Pete Bryan's Page

So I've given up on learning Mandarin because I'm pretty sure I have some kind of learning disability, but I'm still taking classes and I'm actually learning some interesting stuff.

In Chinese there are a set number of characters and that number never changes. So when something new is invented, the new thing doesn't get a new character, instead they combine two old characters to describe it.

For example, when computers were invented there wasn't a new symbol created; they combined "electric" a… Continue

Hello there!

In China if you want to say "hello" you say "ni hao". I decided that I'm hip and urban, so I say "Ni Holla". I really think it's going to catch on here in China, so everyone remember this post when it becomes an international sensation.

There is a city wall around Xi'an that was built a long time ago. I would tell you when it was built, but Wikipedia is being slow and I know of no other way to research.

Some people might tell you that the concept of a city wall is a little out da… Continue

So I haven't found any weird food yet. The busy section of town that has a lot of street vendors (the Muslim Quarter) has a lot of different food for sale, but nothing crazy like cow eyes or cockroaches or something like that. (I've heard you can find stuff like that for sale, but usually in Beijing.)

So far the craziest thing I've seen was at the grocery store. They have these preserved eggs and shrink wrap packages:



T… Continue

I went to a wedding on Saturday. One of the drivers, Mr. Wang, has a friend whose son was getting married; and we were invited to tag along and see what a Chinese wedding as all about.

(I had a couple videos for the day, but since YouTube is blocked in China; I can't post the videos there like a normal person. I tried other means and it annoyed me.)

We started at the groom's parent's house. The day is going to be filled with all kinds of pranks and obstacles for our intrepid groom to overcome.… Continue

It's been a couple days since I last updated this thing, they've been keeping me super busy!

The other day three staff members- Jerome, Alice, and Makayla- took me and my roommate Ishwar to a badminton gym for what I thought would be a leisurely activity.

When I think of badminton, I visualize an all-american family having a delightful time on the net the set up in the backyard. What I didn't visualize was a hazy, smoked filled gym with boiling temperatures and broken lights. I didn't imagine… Continue