A Rafting Play

 

The Setting

 

 

 

The Props

 

 

 

The Cast

 

 

 

Supporting Cast

 

 

 

The Plot

 

 

 

The End (of the river and of our play)

 

Happy birthday to me!

The Color Run

After a month of contacting different friends, I finally convinced one, a Russian named Stazia, to join me for Shenyang's Color Run in early July. We took the high-speed train early in the morning and found ourselves part of the thousands congregating to a park in southern Shenyang.

 

 

 

All pristine white--ready to get dirty!

 

 

Stazia and I at the starting line

 

 

 

 

Interspersed throughout the 5k course are "color stations" where we all get together to throw color in each other's faces and roll around the street in the name of fun. 

 

Blue color station

 

Orange color station

 

 

Yellow color station

 

 

Pink color station (our favorite!)

 

 

Slowly camouflaging myself

 

 

 

 

The course was designed around a large lake. From the street I could see people running through water coming from gigantic fountain heads. After our pink foray, Stazia and I went down to cool off.

 

 

Taking a yoga break before going back to the pink station

 

 

Pink eye

 

 

A group of guys blasted me in the eye with a packet of pink powder! Stazia gasped and they threw powder right in her face, too. As we each doubled over trying to get the powder out of our eyes and mouths, the guys asked us repeatedly, "Can we take a picture with you?.....No problem, right?....So, can we take a picture together?"

 

Finish Line

 

 

Stazia, who got blasted every 10 meters thanks to her height, finally found someone taller than her. He was so sweet, too, requesting a picture.

 

Class at Jingyuetan

Every spring semester my supervisor, Wang Laoshi, holds a seminar-style class for his PhD and Masters students. For our last class he planned a picnic to Changchun's Jingyuetan, a large man-made forest and reservoir just outside the city. It was my first time to the park and, albeit the pictures don't show it, I was excited for the outing.

 

 

 

 

While waiting for everyone to arrive at the meeting point, Wang Laoshi took out his camera. I could see him pointing it in my direction, so I turned away awkwardly. Really, the following pictures are not my best, but I felt embarrassed at having the camera pointing at me and not knowing how much he had zoomed in on my face.

 

 

Our picnic location in a meadow overlooking the lake.

 

The women lagged behind, with each step lamenting their quickly dirtying shoes.

 

 

As per some unspoken rule of Chinese picnics, there had to be a tent.

 

 

No one had called or texted me...just avoiding the camera again.

 

 

 

Wang Laoshi's idea of a picnic is to hold regular class with each person giving a short presentation on some aspect of the reading from the semester. Not surprising, I was chosen to read mine first. Oh, the expressions of my avid followers!

 

 

"Ting de dong ma?"

 

 

Can they even understand what I'm saying??

 

 

The tent stands alone, the tent stands alone, hi-ho-the-dairy-o...

 

 

 

Wang Laoshi handed off the camera

 

 

I'm not sure what I wrote after all.

 

 

Attentive much?

 

 

 

 

I just had a feeling I was unnecessarily included in some photos.

 

 

 

Quite to my surprise, one of our department's secretaries showed up to get some papers signed. I wonder if he had to pay the entrance fee for the ten minutes he was in the park. He took our signature group photo, had one piece of chicken, and left.

 

 

The glory of my day: being the only one to enter The Tent with my half-eaten cucumber.

 

 

Aha! The picture we have all been waiting for. Wang Laoshi and I--minus the cucumber, which a classmate graciously offered to hold for me. After eating I proposed some games. Eventually I suggested "Do You Love Your Neighbor?" and we ended up playing that for the better part of an hour. Whenever someone lost they had to eat something as punishment. Once all the cherries and strawberries were gone, the women moved on to tomatoes. One girl ended up eating at least two as her "punishment."

 

 

 

Not a clue.

 

I'm it!

I made a few friends, got a sunburn as well as class credit, taught one of my favorite games to a new group of people, and hung out in nature all day. As my student says religiously, "Class Over!"