"Little Sister Yeye"

I have a real Chinese friend!  That I actually enjoy hanging out with!  Hooray!

The other day, while I was playing Badminton with one of the other Foreign teachers (I just discovered how fun this sport is), I met a new friend!  Her name is Máo Yèyè, but I call her Xiǎomèi (meaning "Little Sister"), ever since she started calling me Dàgē ("Older Brother").  She is hilarious.  And, as opposed to every other girl around here, she is not only awesome, but is also not afraid of me, and instead of being embarrassed about the language barrier, she thinks it's funny.  Moreover, she can actually be friends with me without awkward tension.  I can't express how refreshing this is.

Even awesomer: the first thing we actually did together was go roller skating.  Yes, with real roller skates.  Classic go-around-in-a-circle, awkward-middle-school goodness.  It was super fun.  And, it turns out, she's practically a professional roller-skater.  Apparently, that's still rather cool here, although I was sure to inform her that it does, in fact, make her a super-dork.

I also had a great time trying to take photographs while on moving skates, although without any impressive success.  Turns out, it's less than ideal:

(My new friends!)