My Co-workers decided to have a casual work outing at the skating rink a couple of weeks ago. Anyone that knows me knows that this was something I was really excited about. It reminded me of home. During the holidays in my hometown, downtown square turns into a huge ice skating rink. My friends and I would go and have such a great time. We would always end the night with tons of laughs, new memories, and hot chocolate from Starbucks. Ice skating brought back fond memories of home. I thought that maybe this would be a great way for me to bond with co-workers and make similar memories in Dalian.
Ice skating rinks in Dalian are typically inside, extremely crowded with children, and really small. I didn’t let the thick crowd deter me from getting out there. It cost us each about 60 Yuan ($10) which was a reasonable price. Skating came back to me like riding a bike. I was having a lot of fun bonding with my co-workers. We held the arms of the ones who were skating for the first time. We shared photos, laughs, and began to build memories. I was beginning to feeling like I belonged. Those feelings ceased as co-workers began to cling to their close friends. I felt sad. As I continued to skate around the rink, I kept looking over to see if my friends would be there next to me. I longed for the smiling face and warm hand of Devon, my best friend Lala vocalizing how crazy I was for getting her out on the ice, and the recreation of those sweet memories of home. I looked around and felt more alone than ever.
That Wednesday at work, the school had its quarterly birthday lunch party for its teachers. This is where we acknowledge and celebrate those born between November and December. This time, the birthday lunch was a Hot Pot. Hot pot is similar to a stew. It consisting of ingredients such as thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, seafood cooking in a mental pot. So when we got into the school cafeteria, there was a long table filled with vegetables, frozen meats, different dipping sauces (that most people like to mix and match). There were four different tables each containing its own hot pot setup. My co-worker (whom is also foreign) and I watched as our Chinese co-workers prepared it for us. They mixed in the hot pot seasoning, different veggies, and frozen meats (that they had brought back to the table) into the water. As the food began to cook, we prepared our dipping sauce plate. There was chili sauce, minced onion, cilantro, and other sauces I couldn’t identify. I won’t lie; I had no idea what the hell I was putting on plate. I didn’t even taste my concoction as I put it all together. Luckily, this worked in my favor! My dipping sauce tasted amazing with the food. The hardest part I found about hotpot was how on point your chopstick skills need to be. You don’t get a big mixing spoon and a bowl to pull out your portion. You have to use them chopsticks to eat directly from the pot. Luckily, my skills are above novice. It also helped that I was starving, which meant I was willing to try harder. All in all my first hot pot experience was awesome. It’s one of the things I would love to try preparing in the states with family and friends. Who’d like to Hot Pot with me?
Ice skating rinks in Dalian are typically inside, extremely crowded with children, and really small. I didn’t let the thick crowd deter me from getting out there. It cost us each about 60 Yuan ($10) which was a reasonable price. Skating came back to me like riding a bike. I was having a lot of fun bonding with my co-workers. We held the arms of the ones who were skating for the first time. We shared photos, laughs, and began to build memories. I was beginning to feeling like I belonged. Those feelings ceased as co-workers began to cling to their close friends. I felt sad. As I continued to skate around the rink, I kept looking over to see if my friends would be there next to me. I longed for the smiling face and warm hand of Devon, my best friend Lala vocalizing how crazy I was for getting her out on the ice, and the recreation of those sweet memories of home. I looked around and felt more alone than ever.
That Wednesday at work, the school had its quarterly birthday lunch party for its teachers. This is where we acknowledge and celebrate those born between November and December. This time, the birthday lunch was a Hot Pot. Hot pot is similar to a stew. It consisting of ingredients such as thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, seafood cooking in a mental pot. So when we got into the school cafeteria, there was a long table filled with vegetables, frozen meats, different dipping sauces (that most people like to mix and match). There were four different tables each containing its own hot pot setup. My co-worker (whom is also foreign) and I watched as our Chinese co-workers prepared it for us. They mixed in the hot pot seasoning, different veggies, and frozen meats (that they had brought back to the table) into the water. As the food began to cook, we prepared our dipping sauce plate. There was chili sauce, minced onion, cilantro, and other sauces I couldn’t identify. I won’t lie; I had no idea what the hell I was putting on plate. I didn’t even taste my concoction as I put it all together. Luckily, this worked in my favor! My dipping sauce tasted amazing with the food. The hardest part I found about hotpot was how on point your chopstick skills need to be. You don’t get a big mixing spoon and a bowl to pull out your portion. You have to use them chopsticks to eat directly from the pot. Luckily, my skills are above novice. It also helped that I was starving, which meant I was willing to try harder. All in all my first hot pot experience was awesome. It’s one of the things I would love to try preparing in the states with family and friends. Who’d like to Hot Pot with me?