Three Stories

I'm sitting here watching the BBC report on the U.S. presidential elections and they're actually not doing a bad job, except for the report from "North Hampshire." :) While I'm here, I thought I would post some stories from the last few days. (Oh, and for those of you interested, I've been polling my classes this week and they are unanimously in favor of Obama to win...smart crowd!) :)

Story 1:
A few days ago I was using a public ladies room and went into a stall where the lock was broken. It was empty in there so I thought, "I'll just go quick, it shouldn't be a problem." Sure enough, a lady walked in and went for the stall that I was in - I was helpless. She opened the door, saw me sitting there and let out this yelp, followed by the slamming of the door! I started laughing out loud because the look on her face was absolutely priceless...I think she was pretty shocked to see a foreigner! Why am I telling you all of this information that you probably don't want to hear? Because the next part of the story is the best! She went into the stall next to me as I continued to audibly laugh. She kept saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" and I kept saying, "It doesn't matter!" The next words out of her mouth were..."Wow, your Chinese is really good!" Hahaha...first of all, no, it's not and second of all, it's not the most opportune time to be talking about my Chinese speaking level!

Story 2:
On Monday I was sitting in a small park on campus, waiting for a student when a woman came up to me and asked the first question that always comes my way, "Where are you from?" A sense of dread filled me as I thought, "She's going to ask me to do an interview or she's going to say she wants to be my friend or she's going to ask to practice her English with me..." All of these are standard, run-of-the-mill, daily questions presented to me. Instead she sat down and said, "In your country, can a man who is married act like a single man and chase another woman?" I was so surprised and asked her to repeat her question and the second time she said, "A married man...like that one..." and pointed towards a guy standing nearby. I said, "Well, it happens but it's not okay, it's not acceptable." She looked me in the eye and whispered..."He frustrates me so much..." then turned and walked back to him. I was speechless and heartbroken for her - I think of her often and hope they can sort things out.

Story 3:
Immediately after I spoke with this woman, my student came running up holding a bowl with something inside. She pulled the lid off and inside sat a tiny, cooked pumpkin! I had told my students about jack o' lanterns last week and after class she had subtly asked whether we ever cook the pumpkins and eat them. I told her no, just the seeds! So, she had gone home that weekend and steamed me a whole pumpkin, then cut the top off and filled it up with red bean paste before putting the top back on. I burst out laughing as it was incredibly cute and thoughtful! There's a reason why I love my students so much!! And, by the way, cooked pumpkin is incredibly tasty! :)