"Xin Nian Kuai Le"

You guessed it. The first post of 2010 begins appropriately with "Happy New Year" in Chinese. I really wanted to get as much mileage as I could out of the phrase, since I made sure to learn it but won't get another opportunity to use it for at least a year. The first couple of times I heard it, I thought people were saying "qu nian kuai le," which I then repeated to a few Chinese before actually thinking about it and realizing I was wishing everyone a "happy last year." Though not a very good example, this is a reminder of a particular feature of the Chinese language that gives so many people trouble, that a lot of words sound very similar, especially in certain dialects. In most of southern China, it's hard to hear the difference between four and ten. But the really interesting quirk is that even the exact same syllable, spoken with a different inflection, will have many vastly different meanings. We have this kind of thing in English, where emphasis totally changes the meaning of a word, but spoken Chinese is rife with it. Here's a well-known Chinese tongue twister:

妈妈骑马,马慢,妈妈骂马
"mā mā qí mǎ, mǎ màn, mā mā mà mǎ."
Mother rides a horse; the horse is slow; mother scolds the horse.

Anyway, I really didn't want this to turn into a language lesson, so, on to other things. I have a lot of pictures I've been meaning to post. I think I'll start with some stolen pictures of that trip to the villa I mentioned so long ago. Firstly, living in the building with me are several other foreigners around my age, including a guy from northern England, a girl from the London area, and a Welshman. The girl, Jemima, befriended one of her students, who then invited all of us to a function at a brand new gated community just south of the city. Now, we didn't really know what we would be doing there, but we did know that the only reason we were invited was because we were white. This was fine with us.

1. The girls riding in the van. 2. Looking at scale models.

Upon arrival, we were taken to what I think was the clubhouse for the golf course, and then to the indoor/outdoor driving range, which was totally surreal, because I had no idea there was a golf course anywhere near here. Imagine a row of AstroTurf mats with really well-furnished living rooms directly adjacent, and that's the range. In between hitting balls, we sipped coffee and tea from cups and saucers, smiling wide for the benefit of the camera crew following close behind. It was weird.

1. (L to R): Jemima, Rob, and I on the range. 2. (R to L): Jem, Rob, Wil, Jessi, and I.

Since I was the only one who even remotely knew how to hit a golf ball, I was asked to play a hole with the owner of the entire villa. I then found that this actually meant playing a hole by myself while the owner, caddy, cameraman, and coterie of foreigners looked on. Being a little nervous, I made bogey. The really important thing, though, is that I didn't embarrass myself. Then we took a ride around the neighborhood in a golf cart piloted by Jemima, who had to be reminded that they drive on the right side in China.

1. Exterior. 2. Wil in the dining room. 3. Cori in the kitchen. 4. Jessi in the bedroom.

I don't know much about architecture, but to give you a sense of the style, the place was called Napa Valley, and it came complete with palm trees and "American-style" interiors. Now, in America, these would be some damn nice homes. But in a city like Wuhan, they were so far out of reach for everyone here as to seem absurd. And things only got stranger as we were escorted through one of the models to the backyard pool/grilling area. Then, we were handed a lot of meat, vegetables, and spices and told to have a barbecue for ourselves. So we did. And it was good.

1. Wil poolside. 2. Wil at the grill (plus Rob). 3. Preparing potatoes. 4. About to eat.

(Not pictured: Steffi, Jemima's student.)

After many a free beer and kabob, it was time to leave. At that point it was dark and pretty chilly outside. With the help of Jemima's student, we thanked the big-wig Chinese businessman, whose exact background still remains a mystery to us, and piled in the van. I still don't know exactly what to make of it all, just that it was one of the strangest and most enjoyable days I've had in Wuhan, and there's a pretty good chance I was on a local TV channel afterward, hitting a chip shot.