It's been almost 2 weeks since the semester ended and I came to the city. If things had gone as planned, I would be in Guizhou at my friend's house spending the holidays with her family, but with the Spring Festival rush, I couldn't even get a standing ticket on the trains, so I've been in Changsha the whole time instead. At first I hated the idea of spending time in the city because it seems like this huge impersonal, polluted, noisy blob, where the village is familiar, layed-back, has clean air, and the noises consist of dogs barking and cockadoodle-doos....

But after a conversation with Wuna's brother (I am living in his extra apartment/ office while in the city) the other day, I realized that I've really gotten the hang of living in the city. He was asking why in the world I wasn't using this time to get out and see some sites in the surrounding provinces, but after telling him how I've been keeping myself entertained and enjoying my freedom, he exclaimed, "DingNa (my Chinese name)! You're really in your element here in the city!" Actually he said I was like a fish that got water (如鱼得水), but I'm assuming that's what it means...

At that moment, I big thought bubble appeared above my head as I pondered how I've become a fish who got its water...

First of all, I'm learning to function on my own in the city and am keeping myself completely entertained without watching DVDs all day.
* I got over my fear of calling 114 (information). They're the best thing since sliced bread!
* I know all the streets in the area and tried all sorts of shortcuts to find the fastest route to the discount bookstore，Dingwangtai 定王台
* I opened my own bank account!
* I finally found some friends in the city
* I have developed a sophisticated radar system that leads me to all of the street vendors with crockpots full of corn on the cob! :)

Second of all, I get all sorts of favors without even asking, and people seem to like to pamper me because I'm their own local "laowai" (foreigner).
* A restaurant owner down the street gave me an open invitation to eat for free, and it's all really great Hunanese food! I even got to go to the restaurant employee party last night! I just play with her son and teach him some English in exchange.
* The DVD rental store lets me rent anything free of charge (not that the charge is that much in the first place...) whenever I want to!
* The woman at the bakery likes to give me free bread sometimes.
* When I went to see the Terra Cotta Warrior exhibit at the Hunan Provincial Museum, the volunteer guides wanted me to help them translate for a Swedish tourist, and after stumbling through (I didn't know what half the stuff was that I was supposed to be explaining... He probably figured out a lot more just by looking than by what I tried to say), we chatted for like an hour until after hours, and with a little coaxing, they offered free admission to all 22 of my students! (now the problem is arranging a cheap way to get to the city for them)

Third, I've become a little more comfortable with the concept of making "connections" (la guanxi 拉关系) and taking NOTHING for face value. For example:
* I was buying a bottle of wine at the Carrefour supermarket yesterday and wouldn't quit bothering the cashier until she threw in a corkscrew for free.
* When I went swimming the other day, I forgot my goggles and they wanted to sell a pair, but I went on and on about how I didn't have money for new goggles and they should be polite and lend me a pair, which they finally did (probably just to get me to shut up!)
* I never accept the first price at the DVD store where I'm a regular. It's completely ridiculous because I can get a perfectly fine (usually) DVD for less than $1 USD, but I haggle and haggle until he at least brings the total price down a few yuan... cheap thrills, I guess. Anyone ever seen the "haggling" seen on Monty Python's "Life of Bryan?"
* A bookstall owner at Dingwangtai had never heard of the book I wanted. I said, "but that's impossible! I called 114 and got the publisher's number and found out that it's your company that makes it!!" I proceeded to grab the catelogue and wala (sp?)! The book has been ordered and ready to pick up! (watch out! Now I'll be armed with linguistic research book about the local dialect. Wow, I'm a geek!)

Anyways, I guess whenever I feel out of place or make a silly cultural/language blooper (which is pretty much all day every day), I can chant these words to myself over and over. "fish in water, fish in water, fish in water...."