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Published: September 1st 2007
To give you the update, I met with Dong yesterday, who is a volunteer for the Olympics in the Transportation section and was asked to find a English-speaking foreigner so the police could practice speaking English and helping them find their way or help in case they were having any problems. I would have loved to help, but today was our free day and I had to get some shopping done for the trip. I did tell her that I would help in the future if it worked out.
Today I went Jonas, her host student, and her host student’s friend shopping for some room supplies and a few things for the Silk Road Trip. First we headed over to Ito Yokado, a Japanese department store and grocery store and found a fun colored sheet for the bed along with some laundry detergent, bug spray, etc. Then we went back to the dorms to drop off our stuff and headed down to Wo Dao Kou. It is a big indoor shopping market and Jonas and I were probably the only two white people in the entire building. I was looking for some quick-drying pants and possibly a windbreaker jacket for our trip from Urumqi to Xi’an. One of the negatives about standing out as a foreigner is that everyone assumes that you are rich and try to rip you off when selling things because they assume you can afford it and don’t know any better. I was very happy that we had our Chinese students with us because they definitely helped us bargain down for better deals and told us appropriate prices along with good bargaining techniques.
I ended up getting a pair of pants for 50 yuan which is a little more than six dollars. I didn’t find a wind breaker, but I had an umbrella and other jackets so I wasn’t too concerned. After shopping we stopped in at this little hot pot restaurant for lunch and the food was absolutely amazing. All four of us got our own little Bunsen burner-sized hot pot (mine was a little spicy) and some sesame dipping sauce. We ordered lamb and beef strips along with potatoes and cabbage. The idea is to put in the raw meat first and wait for the pot to boil again, which means that the meat is done, and then to put it in the dipping sauce before eating it. It was a great first experience. We then headed back to the dorms and I worked on packing. Later in the evening I went out for a late dinner at a 24 hour noodle restaurant near campus with a few people before heading back to finish packing and then crash. Tomorrow morning we leave for the airport around 5:30.
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Allison
non-member comment
Wu dou kou!!!
I don't know if I spelled that right, but I remember that place!! I miss China so much, and it sounds like you're having a great time. I miss you too! Sorry I missed you online the other day, but we should work out a time when we can talk. If you ever know in advance that you're going to be online, especially if it's during your afternoon, let me know and I will make a point to be online too! Also, let me know that you're getting these comments!