Oh but wait - Oktoberfest in China... hmm… I was very interested to see what this would be like, to say the least!
What's great about Suzhou is that there are a lot of Westerners here also on expat assignments. That means all of the Western hotel companies usually like to hold events “of the Western world,” but as all of their staff are Chinese, they have to try a little harder to really pull it off.
But they try, which I love, and usually they get it mostly right, which is why I was excited! Lisa had emailed us while we were gone to see if we wanted tickets, which of course we said yes to (it's kind of like anything that even could be kind of from home is an automatic yes, even if it costs an arm and a leg - you just don't miss these sorts of things), so after we’d gotten our fill of being vegetables, we got ready and they came and picked us up at around 5:30 p.m. as the event started at the Sheraton at 6 p.m.
Band members
We arrived and were greeted by Chinese girls dressed as German beer maids, which sent us all into giggles… picture it: a Chinese girl with a gray felt German hat that really looked more like a witch’s hat, a white button down shirt, black long shorts to the knees, black suspenders over the shirt, and white athletic tube socks with blue stripes all the way up to the knee. No doubt they were going for an authentic lederhosen look, but all it made me think was bless their hearts. Thank God to them for trying – it really is the thought that counts and I thought it was really sweet.
The Chinese Sheraton employees in "lederhosen" Note: There were several Germans who were decked out in REAL lederhosen so that was pretty cool!
They ushered us in to an outdoor tent (the weather was perfect!) where there were picnic tables set up and everything was covered with blue and white decorations. There were two beer stations with a German food buffet, so we found our reserved table and quickly got in the food line to make sure we got it while it was hot!
A table of Americans and Brits sharing schnitzel
They had all kinds of sausages, sauerkraut, schnitzels, slices of pork, chicken, and mashed potatoes and even a potato soup I couldn’t get enough of. Curt was in heaven, as you can imagine, and he even persuaded me to try the sauerkraut as he claimed it wasn’t too sour and one of the best he’s had in awhile… for the record I *hate* sauerkraut. The only time you can make me eat it is for New Year’s Eve because it brings good financial luck. So he loaded me up a small bite, I told him to reduce that by half, then I put it in… BLECH! I gagged, he laughed (surprised that it effects me so, but it really is beyond gross to me), and I washed it down with the help of my stein.
Lisa and me (laughing)
We had a great time that night though – there was a real German band (the same one that’s been there every year we were told) and they were fantastic. They played tons of great clap-along German songs that just made ya feel good, and when they played Almost Heaven (West Virginia), I almost cried with happiness and made Curt take me out to the dance floor to two-step (Giddings style) with me while I sang my heart out. It was a magical moment…
Me & Curt
Sidenote: I hear this song in China at least once a week. I don’t know how this song, out of all of the American songs became so popular here, but the only other American song played the entire night was YMCA so you get the picture – it’s a big deal here. The Chinese and Germans alike were singing word-for-word right along with me as I was being twirled around the floor. There are only two other American artists you can hear frequently here – Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston. I’m not sure why, but who cares, they’re classic.
JJ & Lisa
We spent the night just doing what you do at Oktoberfest, drinking, laughing, dancing, and clinking beer steins with cheer and smiles, until it was time to go home around 12 a.m. They had raffles, which none of us won, but everyone gets a beer stein as a parting gift which I thought was GREAT. What was even better is that so many people had already left, that we gathered up their tickets and Curt and I brought 6 home instead of just two so we’ll have a full set! Yes!
Lisa, Me, & Curt
It was a great night of hanging out with friends, meeting new ones, and just general fun and I’m just so glad we have those around us who help to integrate us into those types of things that otherwise we’d never even know were going on.
2 of our 6 Suzhou Oktoberfest Steins!
Sunday we were much more productive – we cleaned, finished unpacking, and I got going on the laundry… sigh. One of my least favorite chores here which I’ve mentioned before… it just takes so long. It took me all day to do two miniscule loads yesterday, and I’ve finished up two more today, though it will be morning til everything from today is fully dry. Just a pain.
We ended the day at Zapata’s for dinner which was delish (good ol’ Tex Mex) and then watched Harry Potter when we got home (a very Fall activity for me) with me in my Halloween pajama pants (can you tell I’m doing my best to partake in the lovely fall that I know is happening without me at home?) while doing a new puzzle on the coffee table.
Today was Curt’s first day back to work which was a bummer, because that meant down to business for me. I’m at the very end of this head cold thingy, but I knew I couldn’t put off my running anymore, even if it was going to hurt and be harder with a weakened body. Finally around lunchtime I couldn’t procrastinate anymore by doing laundry, checking to see if my fam was online (they were – got to talk to Mom and Dad finally, yea!), and the like, so I got Jake strapped on (my Nike+ sidekick) and headed out with the goal of 8 miles, though I told myself I’d just see how my lungs and heart felt overall to see if it was attainable with the cold stuff.
Before we left for vacation I was there, but you never know where you’ll be when you take some time off (even if it’s only two weeks). I mean Curt and I did scuba dive a lot, and even went for a run once, but I hate working out on vacation and it’s really not the same, SO, I was worried when I set off.
But, it was all ok – I had my trusty fuel belt courtesy of my sissy’s birthday gift to me (which had Curt’s phone number for safety, an emergency tissue for my snotty nose, some RMB, and my keys in it) which helped a TON, and Jake was very kind to me today. The cold definitely effected my breathing (you know how a cold makes you breathe more shallow, and how a deep breath hurts and you can feel your heart more – it was like that), but I ran in the shade, and had my water for when my throat got too dry and I got close to a coughing fit.
What is *disgusting* but also hilarious is at one point my exhales had some “substance with bubbles” so I tried to wipe with my shirt sleeve, which just made it run more. I figured if I was going to really go for this thing I couldn’t worry about a little snot so I just blew my nose into my shirt sleeve and literally it was a huge and satisfying blow, which meant my navy blue running shirt sleeve was covered in some highly shiny muck. So gross, but hey, at least I got it out, right? (Don’t worry – I had one more load of laundry to put in when I got back so it’s taken care of).
But I did it – 8 miles and my pace didn’t show any regression so I was relieved. I’ll be a little sore tomorrow I think, but I took a cold bath for my legs, stretched, blew my nose a ton (complete with some black boogers which was no surprise), but it looks like I’m back on track for January’s marathon!
Hope everyone is having a great start to their week!
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