Christmas Eve at Mr. Mai's

About a block from West Campus, fronting the busy road that cuts through WUT, is a well known place for Westerners and students alike called Mr. Mai's Coffee House & Foreign Language Club. That's where I had my Christmas Eve lunch/dinner.

Jon had recommended it to me (many thanks!) before I arrived and so I had put it on my agenda early into my trip. This was my third visit there and today I enjoyed my third helping and major food treat: beef tacos!! WAHOO!!! And, I followed it up with coffee and a piece of apple pie a la mode! This may seem strange, but let me explain.

Mr. Mai's is owned and operated by an American couple who moved to China 6 years ago; they opened Mr. Mai's in 2003 as a place for Westerners to get 'familiar food' and coffee and for students who want to practice their English with the Westerners. Many, many university students and Western teachers congregate there during its hours of operation: 2:00 pm. - 10:00 pm.

Today I arrived at 3:00 to order my tacos and the young, affable Chinese man behind the counter--Freddie, whom I'd met my two previous times before--was so entertaining I told him I was now going to call him "Mr. Personality!" He was very pleased. His command of the English language--both speaking and understanding, even idioms--is excellent. As I waited for my meal, a friendly Chinese student engaged me in conversation. He sat with another Chinese student, eager to practice English. Two Western women sat at the same table. After a rousing conversation lead by the Chinese students, us Westerners had a chance to connect.

Both graduated and took English teaching jobs in Wuhan, one has been here 3 years and the other, along with her husband, have been here 9 months. Through the course of our conversation we discovered similiar interests and they offered to take me to a shop where they had just made several purchases. (I had inquired about their bundles and was very excited when I saw the contents)

Oddly enough, Mr. Personality owns this store! He had just opened it this week several blocks down the street. So, they walked me there--I would have had trouble finding it myself I do believe--and they stayed while I made my purchases. Between their shopping and mine, we did some damage to his stock! In fact, the woman who helped me was so excited about the number of items I was buying, she called Freddie/Mr. Personality, who walked down to the store to oversee my "discount" for the volume purchase. What fun!

After we left the store, my new friends took off for a bookstore and I opted to return home to my apartment. I had originally thought I would stay at Mr. Mai's throughout the evening, since they are having a big event for all the students, but decided a quite, still evening away from all the hub bub of the evening (all the store stay open late--opposite of America!--and the traffic turns into a nightmare) is how I really wanted to spend the evening.

Perhaps the reason for my change in plans rests in a question one of the Chinese students I spoke with asked me, "Tell me, how would you be spending tonight if you were in America?" Here's what I told him: My husband, my cat and I would be enjoying a nice fire in the fireplace at our home. I would be curled up on our couch with my cat listening to Christmas music while my husband would be sitting in his chair reading a book. I will go to bed tonight with that image...have a good Christmas Eve...Jim & Cody.