Yangyi: The Final Meeting

            This time, he brought a friend. Her name is Coco. It was fun to see how he changed when she was around. When I first arrived, they handed me yogurt they had got me and a spoon. They had gotten all 3 of us some yogurt to celebrate our last meeting, or something like that. This was a bit of my own personal nightmare because I could not eat the particular yogurt they had gotten due to a food allergy. I started to just eat it anyway, but I decided that the torment afterwards was simply not worth it. So, I said thank you and started talking to hopefully distract from the fact that I wasn’t eating. Normally, I would just tell them I couldn’t have it, but it was such a sweet gesture I just couldn’t bring myself to ruin it and hurt their feelings.

            I asked how class was, and Coco started laughing. Apparently Yangyi had stopped going for three weeks. He looked embarrassed that she told me. When I asked him why, he made up some nonsense about his body not letting him because he was sick and needed rest. I countered with reminding him we met during that time and he laughed and didn’t seem sick at all, and that he had been going out with friends almost every night when he could have been resting. I told him that if he was well enough to hang out with friends, he was well enough to go to class. He changed his tactics at this point to say that our friendship was so important to him that it surpasses his class responsibilities. He said that he still came to our meetings because he feels that you make sacrifices for friends because they need you. After I called his bluff, I thanked him for such high compliments.

            Then, I think due to our guest, he began trying to tell me about my future boyfriend. He described his looks, his social demographic, and how we would meet. According to Yangyi we will meet in a coffee shop and I will spill coffee on him as I walk by. Then, we’ll look at each other and “he’ll say this is the best second degree burn I’ve ever received,” I finished. They both laughed.

We joked around about this for a little bit, then we started discussing dream vacations. Yangyi’s were grand world travels involving multiple continents and multiple countries. Mine is a trip down Route 66. I want to start in Chicago and travel the 2,451 miles down America’s Main Street getting to experience every quirky mile. I think they both thought I was a little crazy for wanting to do it, but that’s ok. I think they’re a little crazy for wanting to fly around so much.

We told her my new Chinese name and Coco laughed. I asked her why she thought he gave it to me, and she said because I was so white. I laughed and told him that that’s what I had thought too, as well as other people who knew it. He said, “No, I chose it because I think it is very beautiful.”  The jury is still out on whether Coco and I believe him.

All in all, it was a great final meeting and a great semester of friendship. Apparently he has only written about three of our meetings, but he said he has enjoyed them anyway. I asked him if he plans to pass his listening tests this week, and he said he doesn’t think he will. I asked why, and Coco jumped in and said, “Because he doesn’t go to class!” Hopefully he’ll learn his lesson for next semester. I had told him if he needed any help, he could ask. Maybe he will next semester.

The Stores Were Closed

When Yangyi and I met last Tuesday, the funniest moment was when he informed me about his trip over Thanksgiving. He seemed very excited before going and he said he had a good time, but let’s face it – Thanksgiving Break is not a good tourist time. The beaches were cold and museums and stores were closed with little activity. The part of this conversation that made me giggle was when he asked if I knew a lot of places are closed on Thursday. I said, “As in, Thanksgiving Thursday?” He nodded. I suppressed laughter and said, “Yes, Thanksgiving is one of two days a year that most places are closed.” He said they had trouble finding a restaurant or any place with food open on Thursday for him and his friends to eat breakfast or lunch or dinner. Before I got too filled with pity, he said they ate at their hotel – The Hilton. Trust me, sounds like they were well taken care of.

They stayed at three different hotels during their stay in Houston, Galveston, and San Antonio, and apparently each was very nice accommodations. He showed me pictures of the view from his hotel and I thought it was beautiful. He, I think, was less impressed, but that’s ok. I think he’s used to nicer places, so it was good that he found them. He said that the Hilton had good food. I asked him if he ate Thanksgiving type food, and he said that maybe a little turkey, but no. But they were content and enjoyed themselves.

I don’t think the beach must have been much to look at because he called it “ugly” (I know, it must have been difficult for me to figure that one out). We talked about the fact that it was almost December and the beach is usually more made for the summer time. I don’t feel like our gulf beaches are made for staring at so much as being in and having fun with.

This week he came with a Chinese name prepared for me. While I have great difficulty pronouncing the first name (or for Americans, the last name), I do like it. He put thought into it, clearly. My Chinese last name (the American first name) means “cute little girl,” and my Chinese first name is “snow.” He said when people hear this name they think of a cute little girl playing in the snow. He told me that people don’t name their children this name because it is too beautiful. I think he was just trying to flatter me, but it was still very sweet. When I later told a friend of mine what the two names meant he asked if it was because I was as pale as Snow White. I became uneasy for a moment and then realized that Yangyi had said that to be pale in the Chinese culture was to be beautiful, so either interpretation of my new Chinese name I am just fine with!

While it embarrasses me a little to have such a name to live up with, I think it has in a way helped me better understand the Chinese culture. With names that mean something, like almost all Chinese names do, parents name their children with a certain ideal in mind. Now as I have been named, I feel I must live up to it. I can now understand the pressure Yangyi had said he feels to not disappoint his parents, well a small portion of it anyway. I have always felt that way with my parents, but it is a permanent reminder of their expectations every time someone addresses you. It is like a motivational gift given from parent to child. I never thought of name like that, but it makes sense now that I've experienced a small dose.