A Satisfying Week

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October 21st 2010

Published: October 21st 2010

It's been quite a week. My knee is slowly healing and I can finally walk normally and climb stairs without looking ridiculous. I'm hoping next week I can stop covering it with gauze every time I go out.

Last Saturday I took the free foreign teacher bus to GZ for the day. I had a long list of things to do and about six hours to do it. I knew that it would most likely either be too much time or barely enough. There are some things you just can't predict.

I started off by going to the bank. I needed to send money home and the bank in Huadu had proved to be a not-so-great experience. The poor woman tried, but just as we got almost all the way through, there was a computer problem. Two long phone calls later we gave up, and I left with all my money and one less hour of my life. This time, I figured I might have better luck since in GZ there are more foreigners and banks probably use Western Union more often. I was right. This time, I went in and said I wanted to send money via Western Union. In English, they directed me to window 6. I waited a bit for someone to open the window, but when we got started, it was quick and she spoke English. I was done in about 30 minutes, including wait time--my fastest time yet in three years! So pleased with the experience, I made a mental note to email everyone about it so they could have the same positive experience if they needed to send money.

I set off toward the train station. No, I'm not going anywhere--next to it there is a mall. In the mall are two of my favorite things: Ajisen and Uniqlo. Loosely translated, I was in search of Japanese food and winter clothing. I ordered my favorite dish, octopus ramen noodles, and a side of sushi for a treat; I haven't had sushi since last June, when I lived across the street from a supermarket deli. Lunch was fast and delicious and everything I had been craving. Next up, time to find some extra clothes for winter. A lot of clothing in China is either really expensive or cheap and poorly made; most of it isn't very warm, either. Uniqlo is affordable, well made, and keeps me warm while not being bulky. I managed to limit myself--which was difficult--and only sprung for one treat, a bright green scarf. There's something about wrapping myself in something soft and brightly colored that makes bone-chilling, cloudy winter days less unpleasant and dreary.

Feeling broke, I headed over to Haizhu Square, a shopping section of town that carries a lot of wholesale goods, mostly from the sea. I have never seen so many dried fish, sea cucumbers, and other various sea creatures! There were shops upon shops for blocks. It's over there that there's also a little shop that carries western goods. I stocked up on dry Italian pasta, tomato paste, and on this trip, artichoke hearts. What a find! I left the shop, feeling giddy.

I was now in pursuit of tea. Now, you'd think that being in China there'd be tea everywhere. I think there is, but only when you're not looking for it. Since I was looking for it, there was no tea to be found. I took a leisurely walk through the neighborhood, getting thoroughly lost down by the river, and finally found a tea shop over an hour later. Luckily, the weather was cool and sunny, and the wandering quite an adventure--next time I should take my camera!

I found a quaint little tea shop and started looking at tea sets like I always do. I'm still looking to add to my collection and I've found that I get more attention and help if they think I'm going to make a bigger purchase. The woman sat me down and insisted I try some green tea. The price was more than I've ever paid, so I was hesitant to try it for fear of liking it. But I tried it... and it was the best tea I've ever had. After several little cups and a discussion about the Korean soap opera she was watching, I finally got the price down a bit and convinced her that I, personally, could not drink a full half kilo of tea. I bought myself a quarter kilo instead, and walked out happy and dreaming of chilly days so I can drink it while curled up with a good book.

I then set off in what I thought was the direction of the Haizhu Square metro station and managed to get completely lost. Once again, the wandering was good, and I saw quite a bit of the city. I finally found a metro stop after asking directions and wandering through a huge shopping area that reminded me of Dongmen in SZ. It turns out that this new metro station was on the next subway line over and down about 4 stops. When I go wandering, I really go wandering!

I raced back to catch the bus, making it just in time. The whole ride back, I dreamed of cool weather, wearing new clothes, and cooking hearty food. And of course, the tea.

This week in class, we're studying plays. I explain what a play is, mention Shakespeare (I know they've heard of him) and we talk about what information we need to know to write a play. We talk about different plots, including: someone dies, someone falls in love, a fight, enemies become friends, and secrets. Then I split them into groups to write plays. But they're not writing them for themselves, they're writing them for the next group. Next week we'll perform them. It will be interesting to see who gets killed off and what the secrets are. I'm planning a little awards ceremony, complete with certificates, but they don't know that yet.

It looks like the term will end right around Xmas, which suits me just fine. I was hoping to maybe end a week earlier, since I started in August, but being done before January is really all I need. Last year we went longer and I started to suffer from burn-out. Actual term dates may change yet, so nothing's certain. It still baffles me that they don't know when the term ends and when the new one begins before the school year even starts.

And the final bit of news for the week: I'm famous. Well, almost famous. CTLC is re-doing their website and I wrote a testimonial for them last June. I'd forgotten all about it until they contacted me with a question and--viola!--here it is.

Tomorrow I head to Guangzhou for an exciting weekend with some lovely Germans I know. I haven't seen them in two years and I am really excited! I'm just hoping this typhoon doesn't affect our plans or their flight. It's been really windy here the past few days (my laundry nearly blew off the line) but there's no rain in the forecast. I remember typhoons in Shenzhen and all the havoc they caused. So I'm crossing my fingers and tucking an umbrella into my bag.

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