Well yesterday after complete silence since Monday, I was astonished to receive a text from Annie. She was going to the square for her lunch and did I want to join her! I didn’t but I was interested to learn why her phone had been off and why she hadn’t told me about cancelling Monday. I suggested if she was free later perhaps we could do what we were supposed to when she was a no-show. She agreed.
We met at three and I asked the questions. She had used all her data and the phone had been cut off, apparently it wasn’t even receiving calls or messages. She is with China Unicom. I found it odd but……….oh, and okey dokey it would seem doesn’t mean “yes” in American!
Personally I think she had other plans - meeting up with Peace Corps volunteers from other schools and her youth saw her unable to actually cancel with me. I have explained that I like honesty.
Then she had a question for me - she was going for dinner later with her host family and they had invited me as well. Having established it would be at a restaurant and not their home, I agreed. There went the Japanese meal! I didn’t want to go to their home as I didn’t wish to offend if I never liked any of the dishes - you can do it with relative impunity among a crowd in a restaurant!
With time to spare we decided to proceed with going to my little campus and show her the Japanese place because of the number of shops there. We got as far as campus and then the meal was brought forward half an hour. Cancel the rest and take a taxi! It was agreed we will have that meal when she returns at the weekend, currently she is climbing mountains with fellow volunteers.
There were two tables with about twenty people. Insistence was made on my taking the guest of honour’s seat (facing the entrance) and luckily Annie took Chinese lessons before coming here, so I had a translator. Her Chinese Mum & Dad are both teachers on Peili campus, certainly he teaches calligraphy, although I think she does too. Present were the two most famous calligraphers in the province and the rest were mature students who the host taught for their hobby.
I had one of the acclaimed artists seated next to me and I am sure it was no accident. Why do I always get the biggest drinkers as companions??!! To make matters worse, for the first time ever, they refused to take no for an answer regarding baiju. To be fair it was an expensive type but it still tasted vile and even now it keeps repeating on me.
No expense was spared in the food department either, as you can see from the pictures
and even though I had been pitted against a formidable opponent in a drinking contest, I enjoyed my evening. I was glad when all the baiju had been drunk. Then I produced my jing jo and the pair of us made short work of it before it was time to leave.
I hailed a cab and made my way home alone while Annie took a bus to stay with other Peace Corps “soldiers”.
An unexpected and pleasant occasion indeed.
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