An old story courtesy of Roldy of Kunming:

Roldy told me that there when he was a child he and his friends would always try to catch dragonflies. There were three ways to catch dragonflies:

1) Chase after them with nets.

2) Capture a female, tie a string to its tail, stake down the string, catch the males when they come to mate.

3) Capture a male, put mud on it, capture the males when they try to mate with the male (mud confuses them).

He said that often there would be 20 or so Chinese boys with nets chasing after one dragonfly! A scene I can only imagine.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2267714&id=1505459&l=4982f858f0

Pictures from two Sundays ago courtesy of Bill!

We had 30 people out there and five languages being spoken on the field at the same time.

Gareth

Another busy week in Chengdu, so not too much blogging action.

Two short updates:

Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to be able to go to Korea to play in the tournament Jeju, because it would cost at least 700$. This makes me very sad. At first we though we were going to get group tickets for 200$, so you can imagine my surprise at the price change. I'll have to visit Ben another time!

Yesterday I was looking out of my apartment window at a major intersection and I saw a police car with lights flashing trying to make a left turn. You might think that this would be no problem, but the Chinese drivers seemed to think otherwise. Not only did they not let the police car turn, but even as he eased into traffic, the entire traffic flow shifted so that they could keep going. Eventually the police car was surrounded by cars on both sides, although he did make it through in the end.

Been quite a busy week here in Chengdu. Fortunately, the weather has been great, with temperatures reaching 75. The Chinese people are still wearing multiple layers of sweaters. Perhaps they will catch on at some point. Yuanqiang claims that wearing warmer clothes now will "season" people so that the summer doesn't seem as hot. Who knows whether this is true or not. Maybe they should wear shorts in the fall to prepare for winter (I didn't notice that when I got here). Anyways, I'm looking forward to continued good weather and another weekend with two games of ultimate!

Yesterday we had another successful round of Chengdu ultimate pick up. It has caught on pretty well; the first participants couldn't wait until next week to get back out on the field. Hopefully we can finagle a couple of the rugby players for next time. Although people are often surprised at how much running is involved, they don't seem to mind getting tired out if they can catch a few frisbees. More random updates as they come.

The first attempt to play ultimate frisbee in Chengdu was a rousing success. Not only were passes completed and goals scored, but the overall level of play was inspiring. First time players were catching consistently and being patient with the frisbee. Wily veterans were making solid cuts and showing mild restraint with their throws. Most importantly, everybody was involved and had a great time.

Highlights:

Chenyaolong complaining that his arm was tired and he needed to take a five minute rest after ten minutes of warm-up throwing.

Playing six on six!

Only having to pay for half a field at the end.

Getting good representation from both foreigners and locals.

Drinking beer with new found friends and playing frisbee golf on the streets of Chengdu after dinner.

Today we will boldly undertake the first attempt at pick up ultimate frisbee in Chengdu! Will we have more than 4 people? Will any passes be completed? Will we get kicked off the field for no good reason by an old man with a thick local accent? These and more questions will be answered tomorrow!