Electronic Blur

Today I found myself hanging out with a student of mine...an 18 year old guy whose English name is Edwin. He speaks great English, and offered to help me in my quest to find a cheap laptop here in China. I figured that this was a great offer since he speaks Chinese and English, claimed to know some things about computers, and seemed to know his way around Shenyang well enough to get us to the right stores. Turns out, I was only right about the first part.

First, he insists on taking a cab since the buses are crowded (talk about some weird role reversal...I am telling him over and over that we should just take the bus and he is trying to persuade me to take a cab). Finally, after waiting for about 20 minutes for a cab that never comes (hundreds passed by but were too full to stop), he gives in and we start walking to the bus stop. It is at this moment that he tells me he has no idea what bus to take or where to get off or how to find the right stores.

To make a long, boring story short, I get us on the right bus, find the right stop, and somehow find the right road which neither of us have been to before. We wander through a bunch of electronic stores and look at a lot of laptops, but it turned out to just be a big waste of time (although a fun and interesting one). Patience is a virtue here in China, and it seems to always be best to just go with the flow and not complain.

Now I find myself even more confused then before though....do I buy a laptop (which, by the way, are not much cheaper than buying in the states), or do I save my money and spend it on much more exciting things (traveling).

I know keeping in touch with people and having access to the internet is important, but I can't justify spending close to $400 (US) on a piece of technology that I will have to lug around for the next 9 months (haha sounds as bad as having a baby). Plus, my roommates are cool about letting me use their laptops, and there are some computers at school that I can use. But, after my 6 month teaching contract is up, I'm on my own...with no laptop. I don't know what to do!

In other news, the spring festival is just around the corner here in China, and even now, as I'm sitting here writing this, I can hear fireworks outside. I can't wait to experience this important festival, and I am hoping to be able to spend the Chinese New Year with a Chinese family so I can see how it is really celebrated. I don't have set plans yet, but it's still a week away. In Chinese time, that's forever.

I'll write more soon -- I miss and love you all.