wishing for summer

today I want to take the time to remember what Tongliao was like in August when we arrived.

I wore t-shirts outside and sandals and Ned and I ate watermelon on the street to cool off from our long mid-day walks. The She-gua (watermelon) lady taught me my first word in Chinese--Shegua, and she was our best friend because we bought so many watermelons from her.

Flowers bloomed everywhere in Tongliao, and hardworking laborers bestowed us with colorful rows of Marigolds in our front yard plot. Bees buzzed and we used the air conditioner in our bedroom. We didn't have a blanket on the bed then, but it didn't matter because frequently it was warm and stuffy in the room. In August we never believed the temperatures would drop to daily sub-zero temperatures. It's about 3pm right now, and I haven't left the house because it's cold and cloudy outside. I have on 2 pairs of socks, and 2 layers of clothing. I feel cold all the time. Ms. Han my co-worker, who is also a Chinese doctor told me I need to eat more iron. She suggested chicken hearts, livers of all varieties, red meat and leafy greens (steamed to release a toxin the inhibits calcium absorption). So today for lunch I ate dried Mongolian beef (local fav) with steamed greens and rice. It was tasty, but I'm still cold.

I'm hiding in the burrow of my room, and I won't leave until I have to go teach class tomorrow. Ned says he wants to buy a portable electric heater, but he hasn't yet, because it's too cold to walk to the store, so for now we're still huddling for warmth and wearing multiple layers of socks.

I'm starting to understand what winter hibernation is all about.