Life in the Fast lane.
Two weeks down, 30 something more to go. Life in China can, at times, be very fast paced.
The first week of school was a typical first week, but the second week flew by. This past week I began to get more comfortable with my schedule and curriculum planning and we enjoyed getting to know the city a bit more.
Nights in China are much different than in the US and especially different in little ol' Blackfoot. Back home, the evening traffic subsides after 7pm and most people are in doors. China is the exact opposite.
At night the city comes alive and people are always out, shopping or socializing. Last Friday after work our faculty went to a nearby restaurant called Potatoes. This is a great opportunity to socialize with good friends and good food.
Rachel and I left around 8:45 and headed down, what is locally dubbed, "crazy street."
This street like so many in Xi'an gets packed with people, eating, shopping and hanging out.
There are shops, stands and stores packed so close together and riding down this road requires a lot of patience because there is always some kind of traffic jam.
There are long "tuk-tuks" like open busses that drive up and down this road. At close to 30 cents a person, it's a pretty cheap way to get from one end of 'crazy street' to the other.
Fruit stands and BBQ stands are quite popular everywhere. But especially along "Crazy street"
Tuk-tuks drive so close to one another you never know when a vehicle is going to get stuck.
Luckily we made it through without too much trouble...this time.
On Thursday, we went searching for the international food store inside one of Xi'an's many shopping malls.
The Saga (Pronounces s-eye- gah) mall, is gigantic. 8 stories with hundreds of restaurants and shops.
Our friends Marietta, Jorge, and their son Tommy also came with us.
We didn't find the BLT the first time we went, so Ronna, Rachel and I went back again on Saturday.
The waterfall also has areas where lights run through it and change the color of the water.
In addition to the 'normal" sized escalators, there is a huge 7 story escalator. Apparently the longest one in the world!
The first week of school was a typical first week, but the second week flew by. This past week I began to get more comfortable with my schedule and curriculum planning and we enjoyed getting to know the city a bit more.
Nights in China are much different than in the US and especially different in little ol' Blackfoot. Back home, the evening traffic subsides after 7pm and most people are in doors. China is the exact opposite.
At night the city comes alive and people are always out, shopping or socializing. Last Friday after work our faculty went to a nearby restaurant called Potatoes. This is a great opportunity to socialize with good friends and good food.
Rachel and I left around 8:45 and headed down, what is locally dubbed, "crazy street."
This street like so many in Xi'an gets packed with people, eating, shopping and hanging out.
There are shops, stands and stores packed so close together and riding down this road requires a lot of patience because there is always some kind of traffic jam.
There are long "tuk-tuks" like open busses that drive up and down this road. At close to 30 cents a person, it's a pretty cheap way to get from one end of 'crazy street' to the other.
Tuk-tuks drive so close to one another you never know when a vehicle is going to get stuck.
Luckily we made it through without too much trouble...this time.
On Thursday, we went searching for the international food store inside one of Xi'an's many shopping malls.
The Saga (Pronounces s-eye- gah) mall, is gigantic. 8 stories with hundreds of restaurants and shops.
We ate at a cute little place called "Grandma's Kitchen". Here they serve a variety of western food like pizza and burgers.
You can't go to the giant wall without friends. A colleague of mine, Ronna, guided us to the mall using the bus. It was our first time on the bus and everything went great. It was a bit crowded on the way back but not nearly as crazy as that insane subway video where people are literally being crammed in, that's floating around.
Our friends Marietta, Jorge, and their son Tommy also came with us.
We didn't find the BLT the first time we went, so Ronna, Rachel and I went back again on Saturday.
This time we found more than just the international food store. There is a huge water fall going through the middle of the mall that Rachel was fascinated with.
Especially when she could walk ON it!
The waterfall also has areas where lights run through it and change the color of the water.
In addition to the 'normal" sized escalators, there is a huge 7 story escalator. Apparently the longest one in the world!
The mall has fascinating decor, several upscale shops and lots of great restaurants. During our second trip we ate at a place called Fanier and met up with a few more of our friends.
Each restaurant has its own flair.
Once we finished exploring the mall, we made our way down to BLT supermarket and bought some cheddar, some bacon, Dorito's, chocolate and more! Can't wait for our next adventure!
I love this! Quite the adventure!
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