We did a big shop today at the supermarket Zoe told us about. Getting there was however a little tough. As we”re still not totally sure which routes the local buses take, we just hop on any of them and get off when they start going in the wrong direction. The No.1 bus seems to be the best bet for the time being.

The shop has most stuff including some (very expensive) imported western goods. It also has a nice selection of fresh seafood - and by fresh I mean still moving.

Despite being generally well stocked, we are however still searching for potatoes, elastic bands and razors. Nevertheless, even when we do buy stuff it’’s usually a game of chance anyway as, with the exception of some major brands, the packaging is (obviously) all in Chinese.

The more we try local shops the more we realise that queues don”t exist in China. The best policy to adopt if you want to get served is the ”giving birth” strategy, that is, make a lot of noise and push hard. It’’s strange because, on the whole, the Chinese people we have met (so far) have been so gentle. We haven”t seen any violence since we arrived and have rarely (if at all) felt in danger. Maybe they just use queues as an outlet for all that built up aggression.

Shouting and pushing aside, thanks to our shopping spree we were finally able to cook our first real meal. A combination of rice, stir fry and something that looked like beef but tasted like fish, it was a meal to be proud of.

Lessons today didn”t go particularly well, although this was probably down to by attempt at impromptu teaching. I have at least discovered that Chinese students rarely enjoy listening to obscure US rock bands.

Overall we feel as though we are settling in quite well - we just have some lingering worries regarding our visas. I”m currently trying to convince Yuki to make use of this website too - maybe expect some posts from her soon(ish).

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