a trip to the veggie market.

Every few days I walk to my neighborhood veggie market to barter with the best of 'em for my sustanence.

Piles of seasonal produce lay on the dirty floor and dirty counter tops. I've stopped counting the rats. I listen to the old people talking to find out what green peppers look best and if I should buy my eggs at the market or in the grocery store. Eavesdropping gives me all the info I need to know on the produce of the day.

Yesterday for about 3$ I walked out with this loot - a carrot, bell pepper, red onion, 2 sweet potatoes, 2 tomatoes, 6 eggs, and a kilogram of strawberries.

Yum. I love my veggie market. Dirt, rats, no health standards, and all. It's all part of Ch.ina life.

Though I sometimes dream of Publix. Sigh.

walk slow. xoxo.

8:20pm.

Every day around 8pm I start to watch my phone.

I know that in the next 30 minutes my mom will call. My friends even know the schedule. If my phone rings during this time some friends have been known to call out, "Hi, Mom!" Our routine is dependable and well-known. For the past 3 years she has dialed a Penny Talk number on her way to work to reach her daughter in Ch.ina before her day begins and as mine is ending. Every workday morning. For 3 years.

This is one routine that helps me maintain my connection to my family, my home, and myself. Sometimes all I need is 10 minutes to rattle off to my mom what is going on to see recent happenings in a new perspective. I love our routine and it is one of the most special parts of my life in Chi.na. I honestly don't think I would have made it here this long without my nightly 8pm checkin.

This afternoon I got a package from my mom. So today I got not just two phone calls, but a humongo Christmas-size package full of the good stuff - chia seeds, work out tops, kitty treats, my contacts and a tons of other goodies. I am ecstatic about my new belongings. Things that make life more confortable are always welcome in Chinaville. Our phone calls are priceless, but a few earthly things are nice too. (If I had to choose between stuff and phone calls, I'd take phonecalls in a heart beat).

And I'm not the only one in my household stoked for our gifts from America!

Thanks, Mom!

Talk to you tomorrow!

walk slow. xoxo.

i want a cadbury egg.

For some reason the Easter bunny didn't bring me any candy this year. :)

Happy Easter from Chinaville. Land of no secular Easter tradition, just the peace in our hearts and homemade celebrations.

walk slow. xoxo.

naming, shopping, running, life-ing...

I'm having a funny few days up in here.

I received an email from a Chin.ese doctor, friend yesterday:

Hi, dear Jessica, I got some English names for my boy from a website (http://www.babycenter.com/). My boy's Chinese name is Tong Jia Wu, the names I choose are

Javan, Javae, Javad, Javaid, Javain, Javar, Jav,Javere,

Dravid, Dravon,Draven,Dravis,Dravin,Dravyn

Jev, Jeven, Jevian, Jevin, Jevon, Jevyn, Jef.

haha, It is quite a long list and I totally have no idea of their meanings.

Could you help me choose a name have "good feelings" and better sounds similar to his chinese name ? Thank you for your time and happy weekend!

Ummmm....those names are....interesting? I think I'm going to tell her, "Jeff" or "Jevon." Those are the only ones that I think are semi-normal? Names are so interesting in different cultures. And I take the responsibility of giving someone a name seriously. It's their identity! I feel a closeness to my Chin.ese name (ke xiao mei), so I always try to be serious when giving an English name.

Also, yesterday I was having my Saturday dinner with Michael and he handed me a notebook and said, "Write everything you know about Easter." Um, ok? He wanted to know about Easter but didn't want to talk about it. Then he wanted to know if Easter came from the word, "Eastern" and therefore is somehow related to Chi.na. No, I told him, not everything comes from/has to do with Ch.ina. Ha. He was mesmorized to find out that Jesus was not white and did not come from the "West." "Where did you think he came from?" I asked. "I don't know, somewhere where the white people believe in him," he said. Theology 101 is needed up in here.

Besides naming babies and clearing up Biblical history for the sheltered locals, lately there has been....

Lots of kitty snuggles...

...