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Published: November 22nd 2009
Since our last blog the sun has decided to return to Shenzhen after going into hiding for one week, but it still is cool and feels like Fall.
This past weekend, Staci and Martin, our friends from Seattle who also teach Senior students in Bao'an visited us Friday and Saturday night. They rode back with us after Chinese class on Friday night in our free school sponsored van ride home. We started with a few beers and enjoyed chips/salsa that I bought from Ole earlier in the week. Except the salsa was from Australia and tasted more like a mixture of salsa and spaghetti sauce than our salsa from the USA. We ate dinner at one of our favorite restaurants that serves sweet and sour pork(tangcu zhurou). Martin was in heaven since he hadn't had that dish in China yet. After dinner we decided to get some more beer (pijiu) and played cards until 12:30am.
Saturday morning we got up and Pete prepared an American style breakfast including: blueberry pancakes, bacon, egg scramble with tomatoes, green peppers, onions and ham. Staci was kind enough to cut all the veggies while Martin and I ventured to the front gate for coffee and milk tea. Pete was in the kitchen preparing the rest of breakfast. The breakfast was HEAVEN!!!!!!!!!
After breakfast we went for a walk to explore our neighborhood and show Martin Longgang as it was his first time visiting our place. (Staci had been for Ladies Weekend in October). While by the city centre square we noticed 2 CAMELS being walked down the main street here in Long Cheng city. WHAT??? Camels...... just another strange site in China.
We found the movie theater and bought tickets 50 kuai=$7.32/person to see 2012 which was in English with Chinese subtitles. We got Kettle Corn for 10 kuai=$1.46 still haven't found regular popcorn in China even though all the signs say popcorn it is kettle corn. In China you pick your seats when you buy your tickets, another difference between China and US. The US could take on the cheaper prices of snacks at the movie theater and smaller portions. See China does do some things better than the US I think.
After the movie we decided to continue our "American Day" and took Staci and Martin to a new pizza place we found a week earlier called Champion Pizza. Pizza is a hard thing to master in China since cheese is hard to find, usually the pizza taste "Chinese" and doesn't quench the craving. We ordered 10 inch pizzas for only 33 kuai each=$4.83 and a can of Coke was 3 kuai=$0.44 for each of us. Pete always forgets that he is a little lactose intolerant and we both were hurting by the time we got home from our walk through the park by our apartment. FOOD is so hard to not get sick from in China, eat Chinese and it may be food poisening and we eat Western food and our systems aren't used to it. I am not looking forward to eating in the US when we return as I am sure we will get sick from the food when we first return.
Staci, Martin and I decided to get a xitou(hair wash/massage/blow dry) for 1 hour only costing us 20 kuai=$2.93. Some people in CTLC get these done 1 or 2 times per week but I have only gotten 2 since being in China. They are nice and relaxing but I don't enjoy when they clean out your ears not too relaxing. I love the part when they blow out my hair super straight. My poor hair has been on the back burner since being in China, I did buy a blow dryer but it just isn't like my Chi Blow Dryer and I still haven't bought a straight iron yet. Martin also got his first haircut in China as this is a scary thing to do have someone cut your hair and not speak the same language.
Pete met up with us after our xitou's and we found a Snooker Bar, it is a similar to pool but with different balls and a much LARGER table. They also had regular 8 ball pool so we decided to play for 1 hour=28 kuai=$4.10. After pool we checked out a bar called Nice Bar down the street but we couldn't read the menu and no one spoke enough English for us to order a mix drink, the beers were 30 kuai so we left and bought 4 kuai beers at our front gate. Every kuai counts when you only make 5,000 kuai per month.
After going to bed around midnight I got up at 4am to call the Carroll Family Thanksgiving, it was well worth it as I haven't spoken to anyone besides my parents and sister since leaving the US. We spoke for about 1 hour then I went back to bed at 5am. At 9:30am I got up and Staci and Martin were looking forward to eating at the bakery at the front gate that has "Chinese" donuts.
After breakfast I went to teach a Demo Class at A+ English. The owners took the 2 Chinese teachers and us 2 foreign teachers to lunch which was very nice of them. We learned some new Chinese words, but I think I already forgot them. DAMN, learning a new language is rough at 28. Once I got home Pete was with Jason and Kathleen, from U of A, watching the Ducks vs. Wildcats exciting football game that ended in a WIN for the Duck's in 2 OT's.
Now it is time to write my lesson plan for the week about Thanksgiving. We don't get the day off but on Friday afternoon we are headed to Kris and Kelly's apartment for a little Thanksgiving get together. They were in Hong Kong this weekend and bought some essentials. I hope to find pumpkin pie this week, keep your fingers crossed.
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Mom
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starting to feel like home
Everyone enjoyed your phone call yesterday!!! The dinner went well and everything tasted so good!!! Nancy's kitchen has so much room, you can start three different lines to get food!!!! The parade went well on Saturday evening and everyone had a good time!!! Morrison won their football game on Saturday and going to state next weekend!!! Sure hope they found you some pumpkin pie for next weekend!!!! Will you be taking your signature green bean casserole???