2nd day in China

July 15, 2005

It is very foggy today, or as my host mother said, froggy. They gave me toast, fruit, and orange juice for breakfast, yeah finally something that I can eat and my stomach won’t be mad at me! I went to the office and met Caitlin then we went to Jusco, a department store, and bought some pastries for lunch. We proceeded to hop on a random bus and walk for a while. We ended up on the pier where we were stared at quite a bit. Pictures were taken of us and we were made fun of, they do this by saying Hawlooo very pronounced. We were harassed for a while by a guy with no shirt on eating an apple. He reminded us of the character of Mr. Peepers on Saturday night live so his name became Mr. Peepers. After awhile the staring became quite annoying but for a while we felt like celebrities. We went to Carefore- another department store very similar to Wal-Mart but cheaper. We finally realized how cheap everything is here. A bottle of pepsi cost around 20 cent in American dollars, 5 Duracell batteries, less than a dollar. Do I need to go on? We went back to the office where we were interviewed and our pictures taken for the newspaper. My family and I went to their Mother’s for dinner where the reporters continued to follow us and take pictures of me eating dumplings for the first time. So it’s ok that I try new food, but does everyone have to stare and make a big deal about it? Then we went to a ocean café where we met their friends and had some more food and beer, again food wasn’t so good but they did get me popcorn, not quite the same as back home but good. Their driver came and picked the daughter and me up, don’t know how to say her name either, and took us home. So apparently a chauffer or a maid cost about $50 a month. And they had a surprise for me when I got home; they installed an air conditioner for me! Yea! Now if only I had a towel and a bed……….hmmm
Some observations about china:
- every corner you turn you can be sure to find a great new stench
- Chinese don’t have noticeable leg hair nor can they grow facial hair beyond peach
fuzz this I know because Kevin, one of the teachers, wore shorts and people proceeded to take pictures of him while they touched his leg hair.
- It is acceptable to wear clothes 2-3 days in a row, I am not sure if this is more or not, I have not been here that long
- traffic lights and lines on the road are a mere suggestion
- you CAN fit 3-4 cars in 2 lanes of traffic
- you cross the road at a light/crosswalk and have to pray that you don’t get hit
- salespeople are quite aggressive and even though they know you can’t speak the language they still proceed to talk to you.
- No matter how many foreigners you have seen, you still stare.