Xiamen--oh, yea!

I spend my days anxiously anticipating when I will return to the states--December 13th, just shy of midnight.

I've been busy the last few days. I have midterms all this week, followed by group projects and papers. I feel like I've made the wrong choice--kids who go to Spain to study get to play an entire semester, but if you come to Asia, you come to work. I guess it's their way of punishing the foreign devils.

I've been out to some of the bars here that cater to a particular sort of clientèle, namely the old man gay bar and the sauna. It's all for research purposes as I'm writing a paper about how gay men socialize in a city that lacks the openness (surprisingly) of the capitol city of Beijing. I've talked to some interesting characters, particularly a man named Wen who's spent the last few years working in Britain and, although originally from here, finds the lifestyle of England more open than here in Xiamen. He attacked me in the bar since, obviously, I'm not Chinese, and introduced me to a cast of characters who I feel will provide good information for my project. I've talked to old married gay men, younger men in search of love, prostitutes, and a very wide assortment of Chinese gay men. I'm sad that it's taken me this long to get into this group of people as I could've written my paper ages ago, and had fun at that.

The story of the sauna deserves an entry of its own. I'll have one in a day or two.

Amber...sorry for the wait.

Take care, and cop Beyonce's album. I have Britney's two weeks early (thanks to lovebscott.com). You're sure to enjoy it.

Cheers--