After only a couple hours of sleep, I woke to accompany Ryoko to the airport. CH picked us up around 0630AM. So early in the morning, and with our destination being the airport, I was able to experience just how intense the traffic can be in this city of 12M. After seeing Ryoko off and returning to the apartment, I showered and laid down for a rest.

Feng Yao Feng picked me up for lunch and the two of us headed to a local spot across the street. We ordered fish and got the WHOLE fish. He was surprised, as was I. Having already eaten, he just took a few bites. We got the leftovers to go. His new pants got ripped on a nail sticking out of the wooden table we were sitting at. The waitress shrugged it off. We headed to the company and I got on email for the first time in what seemed like forever. I had taken so many pictures than needed to be uploaded, so I tried sending them to Paul. The files were so large that i could not complete the task by close of business, so Eva was kind enough to send them on my behalf the next day.

From the company, Qi Yu guided me to Li Yan’s office and took us to Sydney Coffee. We chatted over tea, ice cream, and pizza. When I wanted to ask for a menu, she assured me that the English word “menu” would be understood. So, without hesitation, I said, “Fu yen (waitress) Menu.” But the waitress just nodded and stared emptily at me. Why? Well, because she thought I said “Mei Nu” (beautiful woman), a term commonly used to call the attention of a woman whose name you do not know.

After eating, we went for a walk and Li Yan lead me to a towering statue of Chairman Mao holding out one hand with the other positioned behind his back. As Eva explained last week, locals joke that the Chairman is flagging down a taxi. Qi Yu also explained another version of the story: the Chairman proposed that all young men live in the countryside for 10 years (both hands held out), but after his belt broke and he was forced to reach behind to hold up his trousers, the policy became 5 years (one hand held out). I was feeling Chairman-esque, so when it came to to find a taxi, I did my best to mimic his pose.