Response #36 (hex)

 Finding an internet bar for access was challenging.  The "proper" places
 located in nice quarters had slow access and usually didn't have
 telnet.  Walking by a very busy street one day, Carl saw computer screens
 in a dark room and he went in and it was an internet bar.  
 
 It was kind of dark, or rather only lit by one fluorescent over the front
 desk.  It cost something like 6 yuan per hour if I'm remembering
 correctly.  It was full of young men playing computer games.  I went there
 a couple of times.  Once, a man was sitting next to me who was in a chat
 room.  Maybe he was practicing his English.  I'M SORRY!  I PEEKED, OK??
 
 When school let out,the younger kids came in and the noise was
 deafening.  I'd usually leave as soon as they came in.
 
 While there, I noticed that the owner always wiped down the keyboard after
 the person left.  That made me feel a little better about this place, but
 not much.  It was cramped, had about 30 machines in a little room--imagine
 all those EMFs.  But you could smoke, they had ashtrays.  And I bought in
 water bottles or ice cream bars, etc.  So it was pretty relaxed.
 
 Then we asked around and found there was a place near our apartment.  It
 was "across from the Korean School."  Where was the Korean School?  The
 buildings around here all look very institutional or like factories and
 then there are little stores and apartment blocks.  I had no idea where
 the Korean School was.
 
 I went down to the local computer store--they'd know where this place
 was.  I asked (in my limited Mandarin) where is internet?  I didn't know
 at that time they all called it an internet bar.  It wouldn't have helped
 anyway because they pronounce it so differently, we probably still
 wouldn't have understood each other.
 
 Where is internet?  Right here!  We'll sell you this. YOu want to buy a
 computer for internet.  
 
 NO, I want to rent by the hour--use the internet.
 
 The one person who could speak a little English couldn't speak enough to
 understand what I meant.  We went round and round.  A big crowd of people
 gathered. Oh God. I tried to call Carl at work to get someone at work to
 tell them what I wanted, but the cell phone wouldn't work in there.
 
 The young man showed me a price list, he said the Compaq was a very famous
 brand.  They set about printing a price list for me.  I wasn't able to
 communicate and I was starting to really get nervous.
 
 Then I just relaxed.  This guy wants to look good in front of his boss by
 speaking English to the foreigner.  I can just take the price list and say
 I'll discuss it with my husband.  It took about 20 minutes for this thing
 to print out.  There were all kinds of problems.  It wwas really
 unbelievable.  I just relaxed and we talked about China, where he was from
 (Anhui), general topics of life. 
 
 FINALLY the price list printed out and I thanked him and shook his
 hand.  We were all smiling.  The crowd was breaking up.  I was a little
 shaken.  It was horrible not being able to communicate.
 
 I was thinking about Chinese coming to America, how hard it must be for
 them.  Here, many people can speak some English.  In America, hardly
 anyone speaks Mandarin.
 
 I got someone from Carl's office to write in my little book "Where is the
 nearest internet bar" in Mandarin and I took off looking for the Korean
 School.
 
 I accidentally found it and went down the side road where it was
 located.  I showed my book to someone.  She took me out on the sidewalk
 and said something and pointed down the street.  I thanked her and went
 on.  I looked into shops, looking for computer screens.  I went until I
 thought surely I'd gone too far and went into the book store and showed my
 book to the man in there.  He took me out on the sidewalk and pointed to
 an open door with stairs going up. 
 
 Oh, it was upstairs, that's why I couldn't see it.  He nodded to go up
 there.
 
 I reached the top of the stairs and saw a handwritten sign with arrows
 going in different directions.  The one with the internet character went
 to the left.  I turned and went to a room and immediately ducked back
 out.
 
 I only saw a glimpse, but it was definitely a very seedy room with 3
 computers, and a bed with a guy sleeping in his underwear in the bed.
 
 I turned and went to the other room.  It had around 40 computers with
 young men sitting there playing games.  They had headsets so they could
 hear the noise.  A radio was playing.  They were yelling and talking to
 each other.  
 
 When the foreigner walked in, they were curious and noticed, but didn't
 stop playing.  I asked them about internet, and showed the girl behind the
 counter my book.  They laughed and pointed to the other room.  I shook my
 head.  I wasn't going in there.
 
 I waited out in the hall while she went in the room and got the sleeping
 guy up.  One other guy was in there, sitting at one of the computers.  I
 could see the feet of the guy trying to wake up.  He was just sitting
 there, smoking a cigarette, sitting on the side of the bed.  It was very
 hot. The fan was on.  the girl was talking to him. I imagined she was
 saying come on, get up.  A foreigner's here.  Wake up.  Are you
 alright?  Come on.
 
 Eventually he came out in pants and a shirt.  He unceremoniously kicked a
 guy off one of the game computers out in the big room and he put me on
 there.
 
 The access was fast, he had telnet, I was in heaven.  I sat there for
 several hours catching up on the well and listening to Art Bell in the
 headphones (hey when it's afternoon here, it's prime Art Bell time).  The
 guys in the room were yelling and playing and shooting and whatever.  It
 was quite a din.
 
 Of course you could smoke and drink there, but I would never drink at a
 place like this, because then I would eventually have to pee and I've seen
 some of the bathrooms here and I just do NOT want to have to go in a place
 like this.  Believe me, you have to plan out your intake so you can
 coordinate your bathroom stops.
 
 I can't remember the price here, but it was along the lines of the other
 place.  I wanted to say they both were 3 yuan per hour, but that just
 can't be right.  That's just too low.  I can't remember.
 
 But one day I went to that internet "bar" and stayed for hours and ran up
 a 20 yuan bill.  There are 8 yuan to the dollar.
 
 Now, we have a phone card that's just for internet access. 50 hours for 50
 yuan.  I can use Carl's laptop from the apartment and it works just fine.

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