We are in the Apartment

This post was originally written on Sunday, we are finally able to get on-line on Monday. At the end of the post I will bring you up to date on the last two days.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

This posting will have to wait until we have an Ethernet account into the University system.

We moved into our apartment today and had our first experience shopping in a Chinese supermarket and department store. The supermarket is down Rhinoceros Lane, just a couple of blocks from our apartment. I think we can find our way their by ourselves. The supermarket is on two stories, quite modern with an escalator between floors.

The department store is in a mall a few blocks further away. Finding it on our own will be a little more challenging. The store we shopped in was again on two stories. We bought a shopping cart and a teakettle in the department store. Then we went to the supermarket and bought some other goods.

All the books warned us that China was a cash society, that we would need cash to shop everywhere but the biggest, most expensive stores. That might be true about credit cards, but is not true about debit cards. At both stores we were able to use our debit card for payment.

On Saturday we walked through a traditional market. Each store was a small mart on the street level. Most stores had a frontage of around 15 feet. The grocery was much larger and deeper. The front area has a large fruit stand, behind that is a fresh vegetable section, then some canned goods. Then came the fresh meat section. Some items are hanging on hooks, others are on tables. None are wrapped. Many of the items are parts of the animals we do not normally see in American meat markets. At the rear of the store is the live market. Here the floor is a bit slippery. They have live fish in shallow tanks. Choose the one you want and they cut it the way you want. Then came the live chickens. Pick your bird and it will be severed as you wish. They also had some pre-killed birds, I guess for those in a hurry. Finally, came the live turtles, each one around 6 inches long.

Through out our walks we saw many flower marts. Many of the flowers and arrangements are exquisite. In many cases, a purple mesh net surrounds the individual flowers. This adds a very nice contrast.

Also on Saturday we ate some traditional American found for breakfast and lunch. An Egg McMuffin meal cost 16 yuan ($2 USD). A margarita pizza for two cost 36 yuan ($4.50 USD).

Sunday and Monday
Sunday was moving day. We left the fabulous hotel for our apartment. With the help of two strong men we got all our stuff up to the forth floor. There is room for everything. But we brought some stuff we will never use, especially jackets and sweaters. The locals are still wearing coats in the morning, while we have the air conditioners all day. On Sunday and Monday we bought a lot of necessities. The interesting item is cell phones. U.S. phones do not work in China. The system here takes three steps. Buy the phone, buy the chip with the telephone number and buy minutes on a multitude of plans. Under no circumstances is the phone free. A basic Nokia phone cost $50 USD. The minute rate is relatively inexpensive and unlimited incoming calls cost 10 yuan (1.25) a month.

Sunday evening we had dinner, really a banquet, with the associate dean of the business school and the director of the foreign visitors. Nine different dishes were served, any three would have been enough for four people. By custom they attempt to get you to eat more and more. Fortunately we read in books on China, it is not an insult to say you are full.

Tomorrow we start teaching. Their schedule has Marsha teach for 6 hours a week on Tuesday and Thursday. I will teach for two hours on Friday. Hurrah, we have three days free each weekend.