"It's been one week since you laughed at me..."

What should have been a weekend of relaxation and rejuvenation...was exactly that. I had a gloriously lazy time at the Cape in the little town of Wellfleet, MA, where I read, slept, and ate Boston fruit slices and chocolate Neccos like a total kid while shooting every breeze with my beloved HMM. Her mother is an incredible chef, and I realized that it was no coincidence that HMM and I met at the IFC--Saturday night dinner at home was ten times better than the food at the place we went on Friday night, a campy seafood shack that was good but had nothing on the rosemary swordfish with arugula and parmesan and the roma tomato salad.

I didn't realize how little I've been giving into myself these days. Even if I haven't been pushing myself to the absolute brink at work, I haven't exactly been easy on myself. It was a real treat to get away, even if the "Boston Fast Ferry" to Provincetown is absolute robbery when it comes to ticket prices (near 50 dollars one way, 85 round trip).

Because I was curious what I was doing in my most recent summer of self-abuse (read: Middlebury's Chinese Language School, Summer 2010), I went through the email chain I'd sent over that summer to a select group of friends and found this gem. Now, I share the gem with the world.

"Erica-Chinese Children interaction #5 (translated from Chinese):

Erica sits with Li lao shi (Teacher Li) and watches the Chubby Chinese Child (hereafter, CCC) eat his food. He does so in a way that makes Erica crack up to the point at which she nearly falls off of her chair. Li lao shi, not really registering what is so funny, starts laughing because Erica has just gone crazy, be it from heat or the circumstance.

The thing is, CCC is lifting the food up into the air and then dropping it in his mouth. While doing this, he looks like one of those whales at Seaworld with the baleen thing going on, like trying to suck the food in through his teeth. I stand up and ready my cell phone so I can take a picture.

Erica: Can I take a picture of you?

CCC: No (giggles and runs away)

Later, CCC and Dubao, the daughter of another professor, the little girl of whom I sent adorable pictures last week, start going around with chopsticks and poking one of the professors' backs. Here I try to sneakily take a picture while going up for some soda water. It is good, but I can do better. I sit down and wait for my moment.

CCC returns to the table after weaving his way through the lunch tables and playing tag with Dubao. No, the cafeteria is not a good place for these types of activities. Still, he returns in one piece.

Erica asks again, "May I please take a picture of you?"

CCC holds a pair of chopsticks threateningly in a throw position up by his ears. I laugh.

Erica: Really? Come on. (Holds up phone.)

CCC throws a chopstick at my neck. Hard. I didn't know force could actually be put behind something like that. I was almost impressed, especially because this kid doesn't look like an athlete, if you know what I mean. 

His parents didn't know whether to laugh or be horrified. I didn't know whether to laugh or to be angry. I was kind of thankful that he didn't poke my eye out or somehow give me a really awkward splinter.

Needless to say, this is not over. I still have time to 交朋友."