September 16, 2001

• Introducing...

  
  

  I decided to repost this on another date, I think the list might get a little long and don't want to detract readers or confuse anyone.  It's an introduction of the new characters in my life.  Will never be the same as my friends in Toronto, but again, I must stop comparing.  They're roughly in order of when I've met them and by introducing them you won't be confused when I speak about them in my posts.  I'll update this whenever I meet a good friend.  I'm sorry if this gets really long.

  
  

  Lily L - A girl I met in a class that I teach.  I was an emergency teacher for this one class, and after class she approached me and told me she was Cantonese as well.  Status unknown, but she is one of those with a killer smile.

  
  

  Anri T - Japanese girl who studies in the US but is from Japan and likes Chinese culture.  Cutie, don't know if she is single.  I'm still waiting to try Kareshi iru?  Scratch the above comment, she has a Jp BF in the US.

  
  

  Sarah - Lives with Anri and from the US.  Very loud girl, especially when drunk (who isn't?), but one of the coolest ones I've met here.

  
  

  Forrest - Also from the US, quite the joker.  He has a pair of pajamas that he likes to wear while walking around on the streets.  Single and desperately seeking.

  
  

  Jing Ling - Girl with nice smile from Malaysia.  Don't know much about her, but she has been inviting me out at least once a week since we've met.  I have yet to call her out sometime.

  
  

  Jason - White dude from the US.  Cool guy, knows how to party, but if you first look at him you might think he is gay.  Has a boyfriend in SH.

  
  

  Susan - Lives with Amira, Taiwanese American girl.  Cool girl with a NY accent.

  
  

  Amira - Soul sistah from New York.  Yep, she's black and speaks a mean putonghua.  She's a cool girl and I taught her some drinking games.  Status unknown.

  
  

  Rebecca - Caucasian girl from Montreal.  Knows how to party hard and wants to stay in Shanghai afterwards like me.  Single and playing the field.

  
  

  Victor - Chinese guy from the US.  Lives with Ivan and good friends with Susan and Amira.

  
  

  Ivan L - Half Indian half-white guy from New York.  He looks white though and has dreadlocks.  Leftist ideals and a really cool guy, we have a great time debating over stuff.  Lives with Victor, his Chinese is better than mine.  He has a Taiwanese girlfriend back home.

  
  

  Nathan - Kinda nerdy looking American guy, but so friggin smart.  I call him a walking encylcopedia.  Single.

  
  

  Sarah - Dave's girlfriend.  Tall and slender attractive girl that has been with Dave for about 2 years.  They make a great couple, and she is such a cool girlfriend, likes videogames and all those boy things.

  
  

  Dave - Chinese dude from my class.  He grew up all over the US and is a pretty cool dude.  26 and lives with his caucasian girlfriend off campus.  Also here for a year.  Girlfriend named Sarah.

  
  

  Ian - Some guy from Malaysia. He's in my class.  Single.

  
  

  Roy - HK fob in the same school as Frankie.  Little chubby, but not fat.  Cannot drink.  Single.

  
  

  Frankie - HK fob studying in Shanghai (not sure which university).  Introduced by Caroline and Linnet.  He's quite the pimp daddy.  Lives with Roy and Carnic.  Got chicks on the downlow. 

  
  

  Carnic - Friends with Linnet and Caroline.  She's a Master student at Fudan from HK.  Fun to play drinking games with.  Lives with Frankie and Roy.  Single.

  
  

  Carol - My 1st language exchange partner.  She is 26 and is married to a consultant that works in the Pudong area of town.  She lives on campus during the week and is studying English literature.  Although her English is pretty good, sometimes she has problems with tenses and with understanding what certain idioms are.  She's a good teacher though, I hope to learn much from her.  Married.

  
  

  Margaret C. - Although I only just met her, I have learnt a lot about her.  She is studying Journalism (2nd yr) at Fudan and speaks excellent English.  She writes for the Fudan Youth paper and strongly favours the Communist Party of China.  She has a very inquisitive mind and I'm sure I could talk to her for hours.  She's agreed to teach me Chinese too, but I doubt I will be able to improve too much on her English.  We'll have to see.  Single and I think she likes me... crap.

