KTV, but first

Roommate
So it turns out my roommate is a guy named Jerry who I'd met previously at a welcome luncheon. When I first got here, he was very helpful with getting a cell phone, sim card, phone card, etc. His English is almost too good, hopefully it isn't a problem with my "immersion." I'm sure he'll be a good roommate though.

KTV
On Sunday night, it was someone's birthday, so a dozen of us went out for hotpot and then KTV. Hotpot was pretty great, I don't think I've ever seen so much goat meat in one place at one time. It was pretty much like fondue except their was a spicy side and a non-spicy side to cook stuff in. We dumped in potatoes, squid, fishballs, lotus root, lettuce (or cabbage maybe), crab, mushrooms, tofu, and some other stuff that I'm forgetting.

Then it was on to KTV. It's kind of hard to describe. I kind of want to use the word Japanese to describe it although I don't know if that gives the same mental picture for most people. Anyway, it's designed to seem very futuristic, with lots of glowing things and shiny surfaces. I unfortunately forgot to bring my camera, but I'll upload a picture of another KTV (not nearly as upscale as the one we went to though).


Karaoke in China (and I'm lead to believe in the rest of East Asia) is nothing like the U.S. It's not like you get up at a bar and embarrass yourself in front of people you don't know. Instead, you embarrass yourself in front of people in private. All karaoke is done in private rooms rented out to suit the size of the party from 3 people to 50 (presumably there are really huge room in some places). The KTV we went to probably had dozens of rooms.

It's called KTV because of the music videos with the lyrics on the bottom that play while you sing karoake along with it. We got a room that was far too large for us. The main room had a coach along the wall that was large enough to seat all of us, tables and a few touch screens for selecting the songs. Then off of that there was a room with a table and four chairs. Off of that, it's two steps up to another room with a TV in it and a table a few inches off the ground to sit around. Pretty much a hotel suite minus the bed. Complete with room service as well. If you pressed a button, someone came in to serve you.

The singing itself could be done through 2 wireless microphones or one wired mic. People sang everything from Van Morrison to Back Street Boys and even one Chinese song. I sang a few parts to songs as the night wore on, but in general, me singing is to be avoided.

All of this fancy stuff came with presumably a very large price tag, although I didn't ask. A round of drinks, however, cost 250 kuai (250/7.5=$33.33), which is enormously expensive compared to most things in China. Our dinner only cost 16 kuai a person, I believe. I can only guess what the room cost.

The night ended around midnight, when we got kicked out. After getting back, another guy and I decided to chill with three locals outside of the shop next to our dorm. I guess they all live and work in the area and know the shopkeeper. They were very friendly, offering things to drink and eat, and joking around. The other guy understood most of what was being said, whereas I did not. While this may sound sketchy (looking at you, Mom and Dad), trust me, these guys weren't going to do us any harm. They hang out there regularly, and one of them works in the building next door to us. The program assistant said there always very friendly with people in the program.

So that was the KTV adventure. You really have to see it for yourself.