Roland’s arrival was as anticipated it was surreal – I felt that I had already been in China for years, not 2 and a half weeks! Was I going to make him relive my first 2 weeks here by locking him out of the apartment and making him argue with the school for help? My fellow teachers prompted me to do so…but no I was not so cruel. It turns out that the reason he was delayed – cause of their crazy medical checks…was…again how …This weekend was his 2 week anniversary and my post one month!
His arrival 2 weekends ago finally prompted me to actually go out and buy sheets for our new bed – by new I mean I had to slice open the bed plastic wrap and bargain hard for the sheets. I must say our lovely verdant stripes and flower pattern is a far cry from my dusty care bare comforter thrown over a bare mattress and dorm-sized bed sheet I was sleeping on up until that point in the old place. I am getting good at bargaining but not half as good as Roland who talked down a lady today from 120 to 55 “Quai”/RMB for a camping cutlery tool! Basically, he still paid too much – until you walk away and do everything but insult their family – you can still get lower but it feels weird to do it. I bought sunglasses that will probably break on me tomorrow and really aren’t worth the equivalent $9CDN I paid either….ah well…it’s all a learning experience and at least it’s still cheap.
Well some things are – others not so much, you’d think because it was made in China, in China you’d pay even less but not necessarily the case…you want everything to be cheap but it’s not – and when it ends up being the same as you would pay in Canada – if you don’t really need it – you don’t pay…that being said we took skytrain-like transit and a cab home from the more busy area of town – for about 2 dollars, bought 2 comforters (yes, Drew you will be trying one of these out first I believe) for less than 15 bucks today. Last night we ate like kings in our own private suite for 10 at a very good Chinese seafood place – yes where they basically take the fish or what have you out of the tank before you…place it flapping on a scale and then present it back at your table for about 4 dollars each!
Our area that we live in is very un-China…i.e. it’s basically like a North-American suburb…my fellow department teacher said it reminded him of Rosemount, Ohio – the suburb where the Chicago O’Hare airport is. But like the rest of China…if you look close-up at things – they are already decaying…drying up…flaking off…rusting over before their time. As Roland says…they still have a long way to go before world domination if this is the way they build shit. Plenty of man power, not enough skills…like today we entered a large electronics and appliance store where the sales people outnumbered the customers 3 or 4 to 1! The second you stop to look at anything 4 salespeople descend on you — pointing and chatting away trying to get you to buy.
And it’s like that everywhere…waiters standing around 4 deep to a table…yesterday I got my hair done and at one point there were 5 people around me trying to decipher what exactly the white lady wanted done…it took 4 hours but I got it done and it wasn’t cheap – the cut itself was but the colour was not but ultimately it was still way cheaper than the same procedure in Canada …the 4 hour thing might have had something to do with the fact that they completely blow dried and styled my hair BEFORE they started colouring it! Then of course had to wash and blow dry and style it again…we HAD established that I was getting colour done at the beginning…so I am not sure if it’s the way things are done…or…because 2 different people worked on me…not sure…but I was just glad my hair looked somewhat the way I wanted it and that they matched my colour! At one point – I thought — oh god, this is going to be a gong show! Nobody spoke English…the girl who coloured my hair stood beside me for 40 minutes while it set ….she also massaged my back and shoulders and personally escorted me to the bathroom.
Speaking of personal attention the weekend before Roland and I got massages – this is going to be a regular outing my friends – 2 hours for $22! 70 minutes on the feet alone! At first I thought my guy was going to murder me but by the end I was in love with him and think I will be going back on a minimal bi-weekly basis….a stomach and inner thigh massage was included – thank you. All very proper as you get dressed in pink flannel pyjamas for the body portion of the massage. So at the end you are basically like butter…being spread onto the street. Heaven!