Yesterday Guo said that our class would go over to Samson's house and watch the torch news coverage, and the kids were pretty excited. We went over just before 10am to watch it on Samson's big projection TV. Turns out Samson's mom couldn't figure out her expensive electronic equipment, and didn't even know how to change the TV channels. Plus, the projector wasn't working right so the colour was terrible and unwatchable.
For 45 minutes they fooled around with all the remotes and finally got it figured out. By then it was way past 10, but that was OK because coverage didn't start until 11. When 11 came around it still wasn't on, so we waited another half hour before calling it quits and heading back to school. We didn't end up seeing the torch after all.
It was a bit frustrating for me, but I didn't care a whole lot because it was cutting into my teaching time, and the less I have to teach the better. However, the whole experience was like when your prof at university can't figure the AV out and it just makes you want to leave!
The kids didn't seem to mind either, because they got to play with all of Samson's toys for an hour and a half, and he has lots of them. I just played with them and ate apple slices.
Yesterday I went out and found this guy doing brisk business selling Relay shirts and flags in preparation for today's big event.
Today after school I went downtown, without even thinking about today's torch event. There were people everywhere! Here are some pictures I took of everyone trying to make it home after the relay ended.
When I saw the bus stop and all the people waiting for busses, I knew I'd have to take an alternative route home. Here is the 804 bus that I take all the time. If I wanted to take it tonight, I'd have to join the mob!
I opted to take the subway north, and then take a different bus home. I would have to use the subway and the bus, so it would be a more complicated and longer journey. It would be worth it in my opinion, because those crowded busses didn't really appeal to me.
I had to transfer from one subway line to another. This transfer station is usually pretty busy, but it's never been crowded like this before! They had lots of extra staff, and they managed the crowds really well. They had barricades set up, and would only let certain blocks of people move at a time, like traffic lights for pedestrians. I was impressed with how efficiently (for the situation) I was able to move through the station.
They even had police men on duty!
Once I got on the next subway line, I found myself standing near a group of classmates fresh from the relay. I asked to take their picture, since they looked pretty stoked to have seen the torch. They had flags and bullhorns to help them cheer.
Once I asked to take their picture, I became the most popular person on the subway! Everyone was asking me to be in pictures with them, and I posed for probably 12 different pictures with that group of friends. When I thought the photo session was over, someone overcame their previous shyness and approached me, which started round two.
I used all my Chinese words, and the girls giggled a lot, especially when I spoke Chinese for the first time, telling them I was an English teacher. They spoke to me in English, and I tried to reply in Chinese. It was fun.
I was thinking...for patients who struggle with self worth issues, doctors shouldn't recommend medication or therapy. They should suggest a plane ticket to China. If you're white, you go from zero to hero right off the plane!
When I got off the subway and walked to my bus stop, I saw a familiar scene even though we were far from where the relay was. Here, an almost empty bus pulls up, and the passengers create a scrum for seats.
All in all, I was happy to have joined the crowds today. Everyone seemed really happy and in a good spirits, excited to be part of the Olympic experience. This was a nice departure from all the political sabre rattling that has been surrounding the relay lately.
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