It's Saturday here, and although the plan was not to have a plan, we've been running most of the day. :)
One thing I did, because I didn't get to journal yesterday after we arrived, was to make a list of things that we have done...I may go into details later...or if anyone has questions....ask them of me and I'll try to answer them....
Friday:
J/J met us at the airport, they had hired a driver (taxi van) and he had waited with them for our flight to come in....which was late (of course!).
Our bags arrived with us.
I got to use a "squatty potty" at this airport (the other one had both SQ's and "western style" toilets....for which I was grateful....but no toilet paper....but J said that they don't use it here, so that was common).
If the Mississippi River is "ole muddy" then this is the city of mud. It was foggy/smoggy and there is mud everywhere. Not like thick mud, but similar to how it is after a snow...just sort of covered in yuck. There's a lot of pollution in the air on the roadways...and so much traffic.
Our driver is incredible...maneuvering in and out of traffic like a pro (well, he IS a pro!). I can't get over how it moves so quickly, yet so slowly, and how bumper to bumper it is.
Our van is really small...probably not much larger than our Focus at home! The seats have no padding, and you feel every bump or dip in the road. I'm both too tired and exhilarated to care. :)
I'm amazed at how there are gardens of vegetables growing on the sides of the road, as if they tiered the land up to the homes/apartments and just leveled it off and started planting. With all the ice and snow they had, I'm amazed to see anything growing at all.
We got to their home without incident. :)
After getting things up, unpacked a bit, and us oriented, we decided to go for a walk to get lunch. We went to the local noodle place they like to go to for "Muslim Noodles"....actually just Lan Zhou style noodles, which is a province with a high Muslim population, so that's how they've nicknamed them. Tasty noodles, handmade right there, with roast beef shaved off into them, served with beef broth, and cilantro (Chinese Parsley) and maybe green onion too. Mark and J2 also mix red pepper paste into theirs...I'll play it safe.
I'm amazed at how hilly the area is...they say that's why there are not many people on bicycles here.
There's more mud everywhere...not always thick, or deep, but covering everything. The fact that there is constant construction doesn't help.
We walk to the actual campus where they attend school, although it is closed for break still.
We also walk by one of the local parks, and to a friend's apartment to feed their cats.
On one of the streets by their house there is a street market (the morning market) where you can buy fruits and vegetables nearby. There's also people selling seeds (sunflower, etc) to snack on, and other wares.
Where we ate at is in a row of shops near where they live, not far past where the market street is. There is a real mod podge of sites, smells, and WE seem to be the oddest thing around!
We went to a little eating place on campus for dinner, they call it Gong Yu, sort of like a restaurant for the students. The building it's in used to house the foreign students, but then they built a different housing place for them. We ate some of their favorite dishes like miziqiezi: egg plant prepared with ground pork and chopped peppers and pepper sauce; ying jiang rousi: Peking duck style pork (little pieces) served with slivers of green onion; tang cu liji: sweet and sour pork; and tu dou ni: mashed potatoes prepared with onions, bell peppers and bacon. This was all served "family style" with white rice.
Yes, we've been using chop sticks to eat with!! Even the noodle dishes!! :)
TODAY - Saturday
Our "plan to have no plans" day consisted of going to lunch, and then going to market, and then coming home. For lunch we went to the city market and getting "jaozi", or dumplings, and we chose to go for fried ones rather than steamed ones. J1 is not a big dumpling fan, so we also went around the corner and got some fried chicken (REALLY!) on a stick!! J2 says that they can pretty much put anything on a stick here...and they do...and sell it on the street. It was funny at the dumpling place they give you a little plate with chopped green onion in it, and you can mix your own sauce to dip them in (think PF Chang's) with soy sauce (in a tea pot to serve), rice vinegar, sesame oil, and on a table across the way other seasonings that you can add to it (red pepper flakes). They were incredibly good....really yummy. The chicken was good too!
Going to market is crazy!! The large city market is full of people, in every imaginable kind of clothes. Women wear high heeled boots with everything. really. everything. People are in the street with every type of clothing, Sunday best, pj's, ethnic clothing. Lots of people smoke, and because it's so busy today there are a lot of cars on the road too...which means lots of pollution. There are many cars, large and small buses, carts, and motor bikes on the road. It's really busy, and even more so since the sun has come out. It got into the 50's, really nice for being outside, but since it was cool when we left the house, I've got my down coat on and long johns too!
