Back to the topic then... I received my lady's package last week. She sent me a Chinese doll of some sort, a big "true lover's knot", a handwritten postcard, a scarf for my mother (which looked like something you could hang in the Christmas tree so I had to ask what it was) and a few photos (Photoshop style, of course). I was very impressed with her gifts, I didn't expect her to send me such a big package. Although I would still have preferred real pictures of her instead of all this, I have to hand it to her. It felt like she really put some time and energy into it.
I wrote her a letter and asked the questions I felt I needed to ask. I wasn't rude or blunt but very honest. We have talked about honesty for such a long time and I am not a guy who can pretend, if I feel the need to discuss something I will. I brought up the "moving along" issue with her and just like last time she said that we could arrange a webcam meeting, but only at the agency. Which means that we will have to make an appointment so that she can travel 400 kilometres to the agency just to have a short webcam meeting with me.
I also asked her about the camera. Her explanation was that she borrowed a camera from a collegue to take the pictures of the letter I sent to her. To me it is obvious she doesn't want to take pictures of herself and send to me. No matter if she does have a camera or not, she still got the camera in her mobile phone. But she managed to reject that option before as well. She has sent me the same pictures again and a new one, all taken a long time ago.
Her explanation for not wanting to have a private webcam meeting just between the two of us is that she is too shy. But I don't think this is the main concern. I talked to my Chinese teacher at the university yesterday. She is from Shanxi province and she told me that she can't understand the Guangdong dialect. And she is Chinese! It is possible that all the Mandarin I have learned and am learning, is for sh*t. I should have known because I am familiar with the fact that there are plenty of different dialects in China. But I guess I was just swept away at some point...
Does anyone have experience talking Mandarin with people in or from southern China?
Right now I am standing in the middle of the road not knowing if I am to continue to the other side or turn back.