Oh, China.

It was about -5 yesterday. Wind blowing 50km/h. Am I back in Alberta? Ugh... moved to Van Isle for a reason all those years ago.

So, I'm walking out of my office today, Friday, moments before the bell is to ring to end the day. Classroom doors are beginning to open and I'm dodging boys on all sides, attempting to get down the four flights of stairs and out the campus gates so I can grab a taxi and get to the Qinggui (LRT).

A grade 10 steps out of a classroom and spits a big puddle on the floor in front of me. It wasn't juice. Or because of a joke. It happens to be one of my own students who I teach in both PE and English. A stare down takes place, me with a look of disgust on my face. I tell him to clean it up. He apologizes, although I point out that it seemed pretty natural and that he should NEVER do it again. After the cleaning, I walk on, not wanting to ruin my Friday.

Three days ago, I'm wrapping up my workout at the gym. I'm changing into my street clothes, zipping my bag, and exiting the locker room as I get a big whiff of what's coming from the showers. A guy, half naked, has a lit cigarette in his hand and is blowing smoke towards the lockers as he talks to his friends. I stop. A stare down takes place, me with a look of disgust on my face. I shake my head and just before I open my mouth to utter something impolite in Chinese, the locker room attendant sees what I see and tells the guy to butt out. I walk on, not wanting to ruin my post-gym buzz.

Did I ever tell the story about the guy who dropped his pants across the street from my apartment complex and proceeded to use the grass/treed area as a squat toilet? I won't recount it again, but let's just say he wasn't just having an open-air pee.

Oh, China. Wo ai ni.

The countdown to my winter vacation in Malaysia is on. Five weeks and three days until Kuala Lumpur.

T