While waiting for the train in songyuan, a guy Cam met in guitar practice showed up to introduce his friend to us. We talked for a bit in the train station before one of the train station security guys came up and directed us to the side gate and unlocked it. We walked past the big line of chinese people waiting for the same train and went strait out to the platform where we would catch the train... yay for being VIPed up front! The security guy is the new friends uncle.
We talked for a bit on the train, when the 3 of us are talking we will randomly switch to chinese. We did this and started talking about playing some poker (chinese poker, completely different). Well I guess the group across from us heard and a few minutes later came over and asked if we wanted to play. It was a group of kids that just finished the REALLY big highschool graduation/ college entrance test. We played poker for awhile and exchanged some QQ numbers (not sure why.. but people often do this) then departed ways when we got off the train, but it made for a fun and entertaining train ride.
One of our purposes for this trip was to go to MayFlower (a foreigner bar). Surprisingly there weren't many foreigners there, and the ones that were there were mostly Russians. It was very packed and had no dance floor. We just found a spot at the bar and parked there, then each went about using our talents.
Cam, the smooth talker. There were two decently cute girls next to us at the bar, so Cam got built up his courage and started talking to them. Found out one was actually from songyuan and lives in the same apt complex as me and Cam. Some guy came over and started talking to them at some point and bought them a basket of shots....they kinda ignored him and he left. Then they shared their shots with us. One of them left at one point and the songyuan girl actually stuck around and hung out with us for the rest of the night. She danced with Cam for awhile and played some fooseball with us (I love bars with fooseball tables). Cam got some phone numbers (hers and some other girl's .. not sure when he found the other girl). Successful night!
Chris, the band guy. We obviously found a great spot at the bar. On the other side of us was the manager of the second MayFlower (there are like 4 in town). So chris talks to him and the other managers of other bars standing with him. They buy Chris some drinks, talk about possibilities of chris's band coming to sing in changchun, and exchange phone numbers. Successful night!
Me, the man with a hoop. When the band(which was very good) took a break some dancers got up on these little stage type things set up in random places around the bar. I looked at the stage closest to us and figured I can fit up there with my hoop... just barely.. but I can. So when the dancers got down I turned on my hoop and walked over and asked the waiter if I could get up. He ran off to ask another waiter... that waiter said he didn't know and just go ahead... but if anyone comes to get down. So I got up there and every head in the place turned. I hooped for a bit... but it was really hard, to keep from hitting the light behind me I had to stand at the very edge of the platform and still hit the thing like 3 times. So I got a bit of a show in and then got down pretty quick. Getting a lot of applause around me as I walked back to my seat was kinda nice.... until the security grabbed me... oops... They pulled me off to the side where the music wasn't as loud and I mostly understood what they said... didn't sound like they were going to kick me out...they just wanted me to leave my hoop at the front. So as they guided me that way a guy ran up and was just like "没事没事“ which is "doesn't matter" and security let me go :) This guy is the manager of this MayFlower. So he complemented me on the hooping and gave us some free drinks. Many people came up and cheers with us for awhile. When they retracted the bands stage to open up a dance floor later in the night.... I hooped again there (with much more room). Successful night!
The next day we were doing some shopping and the songyuan girl from the night before sent Cam a text. So we invited them out shopping and her and her friend actually came out. It was really cool they took us all around town and hung out all day. Its amazing how we can now actually hang out with groups of Chinese that don't speak English, with very little difficulty. We exchanged some QQ numbers and treated them to some McDonalds before getting on the train. I figured they would leave us at the train station... but they actually went into the train station with us and one of them had this card that got us into the VIP room at the train station... so we were in the room with the comfy seats and then got to leave first for the train again without having to wait in the big mass of shoving people. That was really cool and nice of them.
The train wasn't very packed.. which was nice.. and we met up with Snow ( a teacher from our school). This time we pulled out the poker cards and invited the girl sitting across from Chris to join us. Chris still doesn't really fully understand the rules.. so he didn't want to play. This girl was another one that had just finished the the big highschool test. She was pretty shy but played poker really well, she was on my team.... and we totally won! When we arrived at songyuan her grandfather thanked us because she usually gets very car sick riding on trains, but while she was playing with us she was fine. So that was kinda cool.
All and all a great trip. Before me and Chris were a good traveling team.... but adding Cam is definitely a great addition.
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