Sandiago and the Correo de Torro

On Sunday, I skipped fellowship (muahaha). I woke up early and started the day off right with some coffee, the word and nowhere to be all day.
Its amazing what one can find joy in when you have the freedom to take time and do it! Its amazing how FUN cleaning can be when you make a game out of it. I bleached my bathtub and sink and cleaned my kitchen and felt like I have climbed a mountain. (When you hate cleaning as much as I do, you must rejoice in the small triumphs).
Around 12, I asked a student to lunch and then headed to the dining hall to eat when I didn’t hear from her. As I was walking the line of food vendors in the cafeteria, trying to make up my mind between dishes and dumplings, a student introduced himself to me.

“Hello,” he said. “I don’t know if you remember me, but my name is Sandiago and I met you in the beginning of the year. Monica introduced us.” I nodded slowly, trying to clear the fog that had formed over the two months since we met and then nodded faster as I finally remembered having met him. “You speak some Spanish.” He said. ‘Oh boy,how much is some?’ I thought to myself as I explained that my Spanish was a little rusty.

Sandiago invited me to eat with him and I agreed. This is one of my favorite parts of the culture so far- the emphasis on relationships and hospitality. The idea of ‘why do it alone if you can do it together?’
I soon learned that Sandiago had a girlfriend studying in Spain and I immediately felt a connection with him. We were both suffering from Long Distance Relationships… 

We talked about Chinese culture and Sandiago put into words so many ideas and truths that I had found it difficult to grasp. I told him he needed to teach foreigners someday. He humbly replied, “I read a lot of books.”
We talked about Spain and the Run of the Bulls. He told me all about protests, the money that goes into the event and the lives that are lost due to the greed. Whenever he couldn’t think of a word in English, he said it in Spanish and I generally understood him.

We talked of Western culture and the influence it has on China. Is it good, bad, neutral? What of tolerance? Well, if you want to determine the usefulness or validity of something- look at its products. What has tolerance given us thus far?
As we prepared to zou ba (let’s go), Sandiago reached into his bag and pulled out a banana and a tomato. He said, “See, it is well I have bought two of each. One for you and one for me.” What can I say or do in the face of such generosity? I smile and take it and thank him. He has blessed me more than he can know and taught me many things over a simple lunch.