January 26, 2017
11:11 pm
Beijing, China
Once again, it’s been forever since I’ve written a blog post. Oops. The days just run together sometimes. Plus, I’ve not really had many exciting things to write about in the past week. Even so, I have a few shout outs to make.
First of all, I want to say happy birthday to a couple very important people in my life. Kayla-ayla, I love you, girl, and I hope your year has been amazing. I miss seeing you and I can’t wait to talk soon. Grammy, happy 83rd birthday. I know I talked to you yesterday, but I wanted to say it one more time. I love you and miss you.
Aside from that, what can I tell you about the last six days? What have I learned?
- Conditioner is apparently not a big thing in China. Shampoo is no problem, but finding conditioner in a store is not easy. Or at least, not when you don’t read Chinese characters. Also, it costs a lot of money to buy Head and Shoulders over here.
- Chinese New Year (or Spring Festival) is actually a HUGE deal over here. Most people head back to their home towns to visit family. A lot of places close down for at least a week and some people spend up to a month in their home towns. Here’s the thing, though, no one comes “home” to Beijing. As a result, the city is practically a ghost town. In a city of 11.51 million (according to Google), you wouldn’t think a “few” people going out of town would make a difference. But it isn’t just a few. Tons of people head home for the holiday and it’s noticeable as you walk around. Going to work today, none of the regular people I pass were there. There was no one on the bus and there were fewer buses than normal. The only place I saw a large amount of people was the supermarket in my mall.
- You know how people in the States bulk buy when a big storm is coming? In the northern states, it happens when we’re going to get 4 feet of snow in 12 hours and the power is going to go out in many cities. In the southern states, it happens when they’re going to get a few flurries that actually stay on the road, causing a level 4 snow emergency. But you know know the time when everyone is rushing the store, stocking up on milk and bread, long lines and fights in the cereal aisle. Yeah, apparently that’s what happens here right before Spring Festival (although I didn’t see the fight). Yeah, I paid a lot of money for groceries today (notice the featured picture).
- The Shack is not a book to read throughout the day. It’s really hard to focus on and too emotional for the bus. In truth, I could probably read the book in a day, but because I haven’t actually just sat and read, I’m still not finished.
Anyway, that’s about it. I’ll update you guys more as I experience Chinese New Year actually in China. Fun fact: my birthday is on New Year’s Day.
Talk soon,
Kristen
