“I love riding my bike. I used to race when I was at the universityin the US and I think that having a girl sit on the back of the bike isthe most romantic thing that you can do in China. I also really enjoywatching movies where couples ride together because it is really nothingthat you would ever see in the US. Maybe a scene about ridingaround in the rain while the girl holds an umbrella for the two of them，or even a family with the father carrying a mother on the back and ababy in the middle — to me this is really a great thing that is uniqueabout China. The problem is that it is illegal on the streets of most cities.
“One time， my then girlfriend and I were riding around Beijing.
We came up to a stop light and she got off the bike to walk to the otherside to where she could get back on the bike. Unfortunately， a policeofficer saw us and came over to lecture her. I told the officer that shewas from Mexico and wasn’t able to speak any Chinese. She waswearing a hat from the Southwestern part of the US and she could passfor a Mexican girl， and the officer looked at me kind of dumbfounded.
He then told me that my Chinese was really good and he was still confusedas to why the girl with black hair was Mexican and not Chinese.
I told him that Mexican people also have black hair and brown eyes.
He found it fascinating to speak with two foreigners who were ridinga bike late at night in Beijing. Anyway， he gave me a patient lecture ontraffic safety…
“After that， he told me to be careful with the girl on the back andnot to let anyone else see us riding around otherwise we would have topay a fine.
“I thanked the police officer and rode away to pick up my wife onthe other side of the intersection. After we were far enough away shepunched me in the arm for lying. “When did you get married? Did the marriage procedure gosmoothly?” After the story， I learned they were already married. I felthappy for Michael. After giving up his job and waiting for many years，he finally lives with his beloved happily forever. But somehow I wasstill curious. Weren’t there any complicated and moving stories behindthe marriage? Unexpectedly， my question indeed resulted in a story.
“We got married in 2005. Speaking of marriage， things were notthat smooth. Her parents didn’t agree at the very beginning， especiallyher mother. “Why? “A mother usually loves her daughter the most， and thinks herdaughter should find the best and most handsome boy. You know， as Itold you already， I’ve got a long face and don’t look that handsome… “What did you do then? 22 “It wasn’t a big deal. I just went slowly and waited for mychance. Well， I was fortunate to have an opportunity to be on TV. “On TV? As an actor?” I opened my eyes wide and looked athim.
“No. Do you know there is a program called ‘Absolute Challenge’
on CCTV? It’s a televised employment program done by employmentunits. Applicants exhibit their talents on TV， answer various questionsraised by the examiners， then the company chooses the winner fromamong the candidates. “I’ve seen it. What position were you applying for? Did thathelp your marriage? “Well， I was a teacher at the Wall Street English School. Theyplanned to hire a service manager， so I applied for the job. After a seriesof TV contests， I won. Her parents and family members watchedthe program. Her family members all praised me， saying I was socapable and highly dedicated， and would surely have a bright future.
Her relatives and friends also persuaded her mother to accept me. Mytalents and sincerity finally moved her mother. Now her parents treatme very well， regard me as their own son， and hide nothing from me.
Now they live with us. Protecting Environment Starts from Me“Where do you live? Have you bought a house in Beijing? “Not yet. At present we live in a rented house in Chaoyang District. “How do you get to work， by taxi or by car? “I take the subway every day. It’s very convenient， isn’t it? Michael’s reply shocked me. A foreigner going to work every day on thesubway， like us. On second thought， it is quite natural. It is very convenientto get from Sihui to Dongzhimen — just take the No. 1 line to Jianguomen，transfer to the No. 2 loop line， and go to his office. Saying this，Michael took out a subway pass from his pocket. I once again openedmy eyes wider， saying， “You’ve got a monthly pass. How did you get it?” I know it’s very hard to get a subway pass， even for Chinese people.
“A friend gave it to me，” Michael looked very proud of himself.
“But，” he changed the subject and continued， “once I got on a crowdedsubway， and I overheard one man say， ‘this foreigner doesn’t drive， butprefers to squeeze in and out with us.’ I immediately said to him， I doit for environmental protection. If there is one more driver， there willbe that much more gas emission polluting the environment. I coulddrive or take a taxi to work. If you don’t care， neither do I. Anyway，this is China， your own country… I was moved by his seriousness. If a foreigner can work for environmentalprotection， why can’t we， in our own country?
Speaking of the environment， Michael was off again on a favoritesubject.
“The landscape around Arizona is some of the most distinct inthe world. There are really high mountains in the north that have snowon their peaks in May and pine trees that are green all year around.
The middle of Arizona has a lot of red rocks from the iron in the dirt.
When it rains， the mountains turn a very bright red. Southern Arizonais mostly desert where tall Saguaro cacti grow.