Squid is NOTHING compared to this!

Scorpians, anyone??? They're fresh...see they are still moving. Yum. Yum.

Yes, they actually eat the scorpians. I have yet to eat them. I saw them at the outdoor morning market and had to do a double take! I asked one of my students if they were selling them as pets. She started laughing and said people eat them for dinner. haha. Let's just say my eyes got really, really big. Are you kidding? So I asked James if they really do eat them and he showed me a photo of the dish and said yes. Oh my!! mmm...not sure if I'm going to try them...

For the next two pictures, I went out for BBQ (chinese BBQ that is) and one of the girls ordered octopus (just the legs, not the whole body). And in the words of the Chinese people, "Try it. Just try it." (that is one of the idioms they say to me all the time. haha). So I did. I ate the whole leg (I took a picture 'cause I knew some of you won't believe me)! I decided I'm not a big fan of it. But then again, Graeme (English speaking friend in Qingdao) told me it wasn't fresh. haha. Like that's going to make a difference to me. lol. It's not squid-on-a-stick, but I figure it's close enough.

Okay, so last night I was invited to a special dinner because the school had some Koreans visiting that day. I'm not Korean (in case you were wondering) but I am a foreigner and an American, so I was invited. Hey, who am I to turn down free food? :) The host sits at the head of the table (he happened to be the Chairman of the Communist Party for the school. I've discovered that anyone connected to the Communist Party is very important...so I had to use my best manners). The honored guest sits to the right of the host and the next honored guest sits on the left and so it goes around the table. No...I know what you are thinking and I was not the honored guest....I was only second best...I sat on the left. Talk about being nervous...especially when using chopsticks 'cause everyone is watching you....aahhh...but no worries, my chopstick skills are improving.

The honored guest almost always starts eating first (whew!). We started with some recognizable types of chinese food and then some really good seafood - which I hadn't had yet. It was really pretty good. There was some type of shrimp/crawfish/sea animal that I hadn't had before and was told by my host "try it. just try it". So I did. It wasn't bad. Kind of like shrimp. Then they brought out a dish that had red peppers, green onions, and some kind of black thing on it. I couldn't figure out what kind of meat the black stuff was...(it had to be a meat, 'cause it didn't look like any vegetable I'd seen). It was my turn to eat from the dish, so I just grabbed it and popped it in my mouth. It was a little crunchy (I thought I must have eaten a shell), not much flavor, overall not too bad. Then, as the plate moved around the table, I saw legs sticking out of the black things! Oh wow! It was a grasshopper! Or locust they called them. Yep! I just ate a grasshopper! That was a first for me! Everyone else around the table was loving it...so I ate another one. That was it. No more. But I took a picture to show you. One of me eating it and a closeup of the locust......Squid doesn't seem so bad anymore. lol

Waiting for the bus...

Waiting for the bus! Is it coming??

Public transportation is the best here!! They really know how to utilize their resources. It is so easy and convenient to ride the bus (it costs 1 rmb) or catch a taxi (it's really cheap) to get where I'm going. It's also cheaper to ride the train between cities rather than fly...and it is an experience as well...I've met a lot of interesting people as I ride around. It's been fun. I'm going to miss riding the bus/train/taxi when I go back home...I won't get to met interesting people....or at least have them staring at me all the time. lol. Yep, it still happens. In fact, just this past weekend as I was riding the train back to Weifang, I happened to look up and saw a man about 15 ft away taking a picture of me. I know because I would move my head to hide behind another person's head and his camara lens would follow me. haha. so what do I do? I smile and pose! :o) lol. Life in China is great....

Chinese BBQ

I had my first taste of Chinese BBQ a couple weeks ago. It was really quite the experience. The school I teach at is just outside the downtown part of Weifang and there are no street lights or building lights on the way to my school. Because of this, the buses stop running at about 6:30pm because it starts to get dark and no one really goes out. So I basically have no idea what the night life is like here. I was telling this to my boss, Mr. Sun (his english name is James), and he said he'd show me some of the night life of Weifang. We went out and met some of his friends (two of the three friends could speak some english).

We had dinner at a restaurant I call "The Hot Pot". For those of you who are familiar with "The Melting Pot" it is very similiar to that. They have a pot full of boiling broth or something, and they bring you your food raw. The food consisted of different kinds of seaweed (supposedly really healthy for you), cabbage, carrets, spinach, raw lamb, beef, mutton's blood (yep, I tried it...umm I don't think I was much of a fan), prawn, shrimp, and some other kinds of veggies. It was fun. About 3/4 of the way through the meal, they told me to save room for the second meal. ???? What? There is more?!? You see, the food is not just portion size, they give you the whole buffet table! James was serious! BBQ was next...well, actually, we went to an arcade and played games for an hour or so and then went for BBQ.

The pictures are of us having BBQ. They have tables and stools set up on the sidewalk. You sit down and then tell them what you want to eat. (James and his friends did all the ordering since I don't know what anyone was talking about. lol) All of the food is put on skewers and cooked over hot coals outside. We had pork, garlic (they really like garlic here!), bread, and something else. It was really good! This is where they also do the social drinking. Did I mention that they really like beer here? Well they do. Qingdao is really famous for its beer. They have a beerfest in August every year which I'm told is something to go to if you like beer. But the beer here is very diluted compared to what is found in the US...at least that's what I hear. Anyways, when you come to China, you have to try the BBQ. You'll love it!

I'm a slacker....

Hey all, I'm am quite a slacker, I know....sorry. I was trying to download pictures about my trip to Inner Mongolia last week, but the pictures weren't downloading and it kept shutting down my computer. I finally got them on my computer, but then I left for Qingdao for the weekend and didn't get my blog updated. I'm working on that now....and I'll try to be better at updating it.

You may have all heard about the earthquake in China. In case you were wondering, it wasn't where I live and I didn't feel a thing (of course, I happened to be taking a nap at the time. I was really tired and could have slept through the whole thing! haha). It has been all over the news this afternoon (a whole day after it happened..yeah, they are a little slow in responding here). It is really sad! It makes my heart hurt to see and hear of so many people killed and injured! especially children...more so since most families can only have one child. It is really sad. My boss, Mr. Sun, said that according to local fortune tellers (it would be interesting to hear what they say) the years ending in 8 are years where a lot of disasters will happen for China. It is barely May, and already there have been quite a few disasters...earthquakes...train crashes...snow...diseases...I arrived in China...etc. This poor country!

Mexican Food!

Mexican Food!!! Well, at least Chinese Mexican food. We found a Mexican Restaurant in Qingdao a few weekends ago. I ordered a burrito, rice and fruit salad. As you can see, the burrito was about the closest thing to Mexican they had. It was definitely Chinese Mexican. I sure miss Su Casa food! As I ate, I tried to pretend it was real Mexican....or at least American Mexican. It lasted for about a second...then I heard the Chinese in the background and was brought back to reality. haha. I'm soo having Mexican food when I get back to the USA! Don't get me wrong, I love Chinese food. But it is so nice to live in the USA where you can choose what type of food you want to eat. You can have Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, American, etc. Here, you have to go to the bigger cities to have something other than Chinese. I found, I'm very much a variety girl. I like to have lots of choices...especially when it comes to food!

Hospital vs Pharmacy

Can I just say, it sucks being sick? In a foreign country none-the-less. I already mentioned that you can't buy medicine at the supermarket (which is a little wierd for me), you have to go to the hospital, or (as I just found out yesterday) you have to go to a pharmacy store. So here's my adventures this past week. On Monday (after being sick all weekend), Herry, one of my students and my translater, went with me to get some medicine (I was hoping it would be to a drug store or something). Nope. It was to the hospital. There is a small hospital (or clinic I would call it) just off campus. We walk over there (in the rain) and go inside. All I see is a long empty corridor. Herry starts opening the doors to rooms as we pass looking for the doctor (there is no receptionist or anything). We find someone who shows us which room the doctor is in. We go in and there are 3 people in white coats (I'm not sure which one is the doctor and which ones are nurses) and 2 other students. I sit in a chair and they give me a thermometer to take my temperature (it goes under the armpit in case you were wondering and don't ask how I found that out). I sat there for 15 mins and the nurses/doctor talked to Herry about me and where I am from (I've learned how to say America in Chinese)...it was all in Chinese so I got nothing out of the conversation. Anyways, the doctor says my temperature is normal. And asks what's wrong ('cause I apparently don't look sick). I tell her my throat is sore, my ears are plugged, and I have a cough (I'm just looking for some cold medicine here!). She then writes down a prescription on a piece of paper and hands it to me. (By the way, she has been sitting at her desk the whole time). That's it...no 'stick-out-your-tongue and say aahhh', no earcheck, no sinus check....just 'tell-me-what's-wrong-and-I'll-give-you-some-medicine'. I take the paper around the corner and they give me the medicine. It cost me a total of 7.5 RMB (~$1). I've got three different kinds of medicine enough to last me 5 days.

Well, I wasn't getting any better, I was losing my voice and now had an eye infection. So I decided to go to the hospital again. On Thursday, I called 2 of my students to see if they would go with me to get some medicine 'cause I wasn't doing any better. Blanche & Grace went with me. They knew of a place in town that was better than the hospital. I figured why not? Anything has to be better then the hospital. We went to a drug store (yep, they do have them in Weifang). We talked...or they talked actually....to the pharmacist or drug person and told them what was wrong. The pharmacist recommended eyedrops and cold medicine...and....it is finally working! At least I'm feeling better today. Hopefully tomorrow will be even better. Moral of the story: When in China, visit the drug store rather than the hospital.

Alcohol, Tobacco, & Drugs

It has been cold, rainy, and gloomy all weekend....and I'm sick. Yuck! I know this shouldn't surprise me (being in China and all), but still... You go to the campus market and they sell alcohol, they sell tobacco, but do they sell drugs? NO! I'm feeling lousy and all I want is some cold medicine, but can I find it anywhere? Nope! Aaauuuggghhh! I just want some drugs to knock me out! ha. Welcome to China. You could be a kid and buy alcohol and tobacco (there's no age limit), but can an adult buy medicine at the store?! Nope! (sigh) I finally talked to James (he's my boss) this morning and he said he'll go with me this afternoon to a place where I can find some medicine. Until then, I've got a runny nose, clogged ears, sore throat, and infected eyes....ugghh! and I have to teach my classes this morning! I hate being sick! Oh and to top it all off, this weekend is the International Kite Festival, but we won't be going anymore because it is all muddy and it is too rainy for the kites to fly. Go figure! haha...that's life for ya.