As the month of holiday break nears an end, I am almost dreading the next semester starting, going back to the village and maybe having to start from scratch getting used to life there after my month of luxury and convenience in Changsha. I think I'm getting some insight into why the urbanization rate is so high in China and why so few people choose to go back to their rural homes if given a choice... But then again I always dread leaving the village once I'm settled in, so it's like I get to experience the best of both worlds (and I really feel like the countryside and city are two different worlds here!). One of the things I'll really miss is constant access to the massage clinic down the street from the apartment.

In the states I would never consider getting a massage on a regular basis because of the exorbitant costs, but when you can get a 1 hour professional massage for 30 yuan ($3.75), it's a different story! It's funny how an extravagance like a massage can be so affordable for people in China -- it's the same price as getting a mug (shotglass-sized as it is) of coffee or a meal at a fast food joint... Massage parlors seem almost as ubiquitous as restaurants here, and I pass 2 others in the few minutes it takes to walk to "mine." Most of the people I have met there are at least a couple of decades older than me and are there for specific aches and pains. Massage therapy is a common profession for blind people in China, as standard blind schools offer training and certification.

Anyhow, whenever I left the village to spend a weekend in Changsha, I would come to the clinic and get a massage. At first, it was just like any other place, loaded with the same questions about age, marital status, income, and why in the world I was getting a massage if I wasn't old and falling apart, but since I asked for the same massage therapist every time, it became the ideal place to develop a real relationship: 60 minute chunks of time with the same person (Miss Chen) each time so you can build on what you discussed the last time (or snore in appreciation in case of dozing off!), and no people walking down the street gawking from a bus window, and only a few other patients staring, which quickly wears off as the massage does its magic! After awhile, the massage therapists even started answering curious customer's questions for me, which was great, and they always teach me some of the Changsha dialect when I'm there.

Since I've been living in the city throughout the past month, I've popped into the clinic every few days, and earlier this week two other therapists were chiming in while Miss Chen and I chatted, which was apparently about teaching swimming lessons back in the day, and they started cooking up plans to have me teach their kids some English and take them to a pool to teach some basic swimming.

I had been missing having students for so long and hadn't taught swimming for a long time, so I decided 'what the heck,' and yesterday afternoon I brought four rambunctious children (7, 9, 10, and 11) up to the office to play. We made almost no progress on the English side of things, but they loved chattering, running around the place, attacking the guitar, and telling me all about Changsha and their vacations from school. I hadn't thought of English names for them, and they only knew some numbers and names of fruits, so I asked them their favorite fruits, and alas, we have Apple, Banana, Orange, Lemon, and myself, Pear -- I wonder if realize that these aren't quite typical names... haha.

Soonafter delivering them back to the clinic, I got a call from one of their dads asking if I wanted to come for a massage- and it was free! And then the kids wanted to take me out to dinner, so we went to a little Fujian Dumpling place down the street and all chatted over bowls of wonton soup. It was such a hilarious sight - 4 excited kids and a tall laowai (foreigner) joining them in dares to take swigs of the vinegar dip sauce... After having asked about food in America, one of the boys perked up and chimed in "美国打伊拉克，布什总统“ (America attacks Iraq, President Bush...), just like a newsflash from a TV broadcast. After getting over my laughing fit, I mumbled a few words about how peace IS in fact better than war, and they quickly moved on the next pressing topic of their favorite cartoons. This afternoon I entertained again, and I might have managed to squeeze in a few animal names, phrases, and a game of paper-rock-scissors between there rantings and ravings. They are so adorable! And again, I got a call and went over for my free massage! This time they told me not to bother waiting for a call and to just show up whenever I wanted a massage!

It's been really hard to get used to standing out like a sore thumb all the time and being constantly bombarded with requests to teach English to 'so and so.' It can be tiring and seems so utilitarian, so I usually use the first excuse that comes to mind and don't hear from that person again. But now that I think about it, perhaps this barter system isn't so bad after all! Now at the massage clinic, for instance, it seems that everyone knows me when I drop by, and the conversations are much more interesting now that I know their children. One of the therapists said his son (the one I named 'Banana') told him that I was a pretty laowai so he calls me LiangTui(亮腿) now, which is local slang for something along the lines of "beauty" or "hot chick." So not only do I have a familiar place to go and chat, but I also get an incredible ego booster with my new nickgame, albeit coined by someone who can't see me...