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Published: October 29th 2010
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My alarm went off at 620am and I promptly hit the snooze button. I was so excited that I didn't sleep well and thought a few more minutes seemed like a good idea. I rolled out of bed at 630 and was out the door by 730. I waited for the bus for a few minutes and by 745 I was on the road to downtown.
I was on the way to meet two friends that I hadn't seen in two years. They'd just gotten married and were spending their honeymoon in China. I was off to spend the weekend with them. But first, a few errands.
I had looked for a wedding card in Huadu and around Guangzhou and had no luck. In Shenzhen it had always been easy to find greeting cards, so I found this really frustrating. Guangzhou is bigger than SZ, so it should be just as easy! The FAO said I could order one online, so I gave them the money to order it and felt relieved. Of course, last weekend when I was out wandering I discovered a card shop. But I knew I had a card on the way so I only
poked around in it for a few minutes.
The FAO found on late Wednesday that there was a problem with the order and now I had no card. They got the design for me so I could print it out at the campus bookstore, but I suspected that would be expensive and wouldn't look as nice as I wanted, depending on how the ink worked on red paper. Or it would be really expensive because colored ink always is. And with my Chinese being what it is, there was always a good chance of communication error. It seemed like a lot of hassle and time with too much room for dissatisfaction. There are somethings you just need to look perfect.
So instead I decided to go back to the card shop instead. I whizzed through the crowded, rush-hour subway with my music blaring in my ears. There's something about that feeling that I just love; I get energy from it and feel invigorated. Even when I lived in Shenzhen and took the metro almost daily, I loved it.
I ran to the shop and found a card wishing them a "Happy Day!" There were no actual wedding
A typical shop
Most small shops in China have rows upon rows of goods, plastic chairs, tea sets, and a guy smoking and watching everyone pass by. Only the merchandise varies. cards. I sent my friend a message to find out when they'd be arriving from Shenzhen. I had an hour. On to the next errand!
I went back to the wholesale market to buy some more artichoke hearts and tomato paste. Not exactly exciting, but the anticipation is delicious. I walked around the areas I wrote about last week--all the fish stalls--snapping photos. I didn't wander as much as I would have liked because I didn't want to get an hour's worth of lost again. I stopped to buy my Halloween costume as well, since there were a few shops selling masks and the like.
Arms loaded, I made my way back on the metro to go meet the newlyweds!
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