Street Crossing---Nightime styles
I would say that most of the cars and buses have their headlights on at night, and most of the street lamps work, but some parts of our walk to dinner last night were very dark. We had a street crossing "incident". Josh and Mae saw an opening and they went for it. Karen and I are hesitators--and this can spell disaster for street crossing. A few days ago, I asked Josh to please hold my hand when we cross the streets. On the next street he took my hand and went for it. Only one problem: my feet were planted. We played tug of war with our arms for a split second and then I bounced forward. Because we were a moment later than Josh's planned window of crossing, we were in more danger. I have promised to "just go" with him, but he is not as willing to hold my hand anymore. So, back to Karen and I stuck across the road with a rush of traffic coming in the dark. We decided to wait for the light to turn red and then walk through stopped cars, but as soon as they all stopped and we went for it, the light turned green and they just started to go! I think i screamed and took off. Karen thought I was going to run into the oncoming traffic in the set of lanes travelling the other way, and grabbed my arm with brut force. But there were no oncoming cars, so we both sprinted the rest of the way. What a rush. My heart was pounding for 10 minutes afterward. Maybe night crossing is no more dangerous, it is not as though the drivers/cyclists/scooters slow down when they see you.
Last night, at 6:30pm, when I was thinking I was ready for bed (I didnt succumb to a nap yesterday), we decided to go out to dinner with Karen and Mae--but not before scoping out another...supermarket!! I could write a guide to supermarkets in the city. This one was the best yet, however. I posted a photo of it. It is about 3 times the size of an American grocery store, and 5 times a Kiwi one. Carrefour was huge and sparkling clean. On this tour, Josh and I picked up museli, yogurt, and honey--which will make many a delightful breakfast like this morning's. This was the first store I have seen that takes credit cards. Ji'nan is a cash society, and when I whipped out my Mastercard at another supermarket, there was confusion and shaking heads.
After shopping, we went to dinner at one of the countless restaurants in the area that all have the same menu. On the way to dinner, I was thinking.."I could really go for a Greek salad right now", but was preparing myself for something hot, oily and salty. The walk to dinner was neat. It looked a bit like we were in a warzone or the aftermath of an earthquake. The road and sidewalks were torn up. Lanterns were strung out and old men sat on homemade stools playing Mah Jang (sp?) on little tables. Kittens stalked around looking for food and street vendors were still out. Shopowners were sitting on the curb eating dinner out of old pots and pans outside their open storefront. We passed a few doorways bordered with lit red Christmas lights where heavily made up and scantily clad women sat in chairs looking out into the streets.
Dinner was fried pork on the bone, a very oily green onion omelet, and tasty broccoli. I paid another visit to the WC and saw that they also use the sink in there to wash the dishes. Dishwashing is an interesting topic. Late at night, there are a lot of people out on the street with big plastic buckets of soapy water (at least I think it is soapy) washing dishes and dumping the water into the street. I guess dishwashers only exist in flash hotel restaurants and rich people's homes. I like to think of the dishwater washing the loogies off the street at night. There is a lot of hoiking and spitting that goes on around here. A few days ago, Josh and I bought fruit from a shirtless man, holding a cigarette who spat to his side while we were picking out a pommegranite. Most men smoke here, but I have yet to see a woman light up.
After dinner, we came home and crashed. What a day! Today the sky is so blue. I want to go out and about but need to wait for a phonecall from a woman who called earlier this morning. She is going to show me where I am teaching, give me a handbook of some sort, and go over my schedule with me. She said she would call back later with a time to meet me tomorrow, so here I am cleaning house and reading Foreign Babes in Beijing, which I am glued to. It is so much fun to read here in China, its familiarly funny, and turning out to be a useful resource for some etiquette. If you talk to Soy, tell her how much I am enjoying it!
Josh is out and about with "Judy" today scoping out the English department and his classrooms. Zai-jien for now.
Last night, at 6:30pm, when I was thinking I was ready for bed (I didnt succumb to a nap yesterday), we decided to go out to dinner with Karen and Mae--but not before scoping out another...supermarket!! I could write a guide to supermarkets in the city. This one was the best yet, however. I posted a photo of it. It is about 3 times the size of an American grocery store, and 5 times a Kiwi one. Carrefour was huge and sparkling clean. On this tour, Josh and I picked up museli, yogurt, and honey--which will make many a delightful breakfast like this morning's. This was the first store I have seen that takes credit cards. Ji'nan is a cash society, and when I whipped out my Mastercard at another supermarket, there was confusion and shaking heads.
After shopping, we went to dinner at one of the countless restaurants in the area that all have the same menu. On the way to dinner, I was thinking.."I could really go for a Greek salad right now", but was preparing myself for something hot, oily and salty. The walk to dinner was neat. It looked a bit like we were in a warzone or the aftermath of an earthquake. The road and sidewalks were torn up. Lanterns were strung out and old men sat on homemade stools playing Mah Jang (sp?) on little tables. Kittens stalked around looking for food and street vendors were still out. Shopowners were sitting on the curb eating dinner out of old pots and pans outside their open storefront. We passed a few doorways bordered with lit red Christmas lights where heavily made up and scantily clad women sat in chairs looking out into the streets.
Dinner was fried pork on the bone, a very oily green onion omelet, and tasty broccoli. I paid another visit to the WC and saw that they also use the sink in there to wash the dishes. Dishwashing is an interesting topic. Late at night, there are a lot of people out on the street with big plastic buckets of soapy water (at least I think it is soapy) washing dishes and dumping the water into the street. I guess dishwashers only exist in flash hotel restaurants and rich people's homes. I like to think of the dishwater washing the loogies off the street at night. There is a lot of hoiking and spitting that goes on around here. A few days ago, Josh and I bought fruit from a shirtless man, holding a cigarette who spat to his side while we were picking out a pommegranite. Most men smoke here, but I have yet to see a woman light up.
After dinner, we came home and crashed. What a day! Today the sky is so blue. I want to go out and about but need to wait for a phonecall from a woman who called earlier this morning. She is going to show me where I am teaching, give me a handbook of some sort, and go over my schedule with me. She said she would call back later with a time to meet me tomorrow, so here I am cleaning house and reading Foreign Babes in Beijing, which I am glued to. It is so much fun to read here in China, its familiarly funny, and turning out to be a useful resource for some etiquette. If you talk to Soy, tell her how much I am enjoying it!
Josh is out and about with "Judy" today scoping out the English department and his classrooms. Zai-jien for now.
posted by B | 7:40 PM
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