Also, cross-checking why the locals smack themselves around when they exercise, found this video showing how to do it. And it specifically mentions that it helps digestion.
And I asked my Chinese teacher about the sticks on the cars, and she said they were for flags (seemingly confirming Betty's hypothesis). I mentioned I hadn't seen a car with the flags being flown and she said it was mainly done around election time. We then got off topic talking about Taiwanese politics and how we missed how they used to get into get into fights during legislature sessions. There are tons of these to be found on YouTube. She said that they have made an effort to curtail these outbreaks as it is an obvious embarrassment to the country, but is such good fun. And I find it so hot that the women are as violent as the men. Am looking forward to the next election cycle when the drivers start showing their party allegiance on their cars and the hilariously violent road rage that ensues. Lucky they don't have liberal gun laws here. Can you imagine the Road Warrioresque violence that would play out on the highways if this was common practice in the States?
I hate to doubt my Chinese teacher's knowledge on these sticks, but take a peek at this example of them.
There is no way to affix a flag to this style of sword, and while they may serve as a flag pole in many cases, there has to be another explanation.
Have I mentioned how great the weather has been here? October through February were splendid (60's-70's), little rain and only two days where I needed long pants. There is a sports park across the street that I'll go for a walk from time to time, and there are track teams that will be practicing there. Yesterday, my iPhone said it was 79 degrees, and I see these kids warming up to practice by doing laps in puffy down jackets and long pants. You can feel the real heat starting to come back with temperatures in the 80's becoming the norm, but with all the griping I did July to September about the merciless heat, needed to give equal time to the good stuff. It also doesn't feel like the air is very polluted, but the locals freak out (and justifiably so) about that nasty Chinese wave of pollution wafting over. Not many places escape some form of bad weather, and since we get to escape here for a couple months in the summer, will consider myself lucky.
Speaking of pollution in China, I'm sure you've seen the news reports of how gawdawful it is in Beijing. Was chatting with one of the moms at school the other day and knew they are moving to the mainland this summer, and of course the first question out of my mouth is wondering how they are going to deal with the pollution? Immediately wanted to take it back as that is like asking a person who works graveyard how they manage to deal with the reversal of the clock?. Answer to both questions? Miserably...thanks for asking. So I apologize to her.
This family is one of the nicer ones that I've met and their leaving highlighted an aspect of this ex-pat lifestyle that I knew was coming, but find it more frustrating than advertised. That is the temporary aspect of most ex-pats existence in their current city. Kind of like Logan's Run, or more recently in the Justin Timberlake movie In Time, you know that the people you meet are going to disappear at some time in the near future. Carolyn has already had two friends leave and it hasn't even been a full year, and this other girl who she is really close with is planning on leaving at the end of the next school year. A couple of the friends I have made are both contemplating going back to the states this summer. I wish I was more like Betty in her ability to make friends with people so fast. She is not around much and goes to school functions rarely, and the other night we went to a thing there that was talking about middle schoolers transition into the high school, and she knows everyone. Starts talking to them like she has known them for years while she really has met them passingly a couple of times. Me? I'm like moss...takes me a while to grow on you, so it sucks bad when I finally get to know a person and then hear that they are hitting the road, kind of bums me out.
Speaking of Justin Timberlake, caught the movie Bad Teacher on HBO the other night and LOVED it. All I knew about it was the terrible reviews, but I found it hilarious and dark from start to finish. Total tour de force from Cameron Diaz, and the antagonist character (Amy Squirrel) was brilliantly done. Great for mindless movie rental night.
Sorry, but your teacher is WRONG again....only the gov't vehicle are doing the flag thing, but you see the stick on normal ppl cars...they are for ppl to judge parking or between car spaces!!!
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