On our way back home after dropping the kids off for their first day of school, I went to the bakery to get my breakfast. I was disappointed it barely had any stock. But I found a yummy raisin walnut mini loaf that is now my favorite. Then I ran up 6 flights of stairs and walked the remaining to the 26th floor. I was already frozen and opted to skip the roof today. Came back and thawed in a shower before eating. After some laundry was hung to dry over my bed Ma and I went shopping. I spent 268 rmb ~ $44 and got 5 shirts, 3 socks, 2 belts, 2 hair clips and 3 mittens for my kittens. I think I did pretty good. Well I certainly wouldn't have gotten those prices without my mother-in-law.
We rode my convenient bus #31 to the fancy mall stop and walked back to a road lined on both sides with tiny shops and behind one side a string of buildings housing more tiny "shops". (Think antique mall, each little booth has a person tending to it.) There was a building of tea things, a building for meat & produce. A fish aisle, a cut up meat and poultry aisle. Which it was so cold I didn't worry about it going bad, but I can't image what it would smell like or how safe to eat in the summer. A produce aisle with many strange looking root vegetables. There were 2 buildings for clothing. My feet were frozen indoors and out as the buildings are not heated.
I don't know if my mother-in-law understands my unique style. But I love my color socks and if it's striped or polk-a-dotted I pretty much like it. Right now, puffy coats are in and coats with furry collars. Lots of lace appliqué and always bedazzled shirts. I love that a size 8 is a XXL! Not. Yes there are a lot of skinny girls here, but I don't think anymore than at home, I don't feel overweight. Unlike Japan were the scale tips to the petite side.
The predominate clothing color is black. I see so many girls walking around in mini skirts and daisy dukes. But they wear super thick tights or even electric tights to keep them warm to wear such summer attire in the middle of winter. But I think there is a wider style range here in Asia than back home. I've seen several butts. Of children in their traditional split bottom pants. Negates the need for diapers, just let them pee and poop anywhere. This is how they potty train here. Good thing I got Aidan off of diapers 2 weeks before we came! When my mother-in-law gave us split pants when the twins were younger, I asked her to sew them up. It is not okay to poop and pee everywhere! That is what a bathroom is for. Even now they have 3 piss pots, literally for the kids to use. Yuck, they are able to hold it and can use the bathroom. The boys think it's fun.
Public bathrooms are gross. You always need to carry tissue packets to use as toilet paper. This reminds me of my time in Japan. And why do I want to rinse my hands in freezing cold water when there is no soap available? Glad I brought some hand sanitizer. Bathrooms in restaurants may have separate rooms like the US or they may share a common washing area separate from the rooms or a room with wash area and 1 stall ladies, 1 stall men. Most of the toilets are the squat toilets. Which surprised me, for all the new building they've done here. Last time I was in Japan, about 6 years ago, they seemed to be changing all the squat toilets for our western sit toilets.
On my 2nd day of shopping I started at 11 am walking out of our apartment complex and to the left, I planned to turn sooner, but it appeared all the little entries stopped and I didn't want to turn into a housing alley. Walking along a road not big enough for a bus and a car to pass due to all the parked cars on both sides. No sidewalks, so walking sometimes in the street around parked carts or on disheveled driveways to small businesses. Leaving me to turn onto a busy street, where workers brave cleaning the dividing fence as cars rush past on both sides. I walk with a few others in the bike aisle. I'm glad it's not windy so as not to kick up all the dust lying at my feet.
Finally the construction ends on my right and there are businesses to walk by. Yum a cake/bakery shop. I stop in for a chocolate mousse over cake and topped with glazed strawberries.
Since turning onto the busy street I can see Walmart and can't believe I walked this far as I've only been here by bus. So I decide to walk around and have a closer look. I wanted to look for toothpaste for Wensen who is so picky, he baulks every time he brushes his teeth. I opt for Darlie, which means black man, as it was one of the few with english on the side to know if it had fluoride in it. It does. But it came in an array of flavors: cola, orange, green apple and strawberry. I found a new type of toothbrush with black bristles. One brand in English stated it was charcoal another bamboo.
Next I walked back to Tessco, so I could see what was on the elusive 2nd floor. Found some games here, so I got one for the kids. Got some real pasta noodles and other snacks to try like dried roses. Haven't tried them yet. I turned and walked back to our local super to go to the bakery for more raisin bread, just as I was paying my mother-in-law calls worried I am lost. No, I just went around the block. Home by 4pm.
My 3rd day of shopping we took the bus to another part of the city, about 1/2 hr away. Walked a few blocks to another bus station to head toward a large shopping mall. This isn't like our shopping malls. More stalls all crammed together, bursting at the seems with inventory. The clothing places did have their stuff priced and pretty much you pay the price listed. But it's way cheaper than a regular mall/store because of all the competition. Here I bought 2 sweaters for 90 rmb~ $15 each. We take a break for lunch. It was a fast food mush place. Pictures on the menu didn't look appealing, especially when they put corn in their kung pao chicken. So I opted for the pepper beef. You got rice, the mush dish, veggies and drink(warm tea or soy milk). It was surprisingly tasty. I loved the tea, not too sweet and with a lemon. Figuring if I can't haggle for prices, probably not a good place to purse shop, so I opted for the toy floor. In search of The Pleasant Goat and The Big Big Wolf or Boonie Bear stuff. Found a dancing Psy doll. Really wanted to get for my husband, but he would hate me for it. No prices on anything here, so you could haggle probably. I didn't think it necessary on most of the stuff I got. Once place tried to change the price they originally told me, so I said forget it. But I did get to haggle for my Boonie Bears figurines. She wanted 65, came down to 50, I asked for 30, she said 40, I said 35 and then said fine, but not liking it. Yeah. I did this all by myself, since my mother-in-law was resting on a bench. I remembered where I left her!
I don't know as if I'll give the boys the Boonie Bears or not. It's a cartoon about a small little bald lumberjack with a fuzzy hat, think Elmer Fudd, who battles with these 2 bears. It reminds me of classic Looney Toons. Think Elmer Fudd vs Bugs Bunny or Roadrunner vs the Coyote. This is the only cartoon that I can really understand.
Taobao... (learn enough Chinese to learn how to use it.) I can generally enter the english of what I am searching, then figure out which characters are that translation (google translate also an option). So much selection, and cheaper prices than buying in stores. It is addictive too.
ReplyDeleteI love that your size is XXL.... They told my mom, "We have your size, really really big". My mom is not that big.
Your kids might like to watch DaErDuotutu.