  
  

  Venus - I met through Caroline and Linnet.  She is Korean but grew up in HK.  She speaks English, Korean, French, Cantonese and Mandarin.  Also in Journalism, cool chick, but doesn't party much.  From my short history with her, I've been able to figure out that she is obsessed with some guy named Alan.  Single.

  
  

  Linnet J. - I met with Caroline.  She's Chinese but grew up in Japan so she not only speaks Cantonese, Mandarin and English, but also Japanese.  Cool eh?  I think so!  She is a cool chick too, and is also 4th yr, Journalism.  Japanese boyfriend.

  
  

  Caroline - I met the other day, she was the girl I overheard speaking Cantonese.  She's been at Fudan for 4 years now and is graduating this year with a journalism degree.  Fun girl to chill with, speaks Cantonese, Mandarin and English fluently.  She rooms with Linnet and is 22 yrs old.  She grew up in HK I think.  Boyfriend in Vancouver.  But she is going out with Jeff now... drama???

  
  

  Nick - Some white dude from Ottawa.  He reminds be of a a druggie because he uses words like dude, rad and totally awesome.  He's 24 and has no idea what he's going to do in life yet, very similar to me.  He's just kinda drifting looking to be rich one day.  Pretty funny guy, always cracks me up.  Single.

  
  

  Joan - Lili's and Summer's friend who was also at Rojam.  Don't know her as well, but she seems pretty cool.  I think she's 19.  Single.

  
  

  Lili - One of Summer's best friends who also happens to go to Fudan.  She is also 20 and seems like a very generous girl, always offering to pay.  Still slightly skeptical of alterior motives, but she is a really nice girl.  Can't speak any English whatsoever.  First year com sci at Fudan.

  
  

  Summer - Well, we all know about Summer.  If not, please refer to Sept. 09.  She actually smells quite nice now, and she has a killer smile.  She's 20.  Single?

  
  

  Kazu - Jap dude that sits beside me in class.  He works for Mitsubishi and is being paid to study Chinese here at Fudan.  He is a very diligent student and whenever I'm confused, I look at his notes.  He also lets me borrow his eraser all the time.  He must be annoyed at me.  Married.

  
  

  James - Taiwanese guy that lives on floor 3 of my building.  He hangs out with us, sings great but can't really cut rug.  Single.

  
  

  Ryuma - Cool Jap guy from Osaka.  He has a shaved head (like Tyson) and speaks both broken English and Chinese.  He likes hip hop and we get along great because it's pretty easy joking around with him.  He's in class C.  He can't really drink though, I caught him puking after one bottle of Carlsberg.  Yes, I drink Carlsberg here.  He has a famous DJ friend in Osaka, if we go there, we'll definitely get hooked up.  Girlfriend in Osaka.

  
  

  Yasu - Friends with Ryuma and also Jap.  He has a girlfriend also studying in Shanghai but at a different university.  Cool guy, 20 yrs old and really polite.  Just broke up with girlfriend.

  
  

  Soong - Is my Korean roommate.  Clean as a mofo this one.  If you ever want to move out with someone, make sure he/she is Korean (maybe fob).  It's his 1st yr studying TV Broadcasting here in Shanghai, speaks fluent Korean and Mandarin and is 20 yrs old.  His program has about 170 students and only 20 are boys.  Korean girlfriend.

  
  

  Chris G. - This guy is from Denmark.  He took a 7 month stint in Shantou working as one of those DJ guys and liked China so much that he decided to study Chinese.  He went back to Denmark, worked for a couple months, saved money, and then came here.  He's 22, cool guy to hang with, knows more about Chinese music than me and is the token white guy in my group.  Single.

  
  

  Richard - Rich is from Toronto as well.  He's of Taiwanese origin and rooms with Chris.  He's studying Medicine at Fudan for 4 years.  He's our official translater and food orderer whenever we go out because he can read and speak fluently.  His parents are pretty tight though, so he can't come party with us all the time.  Single.

  
  

  Lynne G. - That nice TO lady I was talking about.  She teaches here this semester on assignment from Centennial College and has been really cool with everything.  Helping me out with stuff too, offered her place if I go insane here every once in a while.  Married with children.

  
  

  Zhang Ayi - Is my dad's friend.  She is a supernice lady, about 59 years of age.  She takes me out every Sunday for lunch or dinner, I think she is lonely and enjoys the company.  She has been so great at helping me get settled here in Shanghai.

  
  

  To be continued...

  • 2:15 am
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