The days are getting shorter and that means that it is getting cooler. I’m sitting at the desk in the bedroom typing this and the sun is not yet up even though I slept in this morning. The breeze has been blowing and we’re able to regularly see all the way to the harbor from the apartment. This past week has been a pretty normal week. We did have some work done on the Internet connection in the apartment and while it isn’t as solid as the one at the office it does seem to be working better.
J.D. and I have made it a habit to go to lunch on Friday’s. We had a nice relaxing walk along the harbor to Marina Village after he slowed me down. We’ve both been so caught up in what we’re working on that it is hard to slow down and just relax. On the way we talked a lot about the language training software project. We had noodles for lunch and then headed over to HiSense (a shopping mall with a grocery store) to get Shirley some baking soda. As we headed into traffic to cross the street I was struck by some of the little things that have changed in me since we arrived.
That morning I had gotten on a bus in the middle and passed my bus fare to the front of the bus. There was barely room to stand, but I was grateful for the space I had. It was actually less crowded than the bus I got on the day before. When we first arrived I couldn’t have gotten the nerve to get on that bus. Crossing the street in between the cars has also become routine. I’ve learned to go with the flow. The car drivers anticipate that you are going to step into the street and even though they have the right of way everyone keeps moving without anyone hitting anyone most of the time.
So, some things I’ve gotten used to and take for granted. However, there are constant reminders that I am still in China and have a long way to go before I even begin to figure out the culture here. At the grocery store I am able to push my way through the crowd of older ladies to get my fruits and vegetables weighed. If I didn’t I would never be able to buy fruits or vegetables because I would never get them weighed. I admit that I buy most vegetables pre-packaged and weighed to reduce the amount of jostling that I have to do at the scales. I still haven’t stood in the egg line. Eggs don’t come in boxes. Instead they come unpackaged in crates that are about one foot square. They are place in plastic bags and weighed. Can you imagine carrying 40 eggs in a plastic bag? Yesterday I felt very fortunate because there were small quantities of eggs that had been placed in plastic netting and already weighed. I picked them up as soon as I saw them and said a big thank you that once again I didn’t have to stand in the egg line.
On the way out of the store I noticed that there were people sitting on the sidewalk across the street from the store. I hadn’t noticed them before and stopped to pay closer attention. I didn’t figure out all the activities, but it was clear that one of the men was a shoe repairman. He didn’t have any machines, but it was clear by what he was doing that he was doing more than shining shoes. As I began the walk up the hill I passed a man who was unloading some kind of grain in big sacks. I’m certain he was taking them into the outdoor market that is across the street from the grocery store where I shop. Maybe when we come back we’ll venture into that market. I’m certain the prices will be lower, but beyond that I have no idea what that experience will be like.
I bought some frozen, skinless chicken breasts at the store. They are piled on a six foot square table and you pick them up with your hands. Actually, you try to pick them up with the plastic bag you will use to transport them. The first thing that happens when I get them home is that Shirley washes them off before putting them in the refrigerator. They have been frozen so we needed to use them right away. Shirley cooked them up into a wonderful stir fry that we all enjoyed for dinner. She still has her stir fry with rice noodles while the rest of us eat rice, but she’s becoming quite a good Chinese cook.
We have less than two weeks to go and tomorrow we’ll get to experience the immigration office as we have to apply to extend our visas. Every day there is a new experience and there are many we probably won’t even recognize until we get back home.
