Yesterday, I was scheduled to go to the zoo with 4 students and their parents and I was excited about the zoo; however, the down-side was that it was raining and had been for three days. As it turns out the zoo was a no-go, which is a good thing because there are massive puddles in the streets.
Today, it was a bit clearer but it still was misty out. I ventured out into the streets and have seen some pretty fun stuff…like a band walking down the street playing music for the Chinese New Year…or a guy peeing, okay that was a little gross but it made me laugh.
I also went to Wal-Mart again today...needed food because all of the restaurants are closed for the next couple of days for the holiday and all of the stores would be closed too, and well I need to eat. As you can expect the Wal-Mart is almost always a zoo in and of itself. And who you should guess was the main
attraction...yep, you're right! The foreigner! Haha! I think that people stare for two reasons, either they know I'm a foreigner and they don't see foreigners often... or reason number two, they are wondering if I'm a half-breed with my semi-squinty eyes and are watching to see if I'll say something in Chinese. Either way, it’s pretty funny!
Boom, is the word of tonight. I was told by many including my principle to stay indoors tonight, because
tonight is the Chinese New Year's Eve, and it gets a little crazy. And as I sit on my patio, watching fireworks with a glass of tea in hand, I realize that I really wouldn’t want to be out in all of that craziness
anyway. I can view it all from the comfort and warmness of my flat. The smoke from the fireworks is so prevalent now that I can barely see two buildings down…and I’m not exaggerating in the least.
Fireworks have been going off every day since I arrived but today they have been going off since about 10am…now more so, because it’s about 8:30pm. From what I’ve been told, the smoke will get so bad that I really won’t be able to see the buildings across the way...which is pretty bad because I could probably
spit on the building if I tried. (ewh, I know!)
The rumors and all that I’ve heard have been true. I cannot see the building across the way, unless the
breeze blows. This holiday seems to be like Mardi Gras, New Year’s Eve and the 4th of July all rolled into one…ohh and don’t forget Thanksgiving, because they eat a lot!
I was startled out of sleep all night by the sounds of firecrackers, it was almost every hour. Alas, this morning, I’m killing my stomach with coffee, as I’m supposed to meet up with some students today to discuss the U.S. and go shopping. And for those that know me well, I’m not exactly a morning person, and I'm an even worse person morning person when I haven't had any sleep.
Ugh… :/
Happy Chinese New Year!
Videos below are of my neighborhood, the street as well as an example of the nutty traffic...enjoy!
Today, it was a bit clearer but it still was misty out. I ventured out into the streets and have seen some pretty fun stuff…like a band walking down the street playing music for the Chinese New Year…or a guy peeing, okay that was a little gross but it made me laugh.
I also went to Wal-Mart again today...needed food because all of the restaurants are closed for the next couple of days for the holiday and all of the stores would be closed too, and well I need to eat. As you can expect the Wal-Mart is almost always a zoo in and of itself. And who you should guess was the main
attraction...yep, you're right! The foreigner! Haha! I think that people stare for two reasons, either they know I'm a foreigner and they don't see foreigners often... or reason number two, they are wondering if I'm a half-breed with my semi-squinty eyes and are watching to see if I'll say something in Chinese. Either way, it’s pretty funny!
Boom, is the word of tonight. I was told by many including my principle to stay indoors tonight, because
tonight is the Chinese New Year's Eve, and it gets a little crazy. And as I sit on my patio, watching fireworks with a glass of tea in hand, I realize that I really wouldn’t want to be out in all of that craziness
anyway. I can view it all from the comfort and warmness of my flat. The smoke from the fireworks is so prevalent now that I can barely see two buildings down…and I’m not exaggerating in the least.
Fireworks have been going off every day since I arrived but today they have been going off since about 10am…now more so, because it’s about 8:30pm. From what I’ve been told, the smoke will get so bad that I really won’t be able to see the buildings across the way...which is pretty bad because I could probably
spit on the building if I tried. (ewh, I know!)
The rumors and all that I’ve heard have been true. I cannot see the building across the way, unless the
breeze blows. This holiday seems to be like Mardi Gras, New Year’s Eve and the 4th of July all rolled into one…ohh and don’t forget Thanksgiving, because they eat a lot!
I was startled out of sleep all night by the sounds of firecrackers, it was almost every hour. Alas, this morning, I’m killing my stomach with coffee, as I’m supposed to meet up with some students today to discuss the U.S. and go shopping. And for those that know me well, I’m not exactly a morning person, and I'm an even worse person morning person when I haven't had any sleep.
Ugh… :/
Happy Chinese New Year!
Videos below are of my neighborhood, the street as well as an example of the nutty traffic...enjoy!