What Just Happened?

Joe and Fiona and I decided to take an evening art course at the Cultural Center in Chiayi. I thought the course was in traditional Chinese landscape painting. Maybe I was wrong.

Chris, who flies back to the states on Monday, decided to come with us to listen in on the class. The instructor was shocked when he came in and saw three white people sitting in the front row. He began asking Joe and Fiona lots of questions in Chinese; I have no idea what their conversation was, but the other twenty people in the class seemed fascinated and would periodically erupt in giggles (staring at us the whole while). It was rather awkward for me, I must admit, for I couldn't understand a word.

The instructor began to sketch a photograph of a building as a demonstration, but our presence was too distracting. After about five minutes, he asked Chris if he could paint his portrait, instead. Chris agreed and the class seemed thrilled.

Down Chris sat on a stool, and the student body swarmed around the professor to watch him sketch and then paint. The students asked if they could take Chris's picture. Fiona translated and Chris agreed. Students whipped out cameras and began taking Chris's photo from various angles. One woman took a long video. Gradually, a likeness of Chris began to emerge on the professor's paper, complete with shoulder-length hair, signature skull and crossbones headband, and sunglasses at the collar of his shirt. Periodically the professor would make a comment or explain something he was doing and Joe or Fiona would translate for me.

"Our nostrils are round," he told the class as he added detail to Chris's nostril, "but theirs are rectangular."

When he began adding color to the face, he noted that Chris's face was a little sunburned. "Aren't they afraid of the sun?" he asked Joe.

The class was two hours long and the professor finished the portrait just before it ended. Joe and Fiona came up with a Chinese version of Chris's name so the professor could paint it on the portrait, then he gave it to Chris to take home.

The professor asked if I was available to model for the college figure class he teaches on Tuesday mornings and I agreed. I will get paid! Joe and Fiona told me I get paid more depending on how much skin I show, but I'm not sure if they were serious or not.

Chris and I are heading to Taroko Gorge in the morning and then to Taipei for the weekend (with Joe). Hopefully no more earthquakes! We had three today and one was large enough to be quite terrifying. I hope Mama Earth will hold off on the shuddering for a while.

Love.