Mao Min Outing

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Today Mao Min picked me up in the morning and took me to the mall with her husband, father, and daughter. We walked around the stands that they had just for that week. Her father ended up buying his granddaughter and me a "chinese yo-yo" the one with like an hour glass thing, that you have to spin on a string with two sticks on either side... I tried and failed at the stand during my attempt to actually just spin it and pretend that I could do something..
We ate at a hot-pot restaurant inside the mall on the 5th floor... Mao Min remembering that I don't care for spicy foods ordered me the non spicy pot.. which ended up being good, even though I had my doubts.
Afterwards we went back to Mao Min's apartment and stayed there for a bit, watching the Olympics and meeting her mother, sister-in-law, nephew, and later on her brother.
I learned today, that because China does not believe in diapers, babies pee on the floor, as I witnessed this act sitting on the coach. (Another reason for why China doesn't have carpet..?) While everyone laughed and smiled as the baby peed I was utterly confused. Now I understood why whenever you saw a baby on the street, they would have their butts sticking out of the hole in their pants. Also beware of the sidewalks if you ever find yourself in China, you don't only have to sidestep spit and snot, but pee, as during our outing Mao Min's daughter had to pee three times, and each time, we just pulled over, and either Mao Min or her husband took her out of her car seat, and she did her business on the sidewalk...
Mao Min then took me to my first supermarket in Beijing, where she got me some water, since my host family did not have any water besides tap... so I guess I was dehydrated most of the time. She also bought these orange marshmallows and blueberry Pineapple cake.. which doesn't taste like either.. but are alright.
We then got picked up from the market -- oh which was two stories high and looked to me like Walmart- since they had everything from clothes to school supplies to food. Anything you would ever think of needing was there.
And we went to a seafood restaurant, with just Mao Min, her husband, and daughter. We had dumplings or a bunch of different things and clams/oysters with a bit of noodle.. served on a shell, which was pretty good.
It was a fun time, all in all, Mao Min and her family are sweet, and I haven't met such an enthusiastic kid in a while.

<3- Michelle

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