Yoga by the river, goose for dinner and Sherikas birthday.

I reckoned it was about time I did something in return for the kindness that parklady has shown me, so this morning I texted her and asked if she had had breakfast.  I got a photo back, and a message "No need" she said, "I'm by the river doing yoga...Would you like to learn it?".

Of course!  So off I popped, and sure enough there she was doing yoga. She smiled and continued.


However, the woman in the river nearby (in the background of the photo above), washing her chilli's, not a euphemism, didn't look so comfortable with my presence as she had tied her skirt up and was sitting on a plastic bag on a rock in the river, knickers on full display.  For your information Chinese knickers are, so I am told, usually, 'shorts style' knickers, as in the picture, so it wasn't too embarrassing for her!
Anyway I watched for a while, the yoga, not the woman in her knickers, and eventually the yoga ended.  She called her friend over.  Her friend then demonstrated some yoga...She was flexible beyond belief.  They asked me to join I, but kind of gave up after they saw how stiff my movement was.  I couldn't even sit on my heels.  They gave me a few exercises to do to which would hopefully make be a little less stiff over time.  Then parklady had an idea.  I  could do a photo shoot for her and her friend.  I did a few shots, and her friend joined in.....a double photoshoot!  A selection of photos below.

parklady, pose 001

parklady and friend pose 001

parklady and friend pose 002

parklady and friend pose 003

parklady pose 002

 All done, they started to pack away.  I told them I'd treat them to lunch.  I walked off with parkady whilst her friend got on a little electric bike and drove off.  I asked what she wanted to eat, and suggested beef noodles of mutton noodles.  She suggested goose.  It sounded expensive, but I ran with it.  Anyhow we eventually got to a small corner shop that I passed everyday.  This shop is popular with the locals, so I knew it would be cheap! As we arrived, her freind was parking up her electric bik.  We went inside and ordered food whist her friend got some water for each of us.  So three bowls of noodles, with vegetables and goose meat, and two fried eggs cost 34 yuan, which at the time of writing (Sept 2019)is £3.84.  Not bad!  We finished and her friend left us.  Parklady invited me to her house, but I had school work to do so I declined, but suggested to her that I was trying to take Sherika out to a birthday meal this evening and if she wanted she could come too; my treat. She smiled and said "maybe".  I walked home.  On the way I saw the old security guard at the block of flats near the school.  He is always waving to me and shouting "Hello!"...his only English word!  I doubled back on myself and bought two bottles of drink and went to sit with him for while.  We talked simple things.  Then a young woman passed and said hello.  She turned out to be a Chinese teacher from number three middle school.  We exchanged WeChat and she offered to teach me Chinese in return for English lessons.  We have arranged to meet next weekend.  She is going to take me for a drive in her car!
I got back home and started work.  About four  o'clock, Sherika brought me some birthday cake.  I reminded her of the meal tonight and got back to work.  At 4.55 Sherika knocked on my door and said she no longer wanted to go out for a meal.  I reminded her that I had organised for her to meet a friend and that it would make difficulties for me if she decided not to go at this late hour.  She relented, or at least I thought she did.  At 5.30, half an hour late she appeared.  I had warned my friend, parklady, that I might be late.  Fortunately her home was near the restaurant and she wasn't sitting in it waiting.  She was still in her house.  I told her to stay there until we arrived.  Sherika walks slowly.  She laso stopped on several occasions to take photographs, apparently unconcerned that my friend was waiting.  I was starting to get annoyed.  Eventually we got to where I was to meet parklady.  I texted her, no reply, I texted again, no reply.  I was about to text again when she said she was no her way.  She was soon there.  I told Sherika to use the phrase I had taught her and she asked in Chinese "What is your name?"  She got a reply.  Success!
We went to the restaurant.  It was one close to the start of the street that did western style food.  I ordered for her.  She had fried chicken and chips.  This is what she said she liked.


My perspective

parklady's perspective.  I must admit the experience felt more like this picture than the one above!



However, the chips had no salt.  Chips don't come with salt in Jiangkou.  She wanted salt.  I told her to ask.  She didn't want to .  I told her to search out the word on her phone and go to the counter and show it.  She didn't want to. In the end, I took her to the counter and told her to show the word on her phone.  She did and she got salt.  Then she told me that her chicken didn't taste like she wanted it to, and left it.  she now wanted an ice-cream.   I told her they sold ice-cream and she could go to the counter with the word on her phone and get some.  She didn't want to.  I told her I would go with her but she would have to ask herself.  She didn't want to.  She told me that she had seen an ice-cream shop and wanted to go there.  We took her there and ordered for her.  She didn't like the ice-cream.  Meanwhile parklady had invited us both back to her apartment.  I accepted, but Sherika wanted to go home.  I told her to go to the road and take a taxi.  I had taught her how to do this several days ago and she had done it alone several times.  However, tonight, she could not manage it, because she had forgotten the peice of paper with our home address on it.  I had sent her this to her phone a few days ago.  I told her this, but it appears she had 'lost' it.  I sent it to her again, walked with her to a taxi. stopped it for her, told her to show the taxi driver the address, checked she had money and sent her on her way.  I then went back to parklady's house for an hour and watched some TV whilst she caught up on her social media.  I left at about half past eight.  On my way home I stopped at my 'men's tea group' and had a cup of tea and a bit of gossip.  They are all keen to meet Sherika, but Sherika shows no interest.  Last time I introduced her to the shop boss, she refused to drink tea and just wanted to buy a cabbage and go home.

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