J1 bought chicken and vegetables at the market, and then we looked in some other stores too, including a supermarket (not walmart), and an ethnic store that was really neat. We'll go back there (or to another ethnic store) to do some shopping before coming home.
Once we got home, we put up the groceries, and Mark and J2 worked on getting our laptop on line (it's not, so I have to borrow theirs), then Mark and J1 went to feed the cats and buy some milk (the only thing they didn't get earlier). I guess they got some fruit too, but I haven't seen it yet.
Now J1 is getting dinner ready (broccoli, chicken, rice in a skillet type meal), and Mark is grinding coffee for tomorrow morning (by hand).
Looking back at today, I'm amazed at what we have seen, and how empty the faces are around us have looked. People stare, and I can't blame them, but when I smile at them, rarely do they smile back. Even children seem like they are empty inside...there is no joy, or little joy, in their eyes.
Tomorrow we'll meet up with friends, and it seems that it will be another long day....so exciting and new!!
Until later....
Showing posts with label market. Show all posts
Showing posts with label market. Show all posts
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Sunday, 2/24/2008
I thought it would be better to go by date, rather than just entry, since they will post according to date anyways.
It's been a really long day, and it's hard for me to imagine that all has taken place in JUST a day! Mark and I have been crashing, dead tired, by 9 pm, but then waking up around 3 am, seemingly wide awake....but able to stay in bed and fall back asleep...then waking up several times between then and morning...between 7 and 9. Last night was no different, and we knew we'd have to get up on the earlier side for all of us to be ready to go to a meeting in the larger neighboring town (G2). We were able to get back to sleep, but woke up early...and got going to meet someone at the bus station here, who knew where the meeting was at. We all took the bus together, about a 30 minute ride, and walked from the bus stop point to the home where the meeting was being held.
It was funny, as we approached their home (an apartment, like most here have) several kids were coming by on skates saying hello to our "guide". I didn't realize that there would be so many kids there....or so many people...from all over the world. It was quite nice, a few hours long, and then we all went to lunch together (not everyone came to lunch, but there were 16 of us!) We had great food, and conversation, and it was fun to be challenged in new ways (like J2 getting 3 roasted peanuts, which have the shells on and are a bit slippery) on his chop sticks...and actually to his mouth!!
After lunch, one of the newer young couples joined J/J, Mark and I and we took other buses to another section of town, to the Bird and Flower Market. This was a much larger marketplace, and in addition to the food vendors we had seen closer to their home, this market had animal vendors (cats, dogs, birds and fish...as well as rats, mice, snakes, turtles...and a few we're not sure of!!), lots of floral vendors, plants, medicinal people who sold herbs (and mixed them according to your ailment), teas and other dried foods (mushrooms, herbs, etc), tofu (LOTS of tofu!), nuts, seeds, and other hand crafted items too...baskets, wind chimes, jewelry...and of course other manufactured things like tools and stuff.
The market was really large, and it was quite a site to see. We'll likely try to get back there one day later this week.
From there, we took other buses and went to one of the Walmart stores to get some items for around the house. Then we came back home (around 5:30??) on a CRAZY bus ride (Mark filmed parts of it, and will post it later this week). After putting groceries away at the apartment, we went over to a larger Muslim restaurant that is near the bus terminal, and we had a great meal of lamb on skewers and cooked over a fire (some of it quite spicy), seasoned bread, and a spicy noodle and vegetable dish. Sorry, I haven't gotten the names of those dishes yet. :)
J/J said that these people are from a different area than the others are, and they seemed more of a Mid Eastern group...their music, and even facial features were less Oriental than the other group. The food was really tasty, and it was good to sit down and eat after such a long day.
I'm working on posting the photos that we've taken so far, but I won't have much time to do editing yet...so bear with me on that. I'll get it sorted over the next few days, and if not then, once I get home. photos are at: http://picasaweb.google.com/MnMgo2
The weather has been really mild, and surprisingly warm (I figure if I continue to wear long underwear and my down coat it will stay warm the whole trip) :) Much of the mud has turned to dust and dirt, and especially in the city, where you feel it grip your lungs. Between the dust, car exhaust, and the coal smoke, I'm a mess at the end of the day and oh so grateful for my allergy meds.
