I Spy With My Little Eye...Part 1

• I’ve seen a man wearing hot pink jean shorts.
• I watched a mother wipe her daughter’s hind end out on the sidewalk in broad daylight right in front of the restaurant we were going to eat at.
• I’ve been stared at by almost every person I pass. Sometimes pointed at, sometimes talked about.
• There are MANY people that are as tall as or taller than I am here. Foreigners and Chinese.
• I’m always thirsty. Because you can’t drink water out of the faucet, it’s not always available to drink (everyone has to drink bottled water and even the restaurants have to use it). I think my body knows that because I’m always thirsty and there’s never enough to drink. Well, and the fact that most places use cups the size of a shot glass doesn’t help either.
• I’ve come to the conclusion that as long as it’s over 75 degrees here, I’m always going to be sweaty. I walk everywhere. Church, shopping, dinner…up hill, downhill, up stairs, down stairs. And the air-conditioning, if there is any, isn’t ever quite cool enough.
• I’ve seen throw up, lots of it, on the sidewalk.
• I’ve seen professional trash diggers. On more than one occasion.
• People love their dogs here, and I don’t mean “to eat”. They love them. Every dog I’ve seen has been beautifully groomed, perfectly coiffed fur, ribbons and bows. One lady was shopping and had her dog in her cart with her other items.
• My bed is rock hard. Apparently, that’s the norm for eastern beds. We go to a major department store on Tuesday and at the top of my list is an egg crate or some sort of cushion for my bed.
• I’ve been using my roommate’s blow-dryer for the last couple of days and it’s been eating my hair. The fan sucks it up and immediately twists it into these little knots. Not fun. It hurts, it stinks and I have to cut off that part of my hair. I found a new blow-drier and I’m hoping it works a little better.
• I got a cell phone today. The number is like ten digits long. You purchase the phone and then you have to purchase the SIM card/phone number. I was able to buy both for a total of about 300 Yuan which is about $45. But that doesn’t give me much time on the cell phone. I’ll have to purchase more minutes at some point.