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Published: December 18th 2011
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Monday was a very relaxing day. All semester Carey and I have wanted to get a massage because it’s so much cheaper here, and yesterday we finally got our wish. We were in the apartment after class asking Miss Li where we should go, and she knew a place. She decided she wanted to have a spoiled day too so she went with us to the spa. The women working at the spa were very excited to have two white girls there; I don’t think they get any foreigners. We got the full treatment: three hours of soaking in an herb bath, full body massage, and facials. And it was only 200 kuai! That’s only about $33! We may take advantage of that one more time before we leave.
Today we only had one class, so we planned to go shopping the rest of the day. Carey and I met Becky, and we headed to Silk Street. And I went a little crazy with the scarves. I ended up buying 18 scarves, but the way I see it, I never have to buy another scarf ever again, and the amount I spent on all of them would only have bought
me four or five scarves in the States. We wanted to go to He Fang Street to get the rest of our souvenirs and gifts, but when we left the Silk Market it was 3:30, when the taxi drivers are changing shifts, so no one wanted to take us. We had no idea which bus would take us there, so I had to call Mubin to help us. We figured it out and got on the bus, but 4:00 is also the start of rush hour so we made slow progress. We got off the first bus and looked for the second bus that would take us to He Fang, but couldn’t find the stop. By now we were getting pretty hungry, so we gave up on the idea of He Fang and just looked for a place to eat. We thought about going to the Grandma’s Kitchen on West Lake, but the wait was too long, so we tried the restaurant next door called Banana Leaf. Since it was Thai food, I was a little nervous because Thai food is known for being spicy and I can’t handle a lot of spice, but the dishes we ordered weren’t too
spicy at all. Now, I have a new favorite ethnic food! The meal was so delicious, and I definitely plan to get me some more before leaving. I’ll have to find a good Thai restaurant back home, although my hopes aren’t high for Iowa having one. Maybe in Des Moines.
This is our last week of classes so I’m very excited. I do have to write a paper for our business class and a final journal for Miss Li, so that won’t be fun, but the knowledge that in three more days I’ll have no more homework is thrilling. I’m starting to realize this and next week entails a lot of “lasts.” The last class, last excursion, last time at the Silk Market, last group dinner, last time at KTV. I’m so excited to come home, but I’m also really going to miss all the stuff I got to do here. I’ve got to take full advantage of everything, so I’m going to get to work right now by going to Pacman to get my favorite dumplings.
The pictures have Brittany's and my article from the December issue of the magazie. We had to interview people from different
parts of the world to see how others celebrate Christmas.
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