That's it for now...I have no idea what tomorrow holds....guess we'll all have to wait and see...
marina
It's been a really long day, and it's hard for me to imagine that all has taken place in JUST a day! Mark and I have been crashing, dead tired, by 9 pm, but then waking up around 3 am, seemingly wide awake....but able to stay in bed and fall back asleep...then waking up several times between then and morning...between 7 and 9. Last night was no different, and we knew we'd have to get up on the earlier side for all of us to be ready to go to a meeting in the larger neighboring town (G2). We were able to get back to sleep, but woke up early...and got going to meet someone at the bus station here, who knew where the meeting was at. We all took the bus together, about a 30 minute ride, and walked from the bus stop point to the home where the meeting was being held.
It was funny, as we approached their home (an apartment, like most here have) several kids were coming by on skates saying hello to our "guide". I didn't realize that there would be so many kids there....or so many people...from all over the world. It was quite nice, a few hours long, and then we all went to lunch together (not everyone came to lunch, but there were 16 of us!) We had great food, and conversation, and it was fun to be challenged in new ways (like J2 getting 3 roasted peanuts, which have the shells on and are a bit slippery) on his chop sticks...and actually to his mouth!!
After lunch, one of the newer young couples joined J/J, Mark and I and we took other buses to another section of town, to the Bird and Flower Market. This was a much larger marketplace, and in addition to the food vendors we had seen closer to their home, this market had animal vendors (cats, dogs, birds and fish...as well as rats, mice, snakes, turtles...and a few we're not sure of!!), lots of floral vendors, plants, medicinal people who sold herbs (and mixed them according to your ailment), teas and other dried foods (mushrooms, herbs, etc), tofu (LOTS of tofu!), nuts, seeds, and other hand crafted items too...baskets, wind chimes, jewelry...and of course other manufactured things like tools and stuff.
The market was really large, and it was quite a site to see. We'll likely try to get back there one day later this week.
From there, we took other buses and went to one of the Walmart stores to get some items for around the house. Then we came back home (around 5:30??) on a CRAZY bus ride (Mark filmed parts of it, and will post it later this week). After putting groceries away at the apartment, we went over to a larger Muslim restaurant that is near the bus terminal, and we had a great meal of lamb on skewers and cooked over a fire (some of it quite spicy), seasoned bread, and a spicy noodle and vegetable dish. Sorry, I haven't gotten the names of those dishes yet. :)
J/J said that these people are from a different area than the others are, and they seemed more of a Mid Eastern group...their music, and even facial features were less Oriental than the other group. The food was really tasty, and it was good to sit down and eat after such a long day.
I'm working on posting the photos that we've taken so far, but I won't have much time to do editing yet...so bear with me on that. I'll get it sorted over the next few days, and if not then, once I get home. photos are at: http://picasaweb.google.com/MnMgo2
The weather has been really mild, and surprisingly warm (I figure if I continue to wear long underwear and my down coat it will stay warm the whole trip) :) Much of the mud has turned to dust and dirt, and especially in the city, where you feel it grip your lungs. Between the dust, car exhaust, and the coal smoke, I'm a mess at the end of the day and oh so grateful for my allergy meds.
That's it for now...I have no idea what tomorrow holds....guess we'll all have to wait and see...
marina
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Thoughts from Mark
I know that Marina has been updating all on our daily adventures of our trip, so I will not be repetitive, yet just inject some of my thoughts and observations.
I guess my biggest joy, which will be hard to top on this trip, has been seeing the kids waiting outside the security barriers when we got off the plane at the G2 airport. My primary goal of the trip has been, and continues to be, excellent fellowship with J1 and J2. Seeing them at the airport made all the other frustrations, stresses, and anxieties of planning and making the trip up to this point so well worth it. It was great to see their smiling faces and exchange hugs, something that I miss the most while they have been gone. Which brings up what I know will be the hardest part of the trip, which will be to do that for the last time, in the same airport, when we have to leave to come home. Our time of fellowship has been excellent, and it is especially fulfilling as we get to share it with them it in their home and what is now their neighborhood and city of residence. It is extremely peaceful for a parent to see first hand that their children really are safe and healthy. I know that J and J have done a fantastic job at detailing the fact that their needs are being met, but it really has warmed my heart to see it myself.
