Mute and Tired

Monday November 26^th, 2012

Oh boy. The muteness continues. This makes two days of not being able to voice any word. Just a bunch of miming and quick scribbles of writing. Interesting but not particularly good when trying to learn Chinese. Or heck, not good for daily conversations. XD But the miming is quite amusing since I’ve managed to be clear enough to communicate to both English speaking and Chinese speaking people. Basic things between necessities and small talk, I’m becoming a miming sensation! Not quite at the level of painting my face white and living in a stereotypical France though. ;P

This experience is rebirthing my desire to learn sign language. How useful would that be at this time of muteness? ;) And how cool knowing sign language would be as well! All I know at this time is the numbers 1-10 and basic things like ‘yes,’ ‘hi,’ etc. First things first, Chinese of course. Theeeeen afterwards I can think about sign. Sounds like a plan? ;)

My host Dad unexpectedly drove me to University today. I guess he had work later than normal. Whatever the reason, a little nap was graciously snuck in during the ride. Yep, still tired. Yesterday was a killer for most exchange students. It took a lot out of us. Now combine that with sick tiredness and you have me. XD

University Chinese class was pretty pointless for me. Two-thirds of the class was oral stuff. The second third was a dialogue duo and the final third was an oral test. I could only really partake in the beginning of class where we had written homework. After that I couldn’t do, or should I rephrase, say anything. I pathetically wrote down a request to the teacher on paper asking if I could make up the activities on Thursday if my voice returned. She kindly replied yes, which is a relief. But yeah, I didn’t do anything in class other than listen along or get drowsy when people were practicing.

For lunch Brittany and I went by a dumpling shop we visited before because I desired to have a nice creamy soup they offered. The contents have bits of corn, carrots and egg but the creaminess of the broth is the absolute best part of it. Finding a creamy textured soup like this one is kinda hard to find in a side street place. They may exist as appetizers or meal combos for more expensive restaurants but I really don’t know where to find some just by itself. Since that was the only place/soup I knew of, I just had to get a bowl.

At first I was too rash. I managed to burn my tongue AGAIN! That’s the second time on the same soup! It just goes to show how eager I was to have me a spoonful. After some blowing and stirring, ohhhhh-ho-ho-hoooo! Fantastic-ness! It felt like an absolute dream as it soothed my throat in a hot, velvety embrace. That’s the stuff! I nearly got another one. XD

Today, Tuesday and Wednesday I do not have to attend school because it currently has exams taking place, which the exchange students do not partake in. So I took the MRT and bus back home and dived straight into my bed. I think I slept for five hours before waking up. Whoo-wee I needed that! It’ll take me a long time to catch up on sleep but hopefully the nap will help me recover from the sickness. *fingers crossed*

Dinner followed thirty minutes after arising from slumber. Another wonderful meal cooked by the dear Grandmother. Veggies, meat and soup with a bit of fish. This steamy soup was still wonderful to gulp down my throat but it’s the watery type. It’s the creamy kind that I find more soothing and harder to find in Taiwan. One dish of dinner had what was described to me as pork but in a hot dog format, though it mimicked a sausage more. Either way, that stuff can get addicting really fast because it’s really tasty. Self-control is needed in order to not devour the entire plate. XD

The rest of the night consisted of work and a bit of down time with watching the new series “Dragons: Riders of Berk.” A first for me, it’s pretty good for a lover of the ‘How To Train Your Dragon” movie. Though it doesn’t have the same flavor of the movie, the TV show hasn’t yet disappointed me (first three episodes as of now) so let’s hope it continues that way. Have any of y’all seen the show yet? Thoughts? Opinions?

Moving on, my host father gave me a little snack of this! Grapes! It’s been awhile since I’ve last tasted their juicy-seedless-ness! Yumminess! Give me your vitamins and minerals! I demand it! >:D I like how the reflection of the grapes on the bowl make it look like something mutant. Reminds of potions class with Snape for some reason. :P

Well that’s about it. With no other words, especially none actually voiced, I bid y’all a mute adieu! :)