few days about it and hounded Larry about it, even though he reassured him that it was okay...
Soda is demanded a lot. I don't mind drinking it sometimes but I really don't like to, and I feel like we are just so demanding sometimes and gets on one of my nerves.

After lunch we had until 2pm to relax and then we had Chinese lessons with Ms. Kong across the way in room 510. We learned the tones, basics, counting, how to introduce ourselves, ask for names, say how we are...I am slightly struggling when the paper is not in front of me...I counted in front of the class...oye vey...

We had a break again. Then dinner. I went to bed at 8pm, accidentally, in my clothes and woke up at 1am to change into my new XXL shirt. I slept until 6 am.