Ready, Set, GO!

Friday was race day at Southwest University -- a 5K for the teachers and a 10K for the students. Because I was sick for 2 weeks (and just plain lazy...haven't run in awhile) I didn't run. But I did go to watch. My friend Keegan and I caught the finish of the 5K -- seeing our friend Phil finish in the top 10. We continued to watch the teachers finish -- some of them running in jeans and wool sweaters. I saw one guy in his 30's or 40's in khakis and a button up shirt! (drenched in sweat, of course) One girl was running in flat shoes (like Converse), jeans, and a nice white, wool, turtleneck sweater. We couldn't believe it!
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We stayed to watch the students' race. The beginning and the end were all we needed to see to keep us laughing for days...
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Imagine hundreds of people lined up on the goal line of a soccer field. The gun sounds and they race across the field -- all aiming for the same gate, which is not even as wide as a soccer goal. The first few runners get through just fine, but, by the end, the last people (including the guys dressed in their army gear) were walking through, taking their sweet time, and waving at the camera.
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The finish was just as spectacular: as the racers came back in through the gate, the PE majors went to the right around the track and the non-PE majors ran left -- each only halfway down the straightaway. (For the PE majors, this may have been their final exam.) Before the racers re-entered the stadium, we spent a good chunk of time pondering over the signs...which Chinese characters say "PE majors this way" and which say "all the non-athletic people this way" (and, yes, China would say something like that). We waited on the non-PE side for our friend to finish. To our surprise, this is where the winner came! We thought he went to the wrong side, but, no, he wasn't a PE major. And he finished in just over half an hour!
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The rest of the runners came in and the finish line was backed up 100 M. We could also tell which side was the non-PE majors by the puddles of puke surrounding the finish line. "Chinese delicacies of things like oranges and corn," as the boys put it. So, the non-PE students ran hard, but there were a few things concerning "pacing oneself" that were overlooked. Nothing like a track meet in the States, that's for sure...something much more fun!
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{Click on the title for the video of the start of the 10,000 M race. And here is a link for the post-race commentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83gvN7yv3Xg&feature=channel}

Silly Rabbit, Trix is proof of International Business

I have never appreciated my major as much as I do now -- especially since I'd love to be home for the holidays. Here I find myself sitting at a computer 6,000 miles away from home, eating a bowl of Trix with soy milk, and watching "It's a Wonderful Life" in an apartment all decked out for Christmas in a country that only celebrates the holiday because "it's western...and that's cool" -- this is the point at which I begin to love international business.
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(Today, as you can tell, is one of those days where I miss America. And, on those days, I get away from all things "China" and become a hermit with a bowl of cereal in my hands. Don't worry -- I'll be fine tomorrow.)
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But let me further explain...just a little more:
On Saturday, our boss took a few of us to Metro. (This is a Costco of sorts -- a warehouse which sells a wide variety of international items.) There I bought Heinz ketchup, sharp cheddar cheese, Trix, soy milk, French's mustard, butter, spaghetti noodles, and flour. It's like a shopping euphoria -- big aisles, forklifts, American food items, and -- most importantly -- hardly any people. I get tired of people shoving and pushing and yelling in the grocery stores. Metro is one of the quietest places I have found in all of China. All we hear is the soft sound of Western music playing on the speakers high above our heads, above the many levels of warehouse racking (probably up to E level, Dad). We spend 2 hours walking around with big shopping carts trying to find all the little things we can't find anywhere else.
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Coming home is just as fun. The other Americans and I display what's in our bags (which are more like treasure chests full of goodies).
"OH, where did you find that?!"
"I love those!"
"No way!"
"How much did that cost?"
"Can I have some?!"
It's so funny! It's like Christmas morning. We love international business.