3 April 2010
Greetings all,
Happy Easter! This year a Chinese holiday "Tomb Sweeping Day" falls on the same day as Easter Monday. Tomb sweeping day (Not the same tomb as Easter for Christians) is when Chinese people go to the graves of their ancestors and clean the grave and leave them an offering of fruit. It's kind of like Memorial day in the US, but in China, many people worship their ancestors. Monday the 5th of April is Tomb Sweeping day, so it's a legal holiday here!
Well, I've survived my first week in Shenyang. Rod comes tomorrow (oh happy day!) It has been a busy, but somewhat overwhelming week! I have a driver to take me to work..but he doesn't speak any english...not one word...and my Chinese isn't good enough to effectively communicate...so while I like having a driver, (because you couldn't pay me to driver here!), it's frustrating not being able to just say where you want to go...but that will come with time! I understand that there is also a pretty strong accent here in Shenyang that doesn't sound like anything I heard from my Chinese teacher in the US...so we get by with sign language, queue cards and trial and error! One evening this week, I wanted to go to a grocery store to just have some snack food in the hotel room...I arrived there, but I wasn't at all sure that I was going to where I hoped I was going...but I finally arrived. I've mastered to tell him what time to pick me up and come get me...but much past that...I'm digging out of the phrase book and hoping he understands...most of the time he doesn't and he spins something out that I have no idea what he said...and just try again.
Enough about that (you can tell I'm preoccupied with this!)
At work, It's going OK, although, somewhat disorganized since I wasn't supposed to officially get here until the 4th of April, so I'm "in training", but that is mixed with my orientation to the city and my personal need. I've got work to do that's been scheduled for awhile so I feel like I'm drinking from the fire hose...that will improve as I learn my way around the site and know who does what, but for the moment, it's a kind of scavenger hunt. Many people speak english, so at least I can understand most of what they are telling me! Thank God for small milestones!
Tuesday of this week, I went to the immigration center to apply for my residence permit. They have my passport, so I couldn't go anywhere if I wanted to! They tell me I should be able to get the residence permit by the end of the coming week which means that I'll get my passport back and can make multiple entries into China and apply for a business credit card. I'll be so glad when all of these details that happen when you move are settled so that I can have my personal life stable. Right now, nothing is stable...living out of a suitcase, new job etc...I'll be glad when we get our permanent apartment and at least our personal life is stable again..with time...with time!
Today at the fitness center (yes, I'm working-out...it was a promise I made myself when we accepted to come to China!) I met another American lady who invited me to go to the "dirt market". I said I was game, so at noon, 4 of us crammed into a taxi and they spoke to the taxi driver (and after he didn't understand them either, they gave him a card with written Chinese characters with the destination written on it!...I felt silently content that even when they spoke what sounded like fluent chinese, the driver couldn't understand them either!!) So, we went to this flea market..what a bazar! You can see the photo below..a million people milling around looking, sellers looking to sell etc. New, old, old made to look like new..all there. The other ladies bought some things, I just looked and observed. One lady showed me a cricket box..yes crickets...but not just any crickets...these are huge bugs! (probably 3 inch body + legs!) They have ornate little boxes (much like miniature bird cages) where they keep crickets as pet's/ security. It seems that crickets chirp when they are in familiar surroundings, specifically smell. When someone enters the room that has a different smell, they go silent, letting you know that a stranger is in the room. Some people keep their cricket's with them...they clip them on their pants or shirts. I thought the cages were cute, but I didn't want to spend 200 RMB (about $30.00 ) for a cage that I'd never be putting a cricket in! The seller of the cages also had the crickets!
When I got back from the dirt market, I went down to the downtown pedestrian street..another street with a lot of people walking around and shopping (see picture). There were lots of familiar names (Mc Donalds, Starbucks, KFC, Cartier, Bulgari etc) and many I had no idea what they sell. There is a nice Japanese multi-story department store. I understand there is a complete underground shopping area as well (it's gets cold here in the winter, so there is an underground pedestrian shopping street)..I haven't gone there yet.
Overall, it's been a busy week..I think I'm about over the jet lag and am sleeping through the night OK and have not been sick since leaving Shanghai!
Shenyang "dirt market" on a Saturday afternoon 3 April 2010. Old, new and a combination of all the above.
Shenyang pedestrian street on a Saturday afternoon 3 April 2010.
So, that's about it for this week. I'll write again after Rod arrives safe and sound. This coming week, we are to do the official orientation and take a city tour and go apartment hunting.
More to come!!
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