Other observations…
I have enjoyed listening to J and J converse in their new language with the shop owners and restaurant personnel when we get things to eat. I know that they still have a long way to go to master this extremely difficult language, but it is fun to watch them and listen to them communicate to the best of their ability. I also enjoy seeing the how they have developed relationships with many of the locals they have to do business with.
Yesterday we went to a meeting with others who have similar interests here in this country. It was interesting to see other people from the states as well as from Holland and England. It was a good time, and although this is not the normal group they get together with it was neat to be with others who have the same passions for the locals.
I have noticed that there is not a lot of obesity in the area. I am unsure if it is due to the diet, due to the fact that you have to walk a lot to get around the city, or just due to the financial status of the people. I am not saying that you don’t see some chunky people, but in comparison to what we see in the states, there are not a lot of fat people. This is probably a good thing though, as the local city buses are already packed like sardines, so more chunky people would bring the need for more buses.
J and J’s apartment is nice and comfortable, but the engineer in me has me analyzing a lot of the construction and utilities. Cosmetics are not much of an issue when laying out the power and gas lines. Their gas meter is in their kitchen, as they have one gas line that goes from the first floor through to the 8th floor…and it goes straight up through everyone’s kitchens. The power is run from transformers mounted on a pedestal in back of the building…and once it is close to the building is run through raceways in the stairways leading up the building. Some of the individual breaker boxes are even located in the stairwell, not even in the apartment it serves. J/J's breaker box is located directly above the door that enters their apartment. There is some detailing done to dress up the all concrete walls, but there is little done though, about sealing and weather-stripping walls, windows and doors. It would be extremely expensive to heat the whole apartment due to some of these issues, so there is not even an effort. More effort is spent just trying to be comfortable in the room you are occupying at the moment. J/J have provided us with a portable heater to heat our bedroom, and an electric blanket…but believe it or not we have found these to be too hot when we sleep and have matched J and J’s way of preparing for bed. We turn the heater on to warm up the room before we get in bed…then turn everything off once we are in bed. This means that the room gets down to about 45 or 50 degrees over night, but it really is comfortable under the warm blankets J1 has provided.
So far I have not had to pay any taxes on any meals or goods purchased. The price posted is what you pay…what a concept. It is also strange paying about $10.00 U.S. total for a pretty good meal for the four of us.....and no tipping! So far the only store we have been to that you can buy everything you might need to survive is Walmart. Otherwise your needs are met by shopping at local markets and shops that are scattered throughout the communities. Most shops specialize in just one thing…so if they specialize in cosmetics…then that’s all they sell, if they specialize in plumbing parts then that all sell. So shopping for your needs is a longer process as you go from shop to shop to get what you need.
I especially enjoy the outdoor markets…even got a special presentation from one of the little booth guys….let me explain. As I work in the poultry industry I have made an effort to go down and observe how chickens are being sold. Some marketers present you with whole or parts of chickens already slaughtered and processed…while others provide you with ones that are still live and clucking. While filming some of the live chickens in their cages, I was walking past one booth where the gentleman just finished selling one to a local patron. He saw me filming so gave me a mini show as he exposed the chickens neck, then with a big old smile on his face pulled out this crude and rusty knife and slit the chickens throat and bled it our over a blood collection box…pretty cool huh? They also have fresh fish for sale…can’t get any fresher than picking them out of a pool still alive in the market.
I look forward to what the next week will offer us to continue to add to our experiences of a foreign land and culture….but can sum things up like this….
The trip over was an adventure, the first three days have been eventful, and time spent with the kids….PRICELESS.
I guess my biggest joy, which will be hard to top on this trip, has been seeing the kids waiting outside the security barriers when we got off the plane at the G2 airport. My primary goal of the trip has been, and continues to be, excellent fellowship with J1 and J2. Seeing them at the airport made all the other frustrations, stresses, and anxieties of planning and making the trip up to this point so well worth it. It was great to see their smiling faces and exchange hugs, something that I miss the most while they have been gone. Which brings up what I know will be the hardest part of the trip, which will be to do that for the last time, in the same airport, when we have to leave to come home. Our time of fellowship has been excellent, and it is especially fulfilling as we get to share it with them it in their home and what is now their neighborhood and city of residence. It is extremely peaceful for a parent to see first hand that their children really are safe and healthy. I know that J and J have done a fantastic job at detailing the fact that their needs are being met, but it really has warmed my heart to see it myself.
