November 5:
Robin found out about this conventional market in Weihai, about which none of us had previously known. Maren, Kelli and I decided to check it out for our Saturday adventure. Robin gave us the characters to give to the taxi driver, and we flagged down a taxi.
The taxi took us into a completely different part of town, one we have never before seen. It was very exciting: there was an arena and stadium with the Olympic rings on the side (who knows?), fancy buildings, factories, a big cylinder-ish-shaped plant that made us wonder if it’s a nuke plant, pretty green parks, and lots of shopping alleys. We want to go back and wander when the weather isn’t so awful (today was an all-around miserable-weather day).
The conventional market is huge with three indoor floors filled with vendors selling almost anything you can imagine: socks, clothes, gloves, hats, scarves, books, cheap toys, notebooks, pens, belts, wallets, purses, suitcases, feminine hygiene products, underwear, tape, food, make-up, perfume, flags, paintings, quilts, bedding, baskets, door handles, decorations, teapots, etc. It was overwhelming.
I purchased a Chinese flag and a gorgeous cotton traditional Chinese dress for inexpensive prices—the dress is handmade and excellent quality (sturdy, sewn properly) for about $6. The cheapest traditional dress I have found anywhere else was $23. The dress fits me beautifully and I’m super excited about it. The shop was my favorite there, because it had lots of handmade traditional clothing and bags, plus wall paintings and stitched artwork. I’m absolutely crazy about traditional Chinese culture and anything that represents it.
We even found a store that sold name-brand bags and wallets, like Gucci, D&G, Prada, Versace, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Armani, Boss, Coach, etc. We honestly felt like we were back in Shanghai, and it was fantastic.
Kelly, our Chinese coordinator, told us about a pizza buffet in Weihai and gave us the characters to give to a taxi driver. We decided to check it out, and it was well worth our money and time. At first, we were confused because there was little food in the buffet and no pizza, but someone finally told us to wait ten minutes. After doing so anxiously, a Chinese waitress brought out two yummy-looking pizzas, and we dug in. One pizza had veggies, the other had sausage. But each had cheese—lots and lots of cheese. I have had so little cheese in China that this was a dream come true.
Oh my giddy aunt, it was so tasty. We all went back for seconds, thirds, fourths…(hey, the pieces were small—three Chinese pieces would barely make up one American piece). Besides pizza, there was a salad bar, a fruit bar, and an everything else bar—Chinese deserts (which were interesting; the custard pie was easily our favorite) and Chinese food, like chicken, sushi, meat on a stick, tofu, things that we would find in a typical Chinese restaurant.
I ate until I was ready to burst. We are so content and happy with China tonight. Who knew Weihai was such an awesome place? Today convinced us of how cool this city really is.
After pizza, we stood in the rain for a while as we tried to flag down a taxi. Downtown Weihai at night in the rain reminded us of New York.
I was so tired and full that when we got into our taxi, I didn’t understand him when he asked me if I was American, even though I had taught Maren and Kelli that phrase earlier. (Wo shi Meiguo ren; ni shi Meiguo ren; I am American; you are American.) To better explain, the taxi driver pointed at himself and said, “Wo shi Zhongguo ren.” (I am Chinese.) In my sleepy stupor, I pointed at myself and said, “I am Jillian.”
Kelli then explained to me what he was asking, and I quickly corrected myself. Maren and Kelli made fun of me because I claimed to be from Jillian. (We’re mature like that.)
I love it when I do understand Chinese, even if I simply recognize a single word or phrase. I’m hoping to be a lot better by the time I go home in six weeks.
Today was a great day.
No comments:
Post a Comment