Thoughts on next trip

Discoveries and disagreements

I don’t always agree with dad. Sometimes, we are not at all of the same opinion and when I have too many points to argue my point of view and he has run out, he says “Now you are going too far; stop it!” And then, I really want to go back to mom in Paris or a little closer, to my aunt Paricher in Iran. I think to myself that I can’t wait to get to Urumchi, where our assistant will leave us. I don’t really like her because first of all, she is too stressed out. Secondly, she takes us for retards; and thirdly, she screams like a mad woman whenever she speaks to us. But still, she’s the only one I can talk to about movies and Chinese music. Besides these slight work details, I find her humanely very nice. She and the student who came to pick us up from the station had me listen to Jay, a well-known modern Mandarin singer who is Taiwanese, but they like to call him the “Chinese from Taiwan.” I have this singer’s music on my cell phone and I listen to it all the time. After the teashop where we bought green tea and roses, we climb up on Xian’s wall. We can see the whole city from here, the old city with its Confucius-like houses, and the modern city with a big building and a large red HSBC sign is written on it. We climb down the wall and in the middle of these buildings there is a small merchant quarter. One can find calligraphy brushes, paintings of Xian, Jade stones and puppets. I stop in front of a man playing a musical instrument that he’s selling and that he had made himself. I film him and laugh with him when he sees the video. We move on and I observe Jade stones, but someone hints to me that they are fake. I keep going until I reach a building where, on the third floor, I find professor Li who is Jianping’s best friend, and his son. I find it great that Parissa and Jianping, who are in Canada, speak to their friend who is with me in China. In the meantime, I ask my cousins Aydin and Oshi, who are in Paris, via SMS if they can send me Jianping’s number. Technology is great! I then call Canada and everyone speaks to each other and everyone is happy. I thank my cousin Aydin and ask him if he or his sister will go to Canada to see Jianping who is married to my Iranian cousin, their sister. He tells me that he will go. I send him an SMS asking him if I could go with him during the November holidays. He says it’s OK. I’m happy, all I need is my parent’s permission and I’ll be heading to Canada in a few months. After that, I set up a game of basketball with Jianping’s son. He’ll come with a few friends, that way we’ll be able to play real match. After a meal, we go for a walk in a large street that reminds me of Brooklyn in New York with its publicity and billboards. Dad wants to buy computer stuff and leaves me at the hotel so I can write. Our assistant goes with him. I stay in the room and while I write about the day’s events, I listen repeatedly to Jay. I’ll go to bed when I’m tired.