The Rumble Pack

Starting on Sunday, I will be concluding my China experience with trips to Xian and Shanghai before flying back to the States at the end of next week. Since I’ll be going dark for the next week or so, I thought I’d post some pictures from a recent trip to Shijiazhuang’s Hanging Temple and a subsequent farewell dinner at the restaurant across the street from my apartment.

Fans of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon may be familiar with this temple…

It was featured very prominently towards the end of the film and is suspended between a canyon. You’d be hard pressed to find a more beautiful sight in this province.

Here I am with my friends Blake and Cynthia. This is the spot in which Ziyi Zhang’s character takes her final leap into the foggy abyss.

An overgrown hamster…

(not shown: amused bystanders pointing at the silly foreigner)

Some of the Hutchin “TT’s” (AKA teaching assistants)

From Right to Left: Sunshine, Nancy, Kim, Ashley, & Lemon

On the left here is my good friend and fellow teacher Grace.

More of my peers…

From Right to Left: Puru, Alain, ME, Levi, and Blake

Big thanks to Oliver, our intrepid photographer for the evening.

You know you’ve done something well when your students are giving you a pair of nunchucks as a going away present.

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Shijiazhuang for nine months. I think back to the first lonely evening in which even buying a pouch of milk was an arduous challenge. Despite my “Asian Studies” minor and two semesters of Chinese, I had a tenuous grasp on the language and little familiarity of the culture upon my arrival. Now, I can converse with street vendors and taxi drivers with relative ease. If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ve no doubt put up with a great deal of whining about the conditions here and my bewilderment regarding some of the customs, but even as I pass by the fetid sewer vents and endless piles of rubble, I realize that I’m still going to miss this place after my departure.

*Just a few more random thoughts*

-Be sure to check out Human Giant on MTV. I can’t believe I’m plugging an MTV show, but then again, I can’t believe that they’re airing the best sketch comedy program since Mr. Show. With Youtube out of reach, I had been forced to turn to sites like Funny or Die as alternatives. That’s where I accidentally stumbled upon this twisted comedy gem. With sketches like “Lunar-tics” and “Gas Guzzlers,” Aziz, Rob, and Paul have cemented themselves in the annals of Justin’s favorite comedy right alongside Bob and David. A lofty claim? See for youself.

- During my nine month absence, I missed out on The Best Year Ever for video games. At least, it seems that way when my only exposure to games like Mass Effect and GTA IV is through video clips and glowing reviews. If you could pick 5 360/PS3 games from Fall ‘07 to Spring ‘08, which ones do you think would be the absolute essentials? I’ll certainly be picking up more than that, but I’m curious to know where our listeners think I should start.

- Tibet, torch relays, and the connection between Beijing ‘o8 and politics are all on my mind, even if I’m not discussing these issues at the moment. We’ll save that for when I touch down in America.