Shenzhen Part 2

Diadra and I went out today. We were going to check out the zoo that’s close to our area, so we got up fairly early and headed out to the bus stop that would take us closer to the zoo.

We couldn’t find the bus stop.

But it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Diadra had a good idea of where it was, so we went to that one first. After some time, we asked a man near the place whether were at the right one. He said we had to go to one further down the road. So, we asked a policeman, who confirmed what the man had said. We went to the suggested one, and once there was asked a very smug gentlemen who sounded like a freaking alien (or Lil’ Wayne) were we at the right stop, but he told us that such a bus didn’t come by that area (he then followed up by asking me where I was from…like every person in the damn world). We went back to the first one, and after about 20 minutes of waiting for the bus that’s supposed to come every 20 minutes (like the P2P), we gave up.

There was a park/conference center near the bus stop, so we took pictures in front of a man with a hammer, then bought an Ethernet multi-port for Diadra’s house (fun in Chinese), then went shopping for groceries and other lovely necessities. We ate lunch at a big ass ritzy coffee shop in the neighborhood and ate a stew of cabbage, tofu strings, mushrooms, and other goodness from the earth. Diadra had a taro drink, which came out in a pleasant shade of lilac. After that, we came back and rested up for dinner. Naps were to be had by all. Dinner was at a shop near her apartment, and by that time my insides were back to normal (thanks Korea~!) and I could enjoy the excellent service and big ass bottle of Tsingtao. Pleasant conversation, Hong Kong television, and this bomb-ass soap called 情锁 (Love on Lock?) where I learned how to refer to a man a generation my senior, or as Diadra put it, “the man who your mom is screwing” （叔叔）all in one evening.

So, a lazy day after a week of headaches and heartbreak. This is what vacationing is all about. We would be preparing for Hong Kong today, but Daegan has a case of the hibbie-jibbies or something, so she and Ben cannot make the flight down here from Shanghai (poor thing). No biggie—today, Diadra and I are going to find the bus stop to get to Hong Kong, without our luggage in tow, so we won’t have the Bus Stop Blues. Hong Kong tomorrow come hell or high water.

Apparently, in this little section of Shenzhen where nothing happens, I really stand out. What’s really cute is that around here is that at the elementary school where Diadra teachers they have English classes, so every time I see a group of children, they say “Hello~!”…and nothing else. Or, like the ones at the restaurant last night, they say, “Hello! How are you? I’m fine, thank you! Bye-bye” which is adorable when you’re not trying to eat, and when they say it once or twice, not 27 times. But, it’s even cuter when they follow up with “哇！他那么黑啊!” (Wow, he’s so black~!). Kids in my city, Xiamen, can’t say shit, and kids in America can barely speak English, so I’m proud of this little hellions and they’re burgeoning multi-culturalism, and the fact they find me neat as opposed to averting me.