Chee! Chee! Chee!

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Brought my computer home on late Thursday afternoon only to find my apartment without power... no computer, no lights, a melting fridge... so I went out.

Up early on Friday to go to the school and get the electricity situation under control. I gave Helena some money and she took it down to whoever she takes it to and got me hooked up with some more power. I went home and cleaned in the dark. It's amazing how ditry things get in China! While I was hanging some towels out to dry in the sun room, I noticed a guy in my garden, pinching the tops off all of my flowers! I guess he jumped the fence and was stealing my chamomile for tea. I would have never known, so I'm glad it went to use. Anyways I snuck out there in my PJs later to cut some flowers (and chamomile) that I put in a coffee mug on top of the TV. I met up with Duncan and David at UBC where the "bookachee" girls have a new system that requires them to wear vibrating wrist-pieces, so whenever you need anything, you just buzz! Duncan and David were having fun with that. Went for a haircut after coffee and for 10 yuan (less than $2 Cad) I got a really good one. The guys there just love to play with your hair, but one thing I noticed about most guys in China but especially the hair dressers is that they try to grow their pinky finger nails as long as they can. He was using his to part my hair. Later on I found myself at Dave's with Sophia, Danny, Molly, Duncan, Dave, and I finally met Mona. We hung around there and I headed over to Pyramid around 11 because I had something to give to Rachel. Everyone else showed up later and we danced it up. I took the craziest taxi ride of my life home... honestly, think Crazy Taxi the game and put yourself in the passenger seat.

I taught a long day today at the JAC but on my lunch break I went to Jenny's and then back to the school and I wandered around the bottom of Hero Mountain for a while and saw some great things. I also had my very first, independent bartering experience. I bought two small boxes (I am a trinket box junkie) and the first one I paid too much for but the second one was a steal so they worked out alright. But bartering is a hell of a lot of fun, especially when you don't know much of the other language so you communicate by cell phone calculator. I was laughing when I walked away, because all of the other vendors were calling out, "Hello, hello!" to spark my interest, but I had no money left in pocket for the day.

I'm not sure if my trip to Shanghai is going to work out in the next couple of weeks, but Danny and I made a plan today to climb Tai Shan on Thurs/Friday because we're both free! Tai Shan is one of the holiest mountains in China... 6600 steps from top to bottom and both Peter and Duncan have climbed it and said it was incredible, so I'm really looking forward to it! If you make it to the top, you are supposed to live to be at least 100 years old.

That's all that's new for now, I'll be out and taking some more pictures in the next couple of days so expect to see some more photography up soon!!!

Love Laura

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Photos

Chickies in a bag
At the bottom of Hero Mountain, I found this guy selling chicks for cheap, and little kids carrying them around in thin plastic bags. I'm not sure what purpose they serve... entertainment until dinner or what...

Tsingdao anyone?
Molly, me, Danny, Duncan and Sophia chillin on Dave's couch!

Danny and Duncan
Don't ask. I don't know.

A Portrait of Watermelon
Kid in my class named Watermelon, because of the shape of his head!

Comments

[Laura]

Mouse terd?
On a random note, I think I found a mouse terd on my floor tonight.. which means a mouse put it there.