Just an update

Well, as you know I have moved in to my new apartment. Linda and I finally went out and got some stuff for it. I needed a humidifier b/c it is very dry and I have a cold. We also went to a market and got 20 or so DVD’s.( they are about $1 or 6 kuai). Guitars start at about 200 kuai and violins at 400 kuai. So I might pick up one of those and try to learn. Oh, I got a watch or 68 kuai. I did it because there are no clocks in the class rooms and I think it would be rude to be checking my mobile to see how much time is left in class. Anyway, it is shiny and seems to keep accurate time. Oh and a travel tip for anyone planning on visiting China. Do not try to catch a cab between 4:30 and 5:00 as that is shift change time and the driver just wave for you to get out of their way.

We went to the super market as well and got some food stuffs. It is kind of like a two story tightly packed Wal-Mart but with non food stuff (no automotive section that I saw). The food section is the interesting part though. It is upstairs and is at times overwhelming. It took me a while to see exactly the system that they use to organize everything. One of the reasons it took a minute to adjust is actually because it has a very large imported foods section. So I can get Pringles and some Barilla pastas and Skippy crunchy peanut butter and olive oil. I am not going to get these things very often as they are a lot more expensive than the local foods of which there are many.

The local products area is a kaleidoscope of colors. Many of the things sold are bottles with sauces and flavorings which I guess is what US super markets are like too but to me it seemed a bit overwhelming because there are simply so many of them. It is like the barbeque sauce isle time 1000.

The fruits and vegetables are in the back of the store and are for the most part very similar. There are lemons, peaches, and watermelons, apples of all sort, potatoes and onions. The carrots are HUGE and actually deep red/orange in color. There are of course many new vegetables and fruits that I do not know the name of, but I will make sure to try them and let you know if there are any good ones.

I went for my medical exam today. They took my blood and started running tests on it less than a minute after they took it. After they took blood I went and got an ultra sounds examination to check my liver and kidneys I guess. The weighed me and at the same time used sound or lasers or something to measure my height. After that I went for X-rays of my chest and finally blood pressure. All of that took about 30 minutes it was great.

Then I went and got a new cell phone for local use only, its red.

I start teaching class Friday. My first class is with the 4 to 6 year olds. Mostly it is a lot of singing and repeating phrases. A lot of my time this week has been spent observing the teachers in a variety of classes. It is a lot of fun and I am learning a lot. That is all for now I will take some pictures soon and post them to Picassa. Sorry for not being on top of things I have been busy, and our internet is intermittent at best.