Things I Did for the First Time in China.

1. Going to the "Public Bath".
I have heard this from my Korean students but I never thought that they have this place in China. My student's mother invited me to go for a hot shower and I said yes because I felt really cold during the Spring Festival season. I didn't know that we were going to a place where there were about 10-15 women in one room. She can't speak English and I can't speak Chinese so we just communicated using gestures and sometimes silence is the only option. When we arrived at the place she went to the counter and paid but she told the front desk that I'm a foreigner and couldn't speak Chinese. The people around all stared at me so I just look at them and said, "Ni Hao", the only phrase I mastered to say. Then we went to the locker room, the moment I pushed the door opened, all I wanted to do was turned away and run. I was too shocked! I may be old but I have never seen people walking around naked and comfortably applying some lotion and others were drying their hair and getting dressed. I turned around and saw my companion looking at me as if asking what's wrong? So I slowly walked in and put my things inside my locker. My companion motioned to take off my clothes as if I was a child who didn't know what to do. Most shocking for me was inside the bath room, when everyone knew that I am a foreigner they were all surprised and stared at me like I was a specimen inside the microscope. Some couldn't believe it because they thought I was like them. It's an advantage because most of the time no one would notice me unless I would speak. The rest is a history, I congratulated my self for I was able to do it. I came back to the apartment refreshed and I felt that I just conquered something within me.

2. Eating Dog Meat.
I think it was delicious because I kept on thinking that I was eating a chicken meat. Actually, I forgot the taste. First a barbecue then later a steak or I don't know what the name but it looks like a stake. Honestly, I don't like dogs, in fact I am afraid of dogs because my two brothers almost died when they were bitten by a mad dog. Eating their meat doesn't seem to be the perfect revenge and I felt guilty because I see them as pets and many people consider them as best friends. I didn't imagine myself eating someone's best friend but I did it!

3. Riding on the Wrong Bus/Going to the wrong place.
Well, I have to learn to remember bus numbers and of course remember the Chinese character on the bus because one bus numbe like 333 doesn't always go to the same destination, another 333 would go to another part of the city, the only difference is the Chinese character displayed infront. The result is I spent a lot because I had to get back to the city by taxi. Lesson: don't trust numbers too much when you're in China. Learn to distinguish characters even if you don't understand them.

4. Performing.
I sing and played the guitar in front of our college faculty and staff. It's fun singing Chinese song and wearing the traditional Chinese dress called, Chipao.

5. Seeing live snakes at the restaurant.
Some Filipinos from the Northern part also eat snake. I already knew that Chinese people also make them as exotic food. When I entered into a Chinese restaurant I notice some cages beside the aquarium. I was curious so I went closer to see them, wow! different colors and different kinds. They look scary and ready to attack, then I thought what if there would be no other food left except snakes? Would I rather die of hunger or just eat them to survive?