Jenny in the city...

Hello, Jenny in the City here...Wow, it has been so long since I have blogged. I have so many things to talk about I am not quite sure where to start. Well, I will start with my day out on the town here in DanYang. Every Friday I only have two classes to teach so I am done with work by noon. Friday is Sean’s busy day so this gives me a chance to explore China, well at least DanYang, on my own.

My first stop is to pick up our broken cell phone from the repair booth at our local supermarket (which we refer to as Wal-Mart) because it has anything and everything but there prices aren't quite as good as home. On our train ride to Wuxi last weekend we could not get a seat so we had to stand and it was a national holiday (mistake!). Us, and several thousand other travelers were so crammed onto the train like sardines that all those people jammed up and into each other for almost two hours actually broke the LCD of Sean's cell phone while it was in his pants pocket - now that is a lot of people!

As usual, we were promised it would be ready on Friday but now the youngster is trying to explain, using his ten good English words, that it will not be ready until Monday. We ended up laughing together (laughter will get you so much further than anger in China) and I even convinced him to help me order some Pork Dumplings at the little stand right next door to his repair kiosk. Most menus in China are written only in Chinese so any time that I can get the help from someone who speaks a little English and there is food around... I am getting help!

After lunch, I meander my way through the displays of watches, belts, buckles, accessories, and cell phones and into the clothing department to look for some workout clothes. Now that summer is approaching quickly (it was 93 degrees today), I have needed to do some shopping for lighter clothes. Well for the past few weeks I have been rummaging through rack after rack looking for clothes made for someone, lets say... bigger than a 13 year old! I am now wearing a XXL and on a good day an XL!!!

I am usually pretty confident about my body but this has done irreparable harm to my ego!

Hence, my need to now find some work out clothes. Well that and the fact that in China most of the things that you eat are carbohydrate-based! (Rice, Dumplings, Noodles, Breads, more Dumplings..) I eventually did find a few tops...I gave up on finding a “workout Bra” I will just have to use an Ace Bandage.... haha. I also discovered that women in China do not wear many shorts.... well at least not to work out in. I have been forced to wear sweat pants while I run, but I must do what I must do.

Feeling good after my purchases, I decided to test my luck at the hair salon. I have been to the same salon and same guy twice before. The difference today is that I do not have an interpreter with me - I was going in solo! To some women this might be their biggest fear; leaving their hair color to some man that you can not communicate with other than to say “Hello”. My feelings... even if he colored my hair green, people could not stare at me any more than they already do... so bring it on!

I'm used to it now but everywhere, and I mean everywhere, I go people stop in their tracks, they stare dumbfounded, kids point, adults look shocked and then curious, some kids actually hide behind their parents leg's for a moment (until I say Hello!), and whatever I'm doing draws an even bigger crowd than when I'm with Sean. If I'm looking at a cell phone, five people are beside me, watching silently. If I get something to eat, several folks will watch and follow me to see what I ordered. People stop me in the street constantly, but they are so sweet!, to take pictures with me, say hello and chat, touch my hair, or just to be close to me for a minute or two. It's craziness, until I remember that I am China and this is just my reality now. We both get a kick out it really...

It really is like being a celebrity, except I can't speak their language, so I don't have to worry about what they are saying about me...hahahaha. Their world seems to just stop as I whirl and twirl past them, then I will always smile, say Hello or maybe really surprise them with a little Chinese, and we all have a chuckle - and they ALL smile back, wave, grin, laugh. They are not rude at all, not in the least. Sean says they are just dazed by a foreigner with yellow hair and breasts larger than a twelve year old...:)

As I entered the salon, my hairdresser immediately recognized me... DUH!! I followed him back to the area where everyone sits around as the various products are applied to our hair. There was one woman getting a perm, a man getting his gray hairs colored, another woman getting her hair dyed brown and then of course, me. In the seats next to me were a grandmother and her grandson who were waiting for Mom. I looked over at the computer screen that everyone in the room was watching and I was amazed at what I saw... Tom and Jerry... yes, Tom and Jerry, except in Chinese.

I can not tell you how surreal it was to be sitting there getting my hair done while this group of Chinese people of all ages glued to the screen and laughing hysterically at an American cartoon. They giggled and laughed over and over again, each time looking at me to see if I was laughing with them. I certainly was! They all tried to speak to me but all I could say was “Wo bu mingbie” which means “I do not understand”. A phrase I use quite often.

As I emerged from the salon a new, radiant woman, I decided to treat myself to my favorite pastry at our favorite little bakery (another need for the workout clothes). Armed with my Mandarin book in hand, I asked for some assistance in finding the pastries that are in a box with the Chinese character for “nailao” meaning “cheese”. I was delighted after searching through all of the boxes that there was one box left. I can not tell you how wonderful these pastries taste. They are small, flat discs of dough and the outside crust is almost like phillo dough (think Baklava!) and the inside is filled with a firm cheese and raisin mixture that, when heated up in the microwave for about ten seconds, melts in your mouth, and they stick to the roof of your mouth like peanut butter. Yummmm! My student, Jolin, turned me on to them and now I have turned Sean on to them too. I love to find little treasures like this. We have Great Wall red wine, Tropicana Orange Juice, Nescafe Instant coffee, Skippy peanut butter, and then these cheese pastries. They all make DanYang feel more like home.

I rode my bicycle back home and was pleased with my day. As I pulled up to our apartment I was greeted by a very sweaty Sean. Turns out he had forgotten to grab his key before going out for his afternoon run and locked himself out of the apartment..he had been waiting outside for several hours waiting for me to return - and it's hot here! Of course, being as laid back as he is, he was just standing there by the bike rack, just waiting, and he had only fifteen more minutes before he had to go teach his next class. He said he felt lucky and that I would be riding up any second...He even had time to chat with me about my day before heading out again and just making the bell. He is a lucky pup..

That is it for now but I will write again tomorrow. I have so much to catch you up on!