Hai O Hai O it's off to work I go

Chunk, click, chuck, click, chunk, click sounds with each rotation of my new bike's pedal rotation. Instead of hearing the nice breeze in the air as I now zoom down the streets of Baoding, my ears are overloaded with the freight train noise of my bike. This might not be such a bad though since the traffic is so crazy in China. The noise of my new bike can serve as a make-shift horn for me. I bought the bike on Saturday with the help of my new Chinese friend Yuessa. First, a large group of us went to Military Square and had jiao zi (dumplings) all together. These dumpling might have been my favorite meal since coming to China. The outside is a flour noodle stuff with various yummy fillings. These range from egg and clintro to pork and onion, both of which might range within my favorites. After lunch we proceeded to go to find bikes. The original place we went to before lunch we found out was shut down by the government a few days earlier. Probably because they were selling stolen bikes. Yuessa heard about another place to check out while we were eating jiao zi. The place ended up having three bikes. Emily and I both were in search of one and so was another new American friend Cameron. We each tried each one of the bikes but all of us were not satisfied. Yuessa tried each one as well, but was bold enough to ride down the street and saw another place to buy bikes. We took off toward that direction, not on the bikes though. An elderly Chinese man who had the looked like George Clooney only older and with a face full of child-like wonder followed us down to the next bike shop. After looking through the bikes and riding them a couple of different times I finally decided on a black bike with Ying Xian(if I am remebering correctly) written on the side.
"My bike has to have a name," I said as we waited for one of the bike-shop men to try to make Emily's bike seat higher. "But I want the name to be something in Chinese...maybe Dragon."
Yuessa quickly replied, "No! That is too over used."
Instinctively, my next idea sproung out from my alma mater and I asked what the name for Seahawk in Chinese is...of course this was silly because a Seahawk is a made up bird!
"What about a Seagull."
"Oh ok, it is Hai (make your voice dip and then up again) O (say the tone by keeping your voice even).
It was a surprise a few moments after naming my bike to look down and see a picture of a bird on Hai O and have Yuessa tell me the name of the bike is something like great bird. So fun!!
Emily also bought a bike, but her bike is purple instead of black and she has yet to give it a proper name. We have had a great time riding our bike around the city and going to the supermarket. I am very proud of Emily, because she was very nervous to ride her bike around the streets and she is doing it now with confidence. It only took one ride to the store.