Other observations…
I have enjoyed listening to J and J converse in their new language with the shop owners and restaurant personnel when we get things to eat. I know that they still have a long way to go to master this extremely difficult language, but it is fun to watch them and listen to them communicate to the best of their ability. I also enjoy seeing the how they have developed relationships with many of the locals they have to do business with.
Yesterday we went to a meeting with others who have similar interests here in this country. It was interesting to see other people from the states as well as from Holland and England. It was a good time, and although this is not the normal group they get together with it was neat to be with others who have the same passions for the locals.
I have noticed that there is not a lot of obesity in the area. I am unsure if it is due to the diet, due to the fact that you have to walk a lot to get around the city, or just due to the financial status of the people. I am not saying that you don’t see some chunky people, but in comparison to what we see in the states, there are not a lot of fat people. This is probably a good thing though, as the local city buses are already packed like sardines, so more chunky people would bring the need for more buses.
J and J’s apartment is nice and comfortable, but the engineer in me has me analyzing a lot of the construction and utilities. Cosmetics are not much of an issue when laying out the power and gas lines. Their gas meter is in their kitchen, as they have one gas line that goes from the first floor through to the 8th floor…and it goes straight up through everyone’s kitchens. The power is run from transformers mounted on a pedestal in back of the building…and once it is close to the building is run through raceways in the stairways leading up the building. Some of the individual breaker boxes are even located in the stairwell, not even in the apartment it serves. J/J's breaker box is located directly above the door that enters their apartment. There is some detailing done to dress up the all concrete walls, but there is little done though, about sealing and weather-stripping walls, windows and doors. It would be extremely expensive to heat the whole apartment due to some of these issues, so there is not even an effort. More effort is spent just trying to be comfortable in the room you are occupying at the moment. J/J have provided us with a portable heater to heat our bedroom, and an electric blanket…but believe it or not we have found these to be too hot when we sleep and have matched J and J’s way of preparing for bed. We turn the heater on to warm up the room before we get in bed…then turn everything off once we are in bed. This means that the room gets down to about 45 or 50 degrees over night, but it really is comfortable under the warm blankets J1 has provided.
So far I have not had to pay any taxes on any meals or goods purchased. The price posted is what you pay…what a concept. It is also strange paying about $10.00 U.S. total for a pretty good meal for the four of us.....and no tipping! So far the only store we have been to that you can buy everything you might need to survive is Walmart. Otherwise your needs are met by shopping at local markets and shops that are scattered throughout the communities. Most shops specialize in just one thing…so if they specialize in cosmetics…then that’s all they sell, if they specialize in plumbing parts then that all sell. So shopping for your needs is a longer process as you go from shop to shop to get what you need.
I especially enjoy the outdoor markets…even got a special presentation from one of the little booth guys….let me explain. As I work in the poultry industry I have made an effort to go down and observe how chickens are being sold. Some marketers present you with whole or parts of chickens already slaughtered and processed…while others provide you with ones that are still live and clucking. While filming some of the live chickens in their cages, I was walking past one booth where the gentleman just finished selling one to a local patron. He saw me filming so gave me a mini show as he exposed the chickens neck, then with a big old smile on his face pulled out this crude and rusty knife and slit the chickens throat and bled it our over a blood collection box…pretty cool huh? They also have fresh fish for sale…can’t get any fresher than picking them out of a pool still alive in the market.
I look forward to what the next week will offer us to continue to add to our experiences of a foreign land and culture….but can sum things up like this….
The trip over was an adventure, the first three days have been eventful, and time spent with the kids….PRICELESS.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
wednesday, 2/27/2008
Oops...I had lost a day!
I know that this day we went into G2, to Pizza Fun, to the American Coffee House, and to the underground Walmart.....If I come up with other memorable things from this excursion I'll make note of it here....
there are photos too...I'll need to locate them and post them....
sorry!
I know that this day we went into G2, to Pizza Fun, to the American Coffee House, and to the underground Walmart.....If I come up with other memorable things from this excursion I'll make note of it here....
there are photos too...I'll need to locate them and post them....
sorry!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
