ONE MONTH!

I arrived in Beijing one month ago Sunday. Can you believe it? I've fallen in to routines: I take the subway to work every day. I do my laundry. I go to the gym. Nothing's strange anymore (well, OK, maybe the snakes on a stick at the Wangfujing Night Market were a little strange.) Last evening, Jessica, Xenia, and I went to the Fabric Market to see our tailors, but they had closed already when we arrived! Ugh. To prevent this trip from being a total waste of time, Jessica and I went to Wu-Mart, which is right next door. More similar to Jewel-Osco than to Wal-Mart (which they have here in Beijing,) this was just your ordinary neighborhood grocery store. Except, in the meat department, the chicken is piled in big stacks by body part, and you can select the pieces you want, drop them in a plastic bag, and have them weighed.


Dry goods (flour, sugar, etc.) are in huge open bins, and you scoop your own.


I picked up some instant jiao zi (dumplings, similar to potstickers,) and some Oreo sticks (imagine piroulines made of Oreo cookie, with the white cream inside.) I know better than to shop hungry, so these were gone before I even made it to the cashier. I also bought some oatmeal, sauce for the jiao zi and some cappucino desserts (like a Hostess Suzy Q--a chocolate cake filled with cappucino cream and chocolate.) YUM! My whole grocery trip was less than 50 RMB ($7) and I have enough dumplings left for dinner another night. When I got home, I cooked the dumplings in boiling water, ate the delicious little morsels, and went to the pool to lounge in the hot tub for an hour. So relaxing!

I've been able to chat with so many people on AIM and MSN. Isn't modern technology wonderful? If you're on one of these, and we're not buddies, add me! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Three Things Your (Gay) Christian Kid Needs to Hear from You

 Dear Friend Raising Your Child(ren) in the Christian Faith: A friend sent me an article today written by James Clementi, the older brother of Tyler Clementi. Tyler is the Rutgers student who committed suicide in September 2010 after his roommate used a webcam to spy on him. It moved me that poor James had to say things to his little brother that he would never get to say to him in person. I thought of a time in junior high when I thought I might commit suicide. I’d just started to grow uncomfortable with the feelings I was having for boys, I was unpopular and lonely at school, and I faced rejection when I asked girls to “go out” with me (really, where would we go anyway, the mall? “MOM, can you take me to the mall?” Well, yes, I guess that’s what the cool kids did do. Seems silly now.) I remember starting to pen suicide notes in Study Hall. I imagined leaving them unsigned and causing a stir, or I’d imagine actually killing myself at home, and I’d imagine how bad the kid...
Read more

6 Simple Fashion Rules for Men Over 30

Since yesterday was Father's Day, I thought I'd share a few of my thoughts on men's fashion. How we dress ourselves in the morning says so much about us, but many men are saying "I don't care." Men's fashion changes so little (really, when was the last time someone introduced a new neckline for men?) that if we make smart, simple decisions when we buy, our wardrobes can last a long, long time. With basic colors, most of the items in our wardrobes can also go with almost anything else, making it easy to get dressed in the morning, even in the dark! BUY THE RIGHT SIZE. Try it on. It doesn't have to cling, but it certainly shouldn't hang. If your pants won't stay on without a belt, they're not the right size. If they're loose in the waist but tight in the thigh? Not the right fit or not the right brand. Keep looking. Different brands fit differently, and some retailers offer 10 different fits! There's one that will look great ...
Read more