Golden Week came and went. John and I had a productive holiday: mostly, we worked (and got a shitload done!), read, and ate. On the days with sunshine, we rode our bikes (as you probably guessed!) in search of our next meal (or the ones after). We recently hit the sandwich craving. Went to Carrefour and purchased a sandwich maker– yeah the kind that makes grilled pocket sandwiches. It’s no games around here. Move outta the way, we’ve got a mass production going on! Ham and cheese, grilled cheese, pbj… all heated to perfection.
John is making really great progress with his Chinese. The weekly tutor is working out beautifully. Chinese is now officially part of his well-known “First things first” routine. He has even coined a Chinese translation “Di Yi Ge Dong Xi Xian Zuo.” Yeah, it’s nerds galore over here. For sure. Anyway, I’m thrilled about John’s excitement, but I have to admit, I’m getting really sick and tired of him trying to impose his FTF program on me. By now, it’s really a broken record. Nonetheless, his enthusiasm is obvious. He eagerly goes to the produce market on his own to practice with the vendors. I can now send him off to get most any grocery item, including veggies, fruit, drinks, and breads.
John’s also making friends at all the area stationery stores. Armed now with Chinese, he’s totally free to talk Staedler pens, high-brightness papers, notebooks, and markers! Did you know John hoardes stationery supplies in his desk? One day I was searching for binder clips and when I opened his drawers, it become clear to me that his trip back to the USA in March was really a bigtime Staples run. He nearly bought the place out!
The warmer weather is quietly bringing about a revolution in the Gou-Eshleman household. The banana yoghurt smoothie, once a staple morning drink, has now been replaced with freshly-made watermelon juice. So sweet and cooling. We’ve got a stockpile of it in the fridge. 🙂
The second change is the service of an ayi (housekeeper). One of my students, Helen, recommended her ayi to me. I told Helen we were searching for someone to clean and show us cooking. Wu Ayi is amazing! I never knew my apartment could be THIS clean. Yeah, a real eye opener. Guess I was a total shit slacker ayi. 🙁 Anyway, the lady is so sweet and nice. Tomorrow she’s demo-ing cao nian gao. I must say, if anything, Wu Ayi is forcing our asses out of bed– early. She comes around 8, so we’re up notably before then. Fits well with Bubbey’s FTF system. We’ll show you, Steve Ni!