The Latest

China is awesome.

I may be leaving soon. My plans beyond this coming week are not clear. I had an internship locked up which somehow slipped through my grasp at the last moment, and now I don't have anything. But I don't really want to come home, this place is too good.

I spent the last week in Guiyang with Joker. The first night we went to a club called Pink, met some girls, talked to the manager, and the two of us danced and sang on stage with mics to "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi. As soon as I hopped off the stage I had more girl friends and lip kisses and free boos.

The next day I drove Joker's Mom's car on the Chinese highway and ate dog meat for the first time. I went clubbing without Joker another night and met a bunch of just-graduated policemen and an entourage of their beautiful women, who were so fascinated by me that they pulled me to another club to meet some of their other friends for more free drinks.

I hit up Joy, a friend of Lisa's, the girl from Beijing, one night, and she came out with us and introduced me and Joker to four very sexy nurses, who then spent the night at Joker's house playing word games with us. We went with Joker's big brother, and some of his friends for barbecue in the woods somewhere, got to ride a pony around the area, and played sichuan-style Mahjong. Guiyang, in short, is one of my favorite places in the world.

After a 30 hour train-ride back to Shanghai, I find myself back in my apartment with Brett. Joker is back too, though he flew in by plane, and is only here for three days or so, whereas an interminable expanse of no-plans stretches before me. I think I would be bored to return home. I don't live in a city, and Boston surely can't compete with the lights of Shanghai, nor Guiyang which has the advantage of gorgeous women. Even if it could, it would be far more expensive, and less fascinating at every step as China is.

As things stand now, I am in Shanghai looking for work to keep me occupied for at least another month or so. An internship would be great, and for a worthwhile one I would gladly stay the whole summer and give up any chance of visiting Rome this year, or seeing my high school friends. On the other hand, that is seeming not so likely as time is quickly passing. My roommate started his internship the same day I had my interview with Pricoa, on May 17th, which will soon have been a month ago. While he is three weeks in, I sat around doing nothing, and finally decided to visit Joker in Guiyang for 10 days.

So what are other possibilities? I have an apartment with Brett until July 17th. That's long enough that I need some kind of structure if I am to stay here, rather than return home on Jun 17th, as my current flight ticket home specifies. One thing I am considering is teaching English somewhere. That would be especially good if it were for people more my age, so I could make friends, but I would also teach kids, or whatever comes my way. I could do volunteer work, and I plan on meeting an old restaurant boss friend to see if he will teach me to cook Chinese style. Finally, the new term at caijingdaxue, my old school, has already begun for the summer, with new American students, and me, Brett, Dan, and Jose, who remain in Shanghai, will meet with them this weekend, so I should have some new people to go out with after this weekend.

Anyway, that's the update from Shanghai. Looking for work, having a good time. Part of me misses home.
Hugs to everyone!

-Nick