Opened my eyes this morning and thought: I’m in Beijing. Blink. Blink. If I closed my eyes, I could be right back in Chicago. Nothing felt different. But it was. I was halfway across the world. It was up to me. I had to make the steps to make this difference worth it.
Too tired to do anything productive, let alone get something to eat, I decided I was thirsty enough to walk across the street to check out the small supermarket for something to drink. First order of the day though was to trim my nails which have been just short of destroyed by the moving of two 60Lb bags of all my world possessions as I now know it, halfway across the world. Before leaving, I did a quick survey of the apartment in the light of day before almost shocking myself to death looking out the window. Blue sky. The entire sky was gorgeous cerulean blue! And even a whif of fluffy white clouds here and there! It was honestly, the last thing I expected to see in Beijing – THERE IS HOPE FOR MY RESPIRATORY ISSUES IN CHINA!!!
My eyes felt as parched as a dessert as I marched myself to the supermarket. Not sure if it was the combination of dirt in the air or my tiredness. Probably both. Walked past the men and women sitting at basement of the building, relaxing while cajolling in chinese, eyeing this unusual stranger walking past them, under the awning fmor the afternoon sun. I started wondering if I should not have worn these short shorts for starters. Didn’t feel like bringing unnecessary attention to myself. Soon, I thought to myself, I’ll have to muster the guts to just sit and talk with them, as an initiation into ‘taking my place in this neighborhoood’. And that I will, but not today. Though sunny and warm, it wasn’t quite as hot and humid as I expected, which was a nice surprise. Walking into the supermarket was a reminder of the casual chaty atmosphere of a local wet market, a little mustiness in the air and ladies sitting around, waiting to make their sales pitch to a willing buyer. Sauntering through, halfway listening to the chinese expressions of the locals and absorbing it by osmosis, I found the necessities I needed – umbrella, toilet paper, shampoo, body wash, toothpaste and facial cleanser. As always again, I was frustrated at my inability to find or communicate to the sales lady, the notion of ‘hair conditioner’. For some reason, it’s always been a struggle for me as they’re never beside the accompanying shampoo bottles. I felt like kicking myself for not being able to read chinese well enough to read the labels. Oh well…that’ll be an adventure for another day….Or if I’m impatient enough, I’d walk over to the other 24 hr supermarket. Perhaps with more choices, I’ll find one there…or not. Maybe I’ll cheat by looking for one with an english label on it. I was happy to see a few things I recognized that brought back good memories from my stay here 2 years ago. So I had to get them – mixed congee in a can – great nutritious snack of beans, peas and fruit, chinese yogurt, soy bean milk, Mo li hua cha (jasmine tea) soft drink, yakult yogurt and a dry cracker with lemon icing I’d grown to love when I was here. Finally, cashing out, I was eager to see how big of a damage I’d created in my wallet. This time, unlike my first time shopping in China and being scolded by the ‘Ah yi’ in the store for having too much money in my wallet, when I struggled to get the right notes out, I put only a little amount of money on the outer pocket and kept the rest stored away in an inner sleeve. Felt like a smart ‘local’ as I didn’t get any dirty stares this time. RMB200. That’s US$30. Back in Chicago, I would’ve paid more than that just for the necessities on the list. Ahh…looking forward to enjoying the good cheap life ahead here.
After doing a little taste fest of all the drinks, I felt my stiff neck, full belly, burning eyes and sluggishness telling me I needed to go back to bed. It was only noon.
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