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Published: January 7th 2007
deep fog
We had several days of fog. Here is the suburban campus shrouded in fog.January, 6, 2007
Happy new year!
As I walked home yesterday, I passed the erhu player and gave him his picture and one yuan (he is a beggar). Then I passed the popcorn man and gave him his picture. In a few minutes, two girls, probably early twenties, stopped me and in school English asked me to take their picture. I guess they want me to give them the print later. I took their picture and showed it to them on the camera. I wonder if I should print is and carry it around until I see them again. They were very happy and laughing a lot and trying to remember their English. So, of course, I was laughing, too and trying to remember my Chinese.
Yesterday I went shopping at Carrefour. I wanted to go to Walmart but it wasn’t on my map. Well, the Carrefour wasn’t the one I had visited before, but the first one in the city. I really had a good time. All the stuff in stores amazes me, both in the U.S. and here in China. Well, it’s a lot of different stuff here. (Carrefour is a French chain; Walmart is a
table decoration at Christmas party
The Jiansu Province Christmas party for foreign teachers had beautiful table decorations. US chain.)
My list was short: ibuprofen (Advil), tooth paste, deodorant, eggs, wall hooks, coffee, etc. I was so amazed at what was there that I bought a toaster, a small tea thermos, paper clips, green tea, broccoli with something (either lichen, mushrooms, or seaweed). The deodorant was a challenge. A young clerk told the others, yes, and took me to a small corner shelf with one brand in four scents. No one here has bad body odor, so I wonder how or why. I did pick up what I thought was shampoo. Two young clerks came after me and explained that it was conditioner, not shampoo--another international brand, Head & Shoulders.
The marketers were out with the tasting samples. One was a great soup, so I bought the package, by Maggi. The coffee was in the imported foods aisle. Local coffee is mostly by Nestle and is all instant coffee, usually packaged with milk and sugar. Nestle is pushing their packages of tea with milk. Young women were offering samples.
I spent a long time looking at computers. There was a great Acer laptop on sale for $670. One day only sale. So tempting. Likewise with
Silver tree in my lobby
My apartment building lobby was decorated for Christmas. We each signed gift tags that were hung on the tree. the wool comforters. Today the temperature is 28 F. But my heater was fixed so I’m fine now in my apartment. But my bathroom is still cold, like most bathrooms. So I bought a plaid toilet seat cover. Check the picture.
My last section was fresh foods where I got the broccoli, some spicy chicken, and these wonderful stuffed leaf things. (See the photo.) One of my students gave me two for Christmas and they were so good, I wanted more. Hers were better than Carrefour’s. (Would someone please put the name in the comments section for me?) I did like the meat counter where you can handle the meat, and check out both sides of it. Much better than buying a closed pack of pork chops and find out when you open it at home that the bottom ones are scrap chops. The next time I come here I want to bring a Chinese cook who can tell me what to do with the different foods.
Linell and I were looking along Hunan Road for a Mongolian Hot Pot restaurant--great food for cold weather. We didn't find one, but we did find a place where you grill
Mary Kay pink car
I like Mary Kay cosmetics, so here's a winner of a pink car in front of the Mary Kay store next to my bank. your own food. A grill is put on the table (under an exhaust chimney). We chose small yellow tuna, mutton skewers, frogs legs, eggplant, and yams. You can't have a deep conversation because you are too busy cooking. We had cumin and hot peppers to sprinkle on the food and a soy sauce dip. It was delicious.
Our three day New Year’s vacation was cold and rainy. Good days for me to work on my American income taxes. (For those of you who wonder, I get a long extension through the late spring and will file then.) Only a couple of weeks until the semester ends and my sister, Sally, comes to visit me. She will be here two weeks. We will go to Xi’an for part of that time, so you will finally see more of China than my daily adventures in Nanjing. As you can tell from the blogs, I'm fascinated with daily life here. Transportation, shopping, cooking and food, raising children, play, entertainment, education and work are my interests.
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Taina
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hooray for more blogs!
I cannot remember what those wrapped things are called either. I ate them once and thought I was supposed to eat the leaf. lol. If I remember, I will comment again. My dad probably knows what they are called. I love your photos and blogs! Keep them up, please? =) I cannot wait to see what kind of adventures you and Sally have.