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Nov. 8th, 2006 11:18 pmNot much happened today, and that was nice. Because I don't have anything to report on today, I'll write this entry about another "character" in the new life of Tina. This time I'll introduce you to Mr. Du.
Mr. Du is a driver employed by the program. He owns his own van and he shuttles employees and students back and forth between Nanjing and the campus. He has a daughter who is about 1 year old who looks like a mini version of him. She even has the same haircut (very cute). Mr. Du was somewhat of a hooligan in his pre-marriage days and he loves to tell Chris stories about the good old days of his wild youth. For example, he told Chris about a time he got pulled over for driving his car in the bike lane. He waited until the police where out of their car and approaching his when he sped away. He was proud of that story.
Driving in China requires a special talent. It is very complicated, everyone just weaves in and out, swerving around each other, honking non-stop, and just generally disregarding the lines painted onto the pavement. Mr. Du is an expert driver. He can get past any traffic jam and always manages to find a way to create a new lane where there wasn't one before. Also, he isn't afraid to buck the system. One time when he picked us up at the train station, he refused to pay for parking as he was leaving. The parking attendant yelled at him, but Mr. Du didn't care. He wouldn't pay. What could the poor attendant do? He just said "I'll remember you and I won't let you park here next time!"
Another memorable Mr. Du experience was when we were moving out of our first apartment. He came to pick us up and drive us to the campus housing. I don't recall if I mentioned it or not, but we ended up being delayed in our move because we hadn't told anyone we were moving. In other words, we were suppose to fill out paper work and basically get permission from the security guards to move. We ended up being delayed for over an hour as they worked all that out. Mr. Du just hung around and smoked while we worked it out (btw, he has a brown stain on his two front teeth, presumably where he sucks the smoke through his teeth. Still he smiles liberally with no self-consciousness. I like that.) Finally, all the paperwork was completed and they allowed us to leave. As we drove through the front gate, the guards told Mr. Du he had to pay for parking since his van was there for so long. Mr. Du argued that the only reason we'd been there was because they'd kept us there. Of course, the guards had to discuss it and we ended up sitting there for several more minutes. Finally Mr. Du just laid on the horn and didn't stop. Seriously, he kept honking and honking and honking.....until the guards finally raised the gate and let us through. Mr. Du drove away muttering under his breath. I suppose it's a good thing that I don't understand Chinese curse words because I have the feeling Mr. Du has a very colorful vocabulary.
He's one of those guys that you are glad is in your corner. He always helps us out and gets us where we need to go. He knows everywhere in Nanjing. The one time that he didn't know, he put the van in park at a red light, got out and walked over to a taxi driver. He talked to the guy for a while asking directions and casually walked back to the van. He climbed in and closed the door just as the light turned green. The whole thing was timed so perfectly, it almost seemed as if he had orchestrated it. We like Mr. Du.
The other driver, Mr. Ju, is pretty much the total opposite. He's quiet and polite. He's also trying to learn English and he'll practice his new words on me. We try and teach each other. I've learned how to say "come eat" "good food!" "meat" "apple" and "sprite". I'm getting it. Oh, my new favorite phrase is "don't want" which you can basically use for anything. It applies to someone trying to sell you something you don't want, or if a kid is misbehaving and you're telling them to stop. It's a very handy phrase.
Mr. Du is a driver employed by the program. He owns his own van and he shuttles employees and students back and forth between Nanjing and the campus. He has a daughter who is about 1 year old who looks like a mini version of him. She even has the same haircut (very cute). Mr. Du was somewhat of a hooligan in his pre-marriage days and he loves to tell Chris stories about the good old days of his wild youth. For example, he told Chris about a time he got pulled over for driving his car in the bike lane. He waited until the police where out of their car and approaching his when he sped away. He was proud of that story.
Driving in China requires a special talent. It is very complicated, everyone just weaves in and out, swerving around each other, honking non-stop, and just generally disregarding the lines painted onto the pavement. Mr. Du is an expert driver. He can get past any traffic jam and always manages to find a way to create a new lane where there wasn't one before. Also, he isn't afraid to buck the system. One time when he picked us up at the train station, he refused to pay for parking as he was leaving. The parking attendant yelled at him, but Mr. Du didn't care. He wouldn't pay. What could the poor attendant do? He just said "I'll remember you and I won't let you park here next time!"
Another memorable Mr. Du experience was when we were moving out of our first apartment. He came to pick us up and drive us to the campus housing. I don't recall if I mentioned it or not, but we ended up being delayed in our move because we hadn't told anyone we were moving. In other words, we were suppose to fill out paper work and basically get permission from the security guards to move. We ended up being delayed for over an hour as they worked all that out. Mr. Du just hung around and smoked while we worked it out (btw, he has a brown stain on his two front teeth, presumably where he sucks the smoke through his teeth. Still he smiles liberally with no self-consciousness. I like that.) Finally, all the paperwork was completed and they allowed us to leave. As we drove through the front gate, the guards told Mr. Du he had to pay for parking since his van was there for so long. Mr. Du argued that the only reason we'd been there was because they'd kept us there. Of course, the guards had to discuss it and we ended up sitting there for several more minutes. Finally Mr. Du just laid on the horn and didn't stop. Seriously, he kept honking and honking and honking.....until the guards finally raised the gate and let us through. Mr. Du drove away muttering under his breath. I suppose it's a good thing that I don't understand Chinese curse words because I have the feeling Mr. Du has a very colorful vocabulary.
He's one of those guys that you are glad is in your corner. He always helps us out and gets us where we need to go. He knows everywhere in Nanjing. The one time that he didn't know, he put the van in park at a red light, got out and walked over to a taxi driver. He talked to the guy for a while asking directions and casually walked back to the van. He climbed in and closed the door just as the light turned green. The whole thing was timed so perfectly, it almost seemed as if he had orchestrated it. We like Mr. Du.
The other driver, Mr. Ju, is pretty much the total opposite. He's quiet and polite. He's also trying to learn English and he'll practice his new words on me. We try and teach each other. I've learned how to say "come eat" "good food!" "meat" "apple" and "sprite". I'm getting it. Oh, my new favorite phrase is "don't want" which you can basically use for anything. It applies to someone trying to sell you something you don't want, or if a kid is misbehaving and you're telling them to stop. It's a very handy phrase.
