Sunday, September 17, 2006
Another Sunday Arrives
I do not know how it happened,but another Sunday has arrived. This was the first full week of school and the kids and I found ourselves very happy, but very tired by Friday! Had forgotten the stamina that it takes to make it through a busy day and week with children. Different stamina than traveling and sightseeing and riding camels and the such.
The evenings after school were very tame too. One evening shopping expedition yielded 2 pair of earrings and a bag full of fruit and yogurt for the mini fridge in the room. Dinner was a bowl of glass noodles, veggies and chicken at the food court on the top floor of the Trust Mart building. Not thrilling?( Must say that dinner was, for me)
Another evening found Leslie, Becky and me at a nail salon. We all three had manicures and pedicures. Still not thrilling? It gets better!
Yet another evening found the three of us at a restaurant across the street from the hotel enjoying a hot pot dinner.Thrilling for us and delicious too! A huge bowl of broth came to the center of the table. A cylinder full of hot coals in the center of the bowl kept the broth simmering. Yielding chopsticks, we proceeded to put noodles, leafy greens, and beef into the pot and anxiously wait for them to be done. A very pleasant hostess mixed us up a bowl of fish ball batter, very adeptly formed the fish balls with a small spoon and pretty soon the fishballs were simmering away in the pot. I think that customers usually form their own fishballs, but the staff took pity on us and helped out. We then proceeded to have a leisurely dinner fishing with chopsticks. There were several tasty garnishes and a sesame seed paste as a dip for the food. Have you figured out that eating figures largely into my days here?
So life seems to have settled into routine and the mundane on one hand and yet communicating and figuring things out keeps it all very adventurous and novel.
Saturday, Leslie and I went to the school and faculty building sites. The progress is staggering. They are slated to have the school building done by September 25th and I think they will actually accomplish that. The faculty building is another week or two behind that.
Spent the rest of the day doing a walk-about in the Dalian Development Area ( DDA or Kai Fa Chu to the locals) and then took the light rail into Dalian proper to go shopping with Brian at the Metro. It is a Costco type store. Scoped out all the "stuff" they have for when I set up the apartment at school and bought Grand Marnier, Glenfiddich, brie, instant coffee, and herbal teas. Very satisfying shop! Look forward to yet another trip into Dalian today to find out more about the city.
The evenings after school were very tame too. One evening shopping expedition yielded 2 pair of earrings and a bag full of fruit and yogurt for the mini fridge in the room. Dinner was a bowl of glass noodles, veggies and chicken at the food court on the top floor of the Trust Mart building. Not thrilling?( Must say that dinner was, for me)
Another evening found Leslie, Becky and me at a nail salon. We all three had manicures and pedicures. Still not thrilling? It gets better!
Yet another evening found the three of us at a restaurant across the street from the hotel enjoying a hot pot dinner.Thrilling for us and delicious too! A huge bowl of broth came to the center of the table. A cylinder full of hot coals in the center of the bowl kept the broth simmering. Yielding chopsticks, we proceeded to put noodles, leafy greens, and beef into the pot and anxiously wait for them to be done. A very pleasant hostess mixed us up a bowl of fish ball batter, very adeptly formed the fish balls with a small spoon and pretty soon the fishballs were simmering away in the pot. I think that customers usually form their own fishballs, but the staff took pity on us and helped out. We then proceeded to have a leisurely dinner fishing with chopsticks. There were several tasty garnishes and a sesame seed paste as a dip for the food. Have you figured out that eating figures largely into my days here?
So life seems to have settled into routine and the mundane on one hand and yet communicating and figuring things out keeps it all very adventurous and novel.
Saturday, Leslie and I went to the school and faculty building sites. The progress is staggering. They are slated to have the school building done by September 25th and I think they will actually accomplish that. The faculty building is another week or two behind that.
Spent the rest of the day doing a walk-about in the Dalian Development Area ( DDA or Kai Fa Chu to the locals) and then took the light rail into Dalian proper to go shopping with Brian at the Metro. It is a Costco type store. Scoped out all the "stuff" they have for when I set up the apartment at school and bought Grand Marnier, Glenfiddich, brie, instant coffee, and herbal teas. Very satisfying shop! Look forward to yet another trip into Dalian today to find out more about the city.
# posted by Sidney @ 5:15 AM 
