Pre-Xmas report from China:
As an atheist country you would think that China would not celebrate Christ-mas but in fact they do... well, at least the shopkeepers do. Christmas here is solely a time for people (mostly young couples) to spend Xmas Day shopping for gifts. Hence, it's a time for shopkeepers to pray... er, I mean prey... on their customers.
I felt flattered when I had a couple of offers by female students to spend the day shopping with them but... uhm... I wonder what they want? Perhaps it's payback time for all the nice things they have done for me!? The Spring Festival (late January next year) is China's most important celebration - when families get together (as we do on Xmas day in Australia). I wonder if I'll get any invitations then...!
Two of my ex-students took me shopping for winter clothes at the well-known, and extremely busy, Jiang Han Road shopping area last weekend where they patiently scoured many mens' stores with me. It was fascinating to watch these two "terriers" barking at the heels of the shop assistants, trying to get the best deal for me. As a reward I took the ladies for a "luxury" lunch at an an expensive restaurant called "Pizza Hut". The large pizza we shared was good, the garlic bread was fair, the 6 cappuccini (cappuccinos to the uneducated!?) hardly had any coffee in them, and the tiramisu were very small and straight out of the freezer - they had no resemblance to what I know to be the real thing; a good Chinese meal for three may set you back 100 yuan - the Pizza Hut bill was 306 yuan! However, this cost was somewhat offset by returning part of the way home by Yangtse river transport at a cost of 1 yuan each!
Remember the nurse whom I had met in the park, some weeks back, where I swapped my roasted chestnuts for her banana? Well, she has resurfaced on QQ (China's internet messaging system): she recently QQed me to tell me that she now has a boyfriend and "misses me very much"!?!? When I enquired as to what he was like she said she didn't know because she was going to meet him for the first time next week!? Apparently he is a soldier whom she met on QQ and is coming to Wuhan on furlough. I have now dubbed her "My Neurotic Nurse" - stay tuned...
Staying with the female theme I have attached YouCam photos of some girls I've had in my bedroom..... only because that is where I have strategically placed my laptop!
Finally, just to cool off the male recipients of this report, tomorrow's temperature forecast is a high of 7 degrees and a low of -2.
Enjoy your summer... Renzo
No comments:
Post a Comment