Day 4

Wooo!  It's the weekend and I am just about completely settled in!!  Last I wrote I was waiting for 方银 to help me 我把的东西搬过去(move my things).  So by 9 am, he came over, and my things were packed in my hotel room ready-to-go.  I checked out.  He wouldn't let me carry the heavier pieces, but it was only a one minute walk to my apartment.  However, it was three flights of stairs.  My big luggage was 80 pounds!  I told him I would treat him sometime to food for his help.  My roommate 李约 was home, and we decided to go to the nearby market for necessities and grab food on the way.  Turns out she also loves to eat baozi 包子 =D !  For those of you who have never eaten a baozi, you absolutely must.  It is a steamed dough with either a vegetable and egg filling, or a meatball filling.  I prefer the meat 肉 ones, but they are all hot and tasty.  We were like "yeah I walk and eat at the same time, meh!" lol so we're walk'n talk'n eat'n baozi all the way to the Taiwan grocer... which kind of feels like a walmart. 

The grocery stores here are generally two levels tall.  One grabs a cart, and rides an escalator (the wheels have stops on them so the cart doesn't slide down the escalator).  I bought hangers, bed dressings and pillows etc. We had to take a taxi back because there was so much stuff to carry!  We were both exhausted when we got back, so we sat on our shafa (sofa) and girl-talked for a while =).  Later I started "nesting" and putting away all of my things.  I called my landlord,  I will meet him again tomorrow to pay him part of his 13000 RMB, sign papers, and go to the police station to register residency.  Apparently you are supposed to do that within 24 hours of leaving a hotel, but nobody told me that?  Oh well, I heard that I'll be fine, the landlord and/or my roommate will be coming with me.  Liyue went to go do some errands and decided to go exploring.

It was my first time walking around solo, but it is a good feeling.  I was looking for a heavier blanket anyways lol.  It is cold here!  Even thought it is 56 degrees as a high, it was just like that in Phoenix I think?  But, it is a more humid cold, so it feels colder.  Luckily my naunqi (heater) is working fine, and my bed is very warm! I feel so spoiled staying in the master bedroom.  Honestly, I don't think I've ever had a bedroom quite so large!

Moving along, I met with Natalie at six.  Apparently she has some friend at John Hopkins university.  We decided to go to the Fuzimiao to see lanterns!  They were very nice,  all about 7 of us?  But they were students from the U.S. working on there Masters (in Chinese, not on Chinese).  Only one of them was a Chinese heritage student, who just happened to have gotten her undergraduate degree from ASU!  Like I said, they were all very nice, and there Chinese was amazing!  A couple of them I think were too smart for their own good, and spoke too fast leaving me a slightly awkward impression, but honestly I think it is because their brains are super-charged. lol So after eating spicy noodles, we went to the Fuzimiao 夫子庙 Confucius temple, which once you enter the courtyard there is a street lined with many many shops and food stands.  I think I saw the definition of 人山人海 (people mountain people sea) meaning people everywhere!  It was so crowded!!!  Like Chinese Las Vegas outside without coin machines.  We had to really stick together because you would turn around one second and then whoever was with you could just be gone that quick!  It was really quite amazing though with all of the lights, the lit red lanterns (I was right about the lantern holiday by the way), and there was a moat that had water.  It was kind of romantic with all of the colors from the lights reflecting off the water.  I bought a hot milk-tea (as if it were hot chocolate) to keep warm. 

So that was my full day!  Perhaps the only other interesting thing was my shower experience.  There are these two heating-lights above the shower head.  It made me laugh because when I turn them on they are like surveillance lights - bright (very very bright) lol  I feel like I am about to get beamed up to a space ship.  They work tho,  keeps the air warm when I'm showing, so I guess I'll keep those laser beams on. Haha.  I am bundled up in bed within my turquoise colored flowery sheets right now.  I have to go the the restroom but I am too cold to get up and make the trip... too much info?  Um, well these bed sheets are actually quite lovely for only 200 rmb.  One last reflection - one new accomplishment of my new year is texting in Chinese!  So cool!  Never thought I would ever do that!  Good night everyone =)