Here I go again...

[Scottish_Rob]

So last night after dinner we go out for a jog !! , half way around, we turn to run backwards, easy peasy I say to myself...I being a smart ass, decides to show off, so I turn around at the same time as running and start to run again...YOU GOT IT !!!  within seconds I am on the floor, head over heels, land on my right shoulder, and right elbow sticks into my ribs...OUCH.  As you can imagine I am not in the best of moods, somewhat restricting ggrrrr

I am doing something here that I would never in my lifetime think of doing at home, getting up at 5.30am and cooking about 6 dishes for breakfast....God that's the middle of the night   Well not getting up that early unless I had work to go to.  I don't really know what it is but I feel that becuase she gets up so early, I must too.  Of course sharing breakfast and everything (chores etc) is fun.  god the chinese love their variety of food, it is a form of art too them-- rather than a chore..

I have done what I told her I was going to do, I said I would try the food, some I do not like, but others man it is gorgeous.  Chinese cooking is so easy.  Going to go into town today and see if I can use a phone somewhere to call the Uk, my credit ran out and I cannot get a voucher for 02.  However have come up with a cleaver plan, call someone in uk, get them to get the voucher, give me the numbers and hey presto...should work.

We (she) has come up with a dietry plan for us , I am SO looking forward to this...hahahah NOT

[Scottish_Rob]

Willy send me your phone numbers by Pm would you please, i cannot seem to get through to the other ones...

[Willy The Londoner]

Willy send me your phone numbers by Pm would you please, i cannot seem to get through to the other ones...

What so you can ring me at unGodly hours.   


Ok will do

Willy

[ttwjr32]

that is probably a good phone call neither one understands what the other is saying

[Scottish_Rob]

that is probably a good phone call neither one understands what the other is saying

Bu ming bai.....

[Scottish_Rob]

I knew there was something I wanted to mention, but it escaped me until I went downstairs there.  I remember saying that I NOT seen a fat chinese woman, I take that back, since i have been here I have saw about 6, is this the state Capital for fat chinese women.

and no Willy Sophie isn't fat !!! before you mention it.hahahah

Oh  got the phone thing sorted, they have a thing in China called a computer and you can gho online and do it..

[ttwjr32]

ah the wonders of modern technology

and bejing is loaded with fat chinese men and women never saw so many
in china until i spent a month there last month

[ttwjr32]

What so you can ring me at unGodly hours.   


same time zone Willy   lol!!1

[Scottish_Rob]

You know it's funny this time, I NOT even took one picture at all, I will do soon guys...

Ok so you know I feel and hurt my shoulder, all Sophie wanted to do was take me to the doctors/hospital.  I PERSUADED her to leave ii til MONDAY.  So yesterday she comes in from work tells me to put my shoes on, we are going out.  GUESS where she took me, that's right the bloody hospital   I had acupuncture on it, and have to go back for another  4 days...

We leave the hospital and go shopping.  She promised to to show me the real China!!.  We went to the market place, now this place is about maybe a mile in all all directions.  God it was massive, I tell you no lie, we spent about 2 hours there.  The sights and smells were somewhat overpowering to the western pallate, but it idoes not affect the locals.  Inside this market was the vegetable 'market' God half the stuff looked rank   Truly and honestly people, I have seen some sights in the UK but nothing comes anywhere close to this heap!!!  Anyway, were walking about the veg's and she decides to buy ours, Ok I thought, this is what I have been waiting to see.  Well she jumps right in grabs handfuls of peas to check them and the same with peppers.  Haha it was a pleasure to see a professional at work haha..well if 1 did not come up to scratch she would throw a wobbly hah I stood at the side of her watching to see if the stallholder would break down, haha. I could hardly contain my delight when the stallholder gave in to her.  she got this big bagful and only cost her 1 yuan.

Next it was the Fish market, now I hate blood and gore and not too particular about fish smells either.  I tell you it was all I could do to stop myself throwing up seeing all the bits etc.  Then she asks me to choose a fish for dinner.  I ooblidged and picked what looked not a bad size, well we had that for breakfast this morning yuk!!!  I don't know if Sophie realises what I am telling her that I am NOT a big eater.  every few hours she is cooking and trying to force feed me this amazing(sometiomes) stuff.

All I can say after the long long walk home, was THIS is how the other half lives.  We in the west have really no idea of what these people do everyday.  This morning I went to the shop for a light bulb, nothing major you would thinkl !!!   duh duh...WRONG, She asked me how much it cost, cool enough question you would thing, so I replied 12 yuan, I am still trying to get her yelling out of my ears haha it would have cost her 9 yuan, she went ballistic over 3 yuan !!!! the equivelant to 0.25p uk, or 0.46 cents.  So I have had my orders, and that is I no buy anymore, we buy together.

will need to go now, be back soon

[Scottish_Rob]

I meant to say that the bill for the Acupuncture I am receiving  was 109 RMB, for a 5 day session.  I expected it to be painful, seeing as I have an aversion to needles, but it's not, the only thing you feel is the electricity massaging the inner muscles.

I spoke about how the chinese use any available space for advertising, well the same is done in the household She had me sewing the chillies onto a string to hang, saves space I mean how much space DOES a bunch of chillies take up[

So last night she told me that I will dumpling for you tomorrow, great  I think.  We go now for meat...We walked to one of the 5 large indoor markets in Zhucheng, I take about 300 Rmb out of my wallet to take and she say's 'Too Much', takes the money from me, puts it on table and tells me to take 10 Rmb.. So I'm thinking to myself, God we not gonna get much for that amount.   Once we reach the place and go to the stall (which was interesting to see), she gets the person to cut a decent size, enough for the 3 of us, I'm thinking 'Oh God, I should have brought more with us', so we go to pay for it, total cost 4.20 Rmb.  This piece of meat in the Uk woul;d have cost about 7 UK pounds sterling.  I was totally gobsmacked.  I tried to exp[lain to her about the costings exchange rate, and she was overjoyed because she had made a good bargain...Go figure.

On the way back, we pass people doing Tai Chi, so me being a smart Ass, tell her, 'Look Tai Chi',  Tonight we are going to the place to do this, i have been informed.  Willy, DavidE, Paul, etc etc What the hell have I let myself in for?

[Scottish_Rob]

There is only so much you can take of being accosted in the street   I suppose it makes a change from me accosting them..hahaha

Got 3 students for a 3 hour tutoring lesson this Sunday sorted.  One guy asked me "How much", I told him 100 yuan, he offered 30, so I laughed at his face and told him politely where to go !!!.  I explained that I couild get anything between 100 and 200 yuan an hour, but for him I would give a 3 hour lesson for 225 yuan, this coupled with the other 2 staudents at the same rate is ok...

I have learned very quickly the rules of crossing the road I just hold on to a locals teashirt and move when they do...   Because of my sore shoulder, Sophie kept telling me last night, "Do not worry about work, fix shoulder first", but tonight she will get a surprise when I tell her the news...Hope there aint a backlash..

Mike you were right about the heat, it is drivine me nuts !!!

To the guys that's given me their phone numbers and I've called, VERY nice to put a voice to the face...

[ttwjr32]

 Rob,

thats great you might have found some tutoring to do but keep in mind and be careful with that as to work
on a visiting visa is and could be dangerous and lead up to a 5 year ban for coming to China. there are a few
ways to change that and if you want some suggestions then give me a message and you can call me to discuss
them.  just would hate to see it become a problem for you.

Ted

[Scottish_Rob]

Thanks Ted may take you up on the offer..

I remember reading in a thread about Chinses woman telling you, you have somewhere to go, without forewarning you   Well last night this happened to me and it was quite important that I had known some information about it.  Let me explain...We sit down to dinner, I am feeling a bit shattered with all the walking about I have been doing, so I'm sort of looking forward to an hours Tai Chi and then relax for the rest of the night.

We finish dinner and as soon as the last mouthful is inserted into the mouth, she tells me, "We go now !!" So I go in and change into jeans and an oldish top, hey it's dark no one will notice.  We start out along the road, and get to the place where the Tai Chi is supposed top be taking place...No one is there,I stop and she tugs at my arm and tells me "Come" so I follow her, so now I'm thinking we are just going for a walk!!!

We are walking for ages and I keep asking where are we going but this seems to fall on deaf ears.   Anyway as we are walking she keeps looking up at the signs on the buildings, so I make a joke about it, "Haha ni lost haha" so we get to this place and she calls someone.  Now I'm thinking it's her sister or mom, a few doors from where we are standing this young woman comes out HOLDING a volleyball!!!! So they two start to talk,  the woman comes up to me and introduces herself, I say 'Hi' and duly take the ball from her hands (WHY!! I have no idea) so this woman starts asking me if I have taught before, and what is it that I teach!!!

Sophie had been given this womans information and tried to secure me an interview...WITHOUT telling me.  I was absolutely embaressed and angry that she did not tell me....  :oHad I known about it, I would have been smarter dressed and NOT grabbed the ball from her hands, what I'm saying is I would have made a better impression, because in my eyes, the first impression counts so much, well it does with me.  But on saying that, It was a lovely gesture on her part.  So I will have to explain to her that I really hate surprises like that

I have no idea how it was viewed by this woman, although I can guess...Ahh well there will be other opportunities   Were on the way home, when she gets another call, from her mom this time. Peter is Tiao pi (naughty) so we have to go and collect him.  Sophie wants us to walk home then she will get her bike to go and collect him!!!  I just flag down a taxi and tell her to give mothers address to the driver, and we go and collect him.
Now I have not 'Officially' met the mother yet, and if truth be known, being dressed the way I was I did not want too.  As it turns out I sat in the taxi while she went indoors to get him.

The drive to her moms house was interesting to say the least, not conversation-wise it must be stated, but in where she lives.  The place looked really horrible (area) and dirty, so this has got me thinking, is this one of the reasons she is against Sophie and I, 'Is she embarressed!!!'  How do I get around this?  I will need to put my thinking cap on, because if it is, then it does not matter to me, not in the slightest

Anyway enough of my rant for this morning, I have decided that I am going out to find a KFC for some western food

[Willy The Londoner]

You know the saying ' Do Not Judge A Book By Its Cover' that applies to China housing as well.  I have been to what is a run down block but inside the home I visit it has been a Palace.

Mid you I have also  been to many that also match the outside as well!!!!!

Willy

[Scottish_Rob]

Sorry Willy, I was not judging her or the place really, what I was trying to convey, was that HER mother might have been embarressed about where she lived, the area I mean not her actual living conditions...  The place that I and Sophie live now is not the greatest area, but I will say I have to agree with you, she does keep the house brilliantly clean, mind you, she don't have to do much, as I am not much of a slob in the house anyway...

I can say catagorically that I have been here one week so far.  I have enjoyed it immensly, BUT can I live here, I really don't know (at the moment)... I have met many nice people, no one has been agressive towards me, except maybe the old woman in the next block to us.  Every time she passes me she mutters 'Bu ming bai', points to me and tuts...   But as far as the way Sophie is treating me, she is brilliant.  She won't let me do a thing unless she asks for my help, i.e cutting vegetables.  She is the perfect hostess, and I feel like I am being treated like a king..   There is no doubt in my mind that fi we get married, she will care for me for ever...

Well I faltered by the wayside today I ate fries and a cheeseburger   I am only feeling embarressed because I LOVED every minute of it, and I guess I feel guilty... .. But I did 'EXPLAIN to Sophie that US westerners NEED good old fashioned western food at least once a week..hehehe I think she accepted that.. .  Well today was my last day at the hospital, so I had a few nurses coming in to bye bye to the Gwilo..

I bought Sophie a nice top 2 days ago, today I had to exchange it, it was a little big for her.  Now having to explain to staff that 'you' are a stupid westerner not getting the size right, brought howls of laughter, and another couple of students if I want them....Now what I have learned from my last trip is that, NOT getting work last time, was maybe the right thing to happen.  By my going back to the UK and trying to teach myself to talk slower...HAS worked...Qingdao was nice.... However I think this place is even nicer and friendlier, although some of the locals have told me to be careful.