Calligraphy, dinner at the undertakers, a street meeting and a warming box.

Yesterday, the today of this writing, I had a lazy day (again).  I got up late and made my own breakfast, then decided to go to town to eat.  I then went for a wander because it is Spring Break, everyone is somewhere else, and with no school it gets a bit lonely...even I need to meet people occasionally!  No sooner had I started to walk around then Wan Yi rang me.  I am not sure why because we don't understand each other!  However, I asked him where he was and he told me he was at the library and invited me over.  Why not!?  He, and a few friends erdoing some calligraphy on what looked like red new year banners. 

Wan Yi

Previously completed banners and the calligraphy teacher

Previously completed banners, and left to right: One of Wan Yi's friends and the calligraphy teacher.

This time I wasn't asked to participate, not a surprise really as this looked fairly official, however he managed to harass a passing child into making me some tea!

Right to left:Me, sorry about the hat, one of my year one pupils, Julie and two of her friends.  The girl in black gohe teamaker's job!

It turned out that he passing child's sister was best friends with one of my year one pupils whose English name is Julie.   So I sat around and drank tea talked to the kids and occasionally speaking, with help from the kids, with Wan Yi.  The kids asked me a bout life in England and what jobs I had done.  I showed them a few pictures from my early days, and whilst I was showing them a picture of me as a police officer, Wan Yi wandered over.  Then it all got a bit surreal!  He is ex-army and wanted to know about how the British march.  It is quite different to the way the Chinese march.  I showed him, then we messed around a bit! I think that the video says it all!

After this Wan Yi was on a roll!  He wanted me to sing and play music.  I managed a tune on the harmonica, and then I played a Chinese song and the kids and the others present joined in.  I don't have that video but I do have this one.

After this one Wan Yi set up his friends for a photoshoot with the foreigner.

 I hung a round a while, around I went to use the loo.  Chinese loos are at the best of times strange and usually filthy.  This one was not bad except that it had two squatters next to each other without and form of dividing wall.  That is a first for me!  I'm not sure how comfortable I would be squatting for number twos besides a friend, let alone a stranger!

I headed through the park.  Something caught my eye.  In the midst of this small town the renters of electric vehicles for children were sitting by their machines.  It was a cold day.  They had lit a fire!  It was in a small metal pan stoked with wood and twigs, presumably from nearby trees!  It looked so out of place!

After that I went to the shops and bought some supplies.  Just as a side note, eggs can be bought in boxes, but it is usual to buy them loose in a bag and buy them by weight!  I bought both!  I headed home.  On the way past the undertakers, I was waved in.  Had I eaten?  No.  I was then given a big bowl of noodles. Such kind people!

The undertaker is centre picture and family and friends are around, my noodles are centre stage!  The undertaker's wife was outside dancing on her own to huge music!  Eventually I got home and unpacked my bags.  No sooner had I got my feet up that feet up than I got a text from Jie. The usual "What are you doing?".  I wasn't really doing anything.  "Come out and play!  I'll wait for you!".  As I've explained before, the word 'play' just means hang out with.  IN five minutes I was sitting at a warming table.  This one was heated by charcoal.

My left leg, right of screen, and a shot under the table to the charcoal that heated the table

We sat round for a while and I decided to take a photo, but everyone, except one guy ran out of shot!

Much clearer was the view opposite to the street kitchen

On the left are the vegetables, then comes the meat, two trays of spiced chicken etc, then the boiling pot, the the tofu.  The green sign in the middle is the WeChat  QR code of the vendor which you scan to pay for your purchases.  We talked a while and introduced to various people.  Suddenly Jie jumped up and with the lady who had been sitting to my right headed off, calling me.  I followed.  They were going to the other lady's house.  We went up some dark stairs to a dark corridor and eventually entered a lovely flat.  Shoes left outside.  I was given slippers...and they were warm and they fitted!  I could do with a pair of those for around my flat!  As I entered the room, I saw it.  A heating box!  I've never been invited to use one before.  Jie Plugged it in and ran to one end, jumped in and pulled a duvet over her legs.

Jie in the heating box

 I was invited to sit on the sofa and put my feet in!  I pulled a duvet over my legs and put my hands under it.  It was wonderfully warm!

The duvet being pulled back so I could use the heating box.

The heating box, which I discussed in an earlier post, is a wooden box, which is about 2ft (60cm) tall and about 6ft (1.8 mtrs) long, which looks much like a rectangular coffin. It has an electric plug and thermostat.  It can be used in several ways.  You can sit in it, you can lie in it, or you can do a mixture of those.  They are needed because central heating is not allowed in this area, so inside is no warmer than outside!  You can heat your house with the air conditioning, but I guess that is expensive.  This is really cheap and very social!

Jie and the woman whose house it was.  Not a very flattering photo of her, but I have to sneak these photos because sometimes people are not keen on being photographed.

 I was then given a selection of sugar cane, oranges, water chestnuts, sweet chestnuts and sweets.  Fortunately it was not my first time to eat sugar cane.  It looks like a two inch thick piece of bamboo.  This particular piece was about seven inches long, and the outer 'bark' had not been completely stripped.  I was given a plastic bag.  I peeled off the outer bark with my teeth and pat it into the plastic bag.  No one looked twice, that is what you do.  I then bit pieces off he inner core and chewed them to get a sugary taste.  It was a soft woody consistency, much like liquorice root.  Once the sugary taste had gone I spat out the remains into the plastic bag!  The only thing I was snot familiar with , but recognised, was the water chestnuts.  I guessed that they were water chestnuts because I knew that they were around and I had been given them before.   Also, I had eaten them in England.  However I had never seen them in their 'shells'.  Now I know why the strange white things are called chestnuts.  Their outer 'shell' looks like a chestnut!  However, I wasn't quite sure what to do with them.  I looked at Jie and gave a puzzled expression.  She demonstrated.  Monkey see monkey do!
They chatted on in dialect of which I understood almost next to nothing.  I played with the grandson/granddaughter (?) who had great fun sticking his/her lollipop stick into the balloons I provided.

Trying to pop the balloons with a lolly stick!  No fear!  He/She is a confident and very intelligent two year old

At some stage the woman's daughter arrived and squatted down in front of the heating box near the bin with a length of sugar cane.  She demolished it in the same way as I did.  I was relieved that I had got it right!  Then a guy came in.  It was really hard to tell whose husband he was!  However he did not bat an eyelid when he saw the strange foreigner on the sofa, with his feet in the heating box.  He just changed his shoes, popped off into another room and came back with some baijiu ( a clear white alcoholic spirit)  He offered me some, but I refused politely.  He then disappeared again and came back with some huangjiu, a whisky coloured alcoholic spirit.  Again I refused and told him that I did not drink.  Jie explained in detail.  He was not offended.  He then offered me noodles!  I told him that I had eaten my fill of noodles at the undertaker's.  He laughed.  Got himself some noodles and sat down to eat.  After her sugar cane, the daughter came and joined us all in the heating box.  We chatted a while and Jie indicated that it was time to go.  We went.  I took a photo of the street below from the stairwell window.  It was in full swing now...people stay up late in Spring break!

We got to the street and I said goodnight to Jie and headed home.  Another interesting day, and my first experience of a heating box!  Apparently I am invited that day after tomorrow to go and buy some beef with the family, but I am not quite sure of the details!