During the first week of work I had been assisted by my friend, Linda, who was part of the organization which was hired by SSIS to help teachers adjust to living in China. But, Linda had shown more interest in me for some reason. I was somehow different. I still don't understand that being on the inside of me I can't see what she might mean by that. But, she wanted to introduce me to her boyfriend, and another couple who were also curious about this new American teacher.
We made plans to go to the old section of Suzhou early Saturday morning I didn't really know where I was going so Linda had me call her on her cell phone and had me give the cell phone to the taxi driver to direct him to the correct location.
The taxi took me out of SIP (Suzhou Industrial Park where I lived) to the old city of Suzhou, which lay to the west of SIP. There was a distinct difference when I entered this part of the city. SIP was a designed city with well-manicure.
A little about Suzhou, China: Suzhou is nearly 2,500 years old. The old city of which I am speaking was built as a moated city using the river as its source of water for the moat. Generally in the shape of a square or rectangle, the city had a tall wall around it until the second world war when the Japanese forced the Chinese to destroy their own city wall which had the result of angering the Chinese to the point that even in present times there is an animosity that has not dissipated. History of Suzhou / Canals
I was meeting these two couples at the entrance to one of the oldest streets in Suzhou. The street was more of a path than a modern street which was paved with stones in a design. This street had on one side an old canal with gondolas and at intervals were stone bridges which arched the waterway with enough space for these vessels to go beneath.
One of these men had pretty good English and he was the person who told me the history of this street. He also told me about the destruction of the walls of Suzhou by the Japanese. I could see that this was the inside of a story, from the perspective of the Chinese, a story that I had never known. We talked and walked along the canal for quite a while. We passed boutiques, restaurants, and vendors on this bright October day. Finally we came to a restaurant that specialized in Dim Sum where we went inside.
The restaurant was against the canal on one side and was two stories high. It was a very old building with a very steep wooden stairway almost like a ladder, but much sturdier. We sat in a large booth which had open windows, with no glass simply open to the outdoors. I sat by the wall and looked down on passers-by as the food was served. Conversation was centered on me; who I was, where I was from, and other factors of my being American in China. My new friends were very, very curious. They questioned me in their limited English.
After the lunch we went outside and took photos with the canal in the background and a weeping willow tree for a background. They were thrilled and so was I. I had found some wonderful new friends.
We continued our walk down this ancient street and ended our walk at a busy street which also crossed this canal. Later I would discover, on another day, that this particular part of Suzhou is the center of much tourism for Chinese as well as foreigners.
There was a small fruit stand at the street and my friends were quick to ask me what kind of fruit I might like as a parting gift. This was so extravagant of them especially after they had paid for my lunch in the Dim Sum restaurant. But, I was not about to turn down their hospitality. They were very kind.
As we had walked the one male friend had questioned me about what sports that I liked to play. That was a refreshing thought. Perhaps I might get some exercise as well as meeting them....somewhere in the near future.
They hailed a taxi and with my card which said, "Chateau Regency" I was on my way home to my apartment. What a lovely Saturday morning and now afternoon this had been.
We made plans to go to the old section of Suzhou early Saturday morning I didn't really know where I was going so Linda had me call her on her cell phone and had me give the cell phone to the taxi driver to direct him to the correct location.
The taxi took me out of SIP (Suzhou Industrial Park where I lived) to the old city of Suzhou, which lay to the west of SIP. There was a distinct difference when I entered this part of the city. SIP was a designed city with well-manicure.
A little about Suzhou, China: Suzhou is nearly 2,500 years old. The old city of which I am speaking was built as a moated city using the river as its source of water for the moat. Generally in the shape of a square or rectangle, the city had a tall wall around it until the second world war when the Japanese forced the Chinese to destroy their own city wall which had the result of angering the Chinese to the point that even in present times there is an animosity that has not dissipated. History of Suzhou / Canals
I was meeting these two couples at the entrance to one of the oldest streets in Suzhou. The street was more of a path than a modern street which was paved with stones in a design. This street had on one side an old canal with gondolas and at intervals were stone bridges which arched the waterway with enough space for these vessels to go beneath.
One of these men had pretty good English and he was the person who told me the history of this street. He also told me about the destruction of the walls of Suzhou by the Japanese. I could see that this was the inside of a story, from the perspective of the Chinese, a story that I had never known. We talked and walked along the canal for quite a while. We passed boutiques, restaurants, and vendors on this bright October day. Finally we came to a restaurant that specialized in Dim Sum where we went inside.
The restaurant was against the canal on one side and was two stories high. It was a very old building with a very steep wooden stairway almost like a ladder, but much sturdier. We sat in a large booth which had open windows, with no glass simply open to the outdoors. I sat by the wall and looked down on passers-by as the food was served. Conversation was centered on me; who I was, where I was from, and other factors of my being American in China. My new friends were very, very curious. They questioned me in their limited English.
After the lunch we went outside and took photos with the canal in the background and a weeping willow tree for a background. They were thrilled and so was I. I had found some wonderful new friends.
We continued our walk down this ancient street and ended our walk at a busy street which also crossed this canal. Later I would discover, on another day, that this particular part of Suzhou is the center of much tourism for Chinese as well as foreigners.
There was a small fruit stand at the street and my friends were quick to ask me what kind of fruit I might like as a parting gift. This was so extravagant of them especially after they had paid for my lunch in the Dim Sum restaurant. But, I was not about to turn down their hospitality. They were very kind.
As we had walked the one male friend had questioned me about what sports that I liked to play. That was a refreshing thought. Perhaps I might get some exercise as well as meeting them....somewhere in the near future.
They hailed a taxi and with my card which said, "Chateau Regency" I was on my way home to my apartment. What a lovely Saturday morning and now afternoon this had been.
No comments:
Post a Comment
All comments will be reviewed prior to posting