Washing Machine Blues

So things around my apartment are always breaking. However, I love my bachelorette pad so I would rather pay to have things fixed than move out.

On one of these occasions my washing machine had broken. Scratch that. It wasn’t fixed properly the first time. So I had the school secretary/translator call the repair company and request that they fix the machine properly and for free.  They agreed.

When the worker finally arrived at my apartment (he got lost, as most people do), I showed him straight to the washing machine. I tried to explain via use of charades and Google translator what was wrong with the washer. I even hummed the annoying sound that the machine makes when it refuses to do work.

Through my limited Chinese, sound effects and secretary (well, mostly secretary), he managed to understand the problem. He then unceremoniously ripped the top off of the machine. As I watched him pull black electrical tape out of his fanny pack of tools, I realize that this is probably something I should watch him fix in case it ever breaks again. As a result of my tenure in China, I already know how to repair toilets so perhaps with these two new skills I can start a successful business as an English speaking repairwoman in a city where no one speaks English. You always need a plan B.

I realized as he affixed a new washing machine sensor to the machine’s wires in the most haphazard manner that, although the agreed-upon labor was free, I would have to pay for this part. Something that I did not plan on and did not have the extra cash to cover the costs. 

Sure enough, he called my Secretary and handed the phone to me. “He wants you to pay 75 ¥ for the part,” she said. Laowai price, I thought in my head.

“Uh, ok. I didn’t take out any cash today so I will look around the apartment to see what I have.” What I had was 50-some RMB (¥) in notes and a bag of coins from around the world. As I took out the coins, I realized that throughout my time in China I had never used coins to pay for anything due to their miniscule value.  And even though each coin had only one numeral on it, I knew that there was surely a coin equivalent to .50 ¥.

I called my secretary back. “Hi again. This is kinda embarrassing but I don’t know how to count Chinese coins.”

She walked me through the process and confirmed my suspicions- evidently the coins bearing a ‘5’ are actually worth 50 percent of 1 ¥ and those emblazoned with a ‘1’ are 10 percent.  Even as a liberal arts major, I know that 1+5 does not make 60 parts of 100. The Chinese repairman looked incredulously at me as I painstakingly counted out the money, coming up 4 ¥ short despite sneaking in a gold coin from Chuck-E-Cheese.

Another call to the secretary. “Ask him if I can pay the rest in Australian coins. They are worth more than RMB anyways.”

After a brief conversation with my secretary, the man agreed and swept his payment into my former plastic change bag as I tried to keep a straight face. This is definitely going on the blog, I thought.

I handed him the bag and offered him some Easter candy. He politely refused, opting to exit my apartment as quickly as possible. My washer has only broke once since.

English Speech Imitation Show

Tomorrow is Easter but to the average Chinese citizen, the first half of this week was the celebration of Tomb Sweeping Festival. Kinda ironic timing since Easter celebrates Christ rising from the tomb. From what I could gather, the purpose of the Tomb Sweeping Festival is for the Chinese to visit the burial sites of their ancestors and tidy the graves. As all of my relatives are buried back in the US of A with graves in fairly good condition, I kicked off the holiday on Sunday afternoon by watching my first year's English Speech Imitation Show.

The kids had been hard at work all week, perfecting their imitations of famous speakers such as Abraham Lincoln and Oprah Winfrey. Despite the holiday, I knew I had to attend when I heard a hilarious impression of Obama's acceptance speech from the mouth of one of my first years.

Days before the speech, a girl whom I know from English Corner approached me for pointers on her speech. I scanned her handwritten paper and immediately recognized the words as those from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign resignation speech. We worked on her speech and I promised her that I would attend the competition on Sunday.

When I arrived at the competition, I saw several of my students’ names also on the list of those to speak. The girl who I tutored, dressed in a Hillary Rodham signature pantsuit, rushed over with a small gift for me and thanked me for coming. I think the speeches ‘speak’ for themselves and I have included one of them below (because that is all my internet will allow it seems).

MLK Jr- I Have a Dream

The next day, I smiled when I received the following email from the girl whom I coached:

Dear Molly I'm Anna.finally I got the third price.Thank you very much!I never thought i can get a price!.Do you like my present?it's a small bag.youcan put coins on it.I think you may like pink so i bought it.

Hong Kong Rugby Sevens

The Hong Kong Rugby Sevens is unlike any sporting event on the planet. If the Rugby Sevens were a drink (good luck keeping anything down during this three-day event, though), it would call for 1 part sport, 2 parts party with a garnish of business.

Try as I may to describe this event, there is really no way to do it justice. For one weekend, the entire city of Hong Kong is filled with 20,000 revelers and rugby fans from all over the world. I met costumed South Africans, Fijians, Kiwis, Brits, Americans (a small minority) and Australians. I had left with the impression from my January HK visit that the city housed a healthy amount of Aussie expats. That number seemed to multiple during this particular weekend.

I arrived in Hong Kong on Friday evening, just in time to make it to the night games. As the games played out, I swiveled around in my seat, chatting and making friends with those around me while the boys watched the rugby. One of the most enjoyable parts of the rugby sevens was the sense of community and camaraderie of the event.

View of field at Day 1 (Friday) night games

After the Day 1 night games concluded, we followed the flow of the crowd to Lan Kwai Fong, a popular street teeming with Hong Kong transplants and rugby fans alike, celebrating the early wins of the weekend at local watering holes. The entire area buzzed and pulsated to a unifying beat.

If you are able to make it to Day 2 of the Rugby Sevens, the south stands are where you want to be. This is the area of the stadium where a crowd of alligators, cheerleaders and convicts (a group of Australians) cheer on their teams and boo the French. Flanked by a group of five ‘Where’s Waldos’, I made my way into the south stands around 10 am, managing to grab several of the last available seats.

Cheerleaders enjoying the sun and game

At around noon, I was glad that I had brought the Australian flag and used it as a canopy as the sun baked the rest of the crowd. Pimm’s, a gin based drink with an assortment of fruit in the bottom of the glass, served as a refreshing respite to the harsh sun. Despite this, several Waldos started to pull the sleeves of their costumes and I set to un-sewing the hems with a makeshift needle.

That night, the crowd descended again on Lan Kwai Fong. The spirits of the crowd hadn’t dampened and various brands were out out providing exposure for their products. I stopped my all-male entourage for a quick duck into a shop that sold teacher dresses. Several minutes later, I walked out holding my new purchase. The night carried on and I was able to find some American-style cheese fries and chilidogs, a feat that I am never able to accomplish on the mainland.

Lan Kwai Fong after Day 2 games

The next day, I rode around downtown Hong Kong on a tram before catching my train to the airport.

Outside view of a Hong Kong tram

My flight time prevented me witnessing a Fijian win, a country that, through my travels, is dear to my heart. However, I had an incredible time with friends that I will not soon forget. As a man was quoted in the newspaper the next day saying, “In your life, there are certain things to do before you die. [Hong Kong Sevens] is one of those things.” Rugby Sevens, check.