12-1-2011
Wow! I cannot believe it – today, I have been in China for three months. It’s a strange feeling. It’s like I have been here so much longer, yet I still feel brand new. It’s crazy! Not too much has happened this week, but I have a few little stories I’d like to share with you that I think you might enjoy.
On Sunday (before our Thanksgiving feast) I had a chance to go to the silk market of Hangzhou. The silk market is a street full of shops that sell dozens of silk products, from clothing to scarves, not to mention straight yards of the stuff. I went with my good friend Rachel (NY) and the wife of Edward. Edward is one of the other English teachers and his wife is Chinese, originally from Shanghai. Her name is Haizhen (Pronounced: High-Gin). And let me tell you, she loves to shop. And, better yet, she loves to barter! So she was the perfect person to accompany Rachel and me on our search for personally-tailored coats.
The silk market is also the area where you can find local tailors and fabric shops. Haizhen took us to one of her favorite and most-trusted tailors where I picked out a fabric, a design and a price. I chose a beautiful, deep teal sort of color. What fabric, you may ask? Why, cashmere, of course! Only the best for me ;). We even burned part of it with a lighter to ensure its quality (which was excellent, by the way). For the design, I showed them a picture of a coat I had found on the internet. They took one look and then found a similar sample coat from their storage area. I tried the coat on and it was perfect! Almost exactly what I wanted. So, I asked them to add a little length and make sure there would be room for layering. They took my measurements, recorded the fabric and design, and BAM. The process was complete. Two weeks from now, I will return to pick up my very own cashmere pea coat – made just for me! And, this pea coat (cashmere, mind you) only cost me $80 total (all materials and manufacturing included). How exciting!! I will definitely post a picture as soon as I pick it up – I can’t wait!
On another note, I have been noticing some new habits I have picked up since I have been to China – habits that I would never develop at home.
1. Crossing the street without looking. And definitely not at a crosswalk.
a. I have found that it’s actually safer to cross without looking. When you look at a car, the driver assumes “Oh, she saw me – this means she’ll stop and I’ll keep moving.” Unless I want to spend some time in a Chinese hospital (which I definitely DON’T, I’ll post an entry about that later), then I am going to avoid being hit by a car at all costs. And if that means recklessly crossing the street without looking both ways twice, then so be it.
2. Staring at foreigners.
a. It’s ironic that I have developed this habit that bothered me so much at the beginning of my time here. And I can’t even help it – I am intrigued by other foreigners just as much as the Chinese. Where is he from? Is he a teacher? Does he speak English? Tall, blonde-haired and blue-eyed people stand out so much in this city – I can’t help but take an extra second to soak it all in.
3. Eating with chopsticks.
a. The other day I went to lunch at one of the school cafeterias. I ordered some mystery chicken dish (a lot of my food is rather mysterious) with rice and egg. The waiter brought me a knife and fork to eat with. ‘How nice!’ I thought. However, once I started eating with the knife and fork, I realized how awkward I felt. And do you know what I did? I ASKED FOR CHOPSTICKS INSTEAD. I never thought the day would come where I felt more comfortable eating with chopsticks than a good old-fashioned fork. I think I’m turning Chinese, I think I’m turning Chinese, I really think so.
So, I suppose all of these new habits aren’t really good nor bad, just different. But it sure is strange to notice these things about myself. And I’m sure once I return home it will feel even stranger (where are the chopsticks, darn it!) But, I suppose it means I’m getting comfortable here, which can’t be a bad thing, right? I sure hope not!
So, Happy December everybody! I hope this month is filled with happiness and excitement. I miss all of you and I look forward to hearing from you!
XOXO
Love, Livi
