Ground Control to Major Tom

Commencing countdown, engines on, check ignition and may God's love be with you.

Sometimes it feels like I'm on a different planet. I feel so disconnected from everyone and there's nothing I can do. There's a portion in Space Oddity by David Bowie where he sings, "ground control to Major Tom your circuits dead, there's something wrong, Can you hear me Major Tom?" I feel like my circuits dead, it's partially due to distance and partially due to the lack of functional internet combined with the lack of ability to get onto social networks that once allowed me to connect to friends no matter how far away we were from one another.I guess what it all comes down to is I miss you guys!!

This week was rather lack luster. I spend most of my days in class then with my language partner (this "language partnership" has not actually helped me or my Chinese). At night I go down to the cafe called College Perk on the first floor of my dorm and do my homework (and check emails, post a blog if the internet is working). Around 11, 11:30 I make my way up to the 13th floor where I fall fast asleep. Rinse and repeat 5 times. I look forward to the weekends for adventure. Unfortunately, the weekends come and go so quickly it barely seems like a break.

The start of the weekend, Friday, we took two of our Chinese teachers to Hohai and treated them to a rooftop supper, complete with 4 different kinds of huge fish dishes (in China you share everything) and two crates of 30oz beers. Costing us a grand total of 50 RMB each, about $8. We went to Mixs, a dance club, spent the same amount to get into it. Decided 30minutes later it was too crowded and left.

Yesterday (Saturday), we went to the silk market and did some bargaining. I found a nice hand made tea kettle for my Memaw and Pappap and a hand painted scroll for my parents. The scroll may have been my best bargaining deal of the day. The scroll started off at 880 RMB, I told him I had seen a nice hand painted one at Wangfujing for 80yuan. Long story short threatening to go to Wangfujing and trying to leave several times resulted in the reduced price of 110 yuan. I also got myself a pair of chucks for 65yuan ($9). I think this is my favorite part of China. The bargaining and the cheap food. I fear that bargaining can become highly addictive as I found it to be quite a rush. I plan on returning to the Silk Market and finding more souvenirs and well made knock off handbags. Side note about the knock of purses/ wallets: most of knock offs are so convincing because they are actually made by the people who work in the factories, this makes them flawless.

I have my midterm this week so I need to crack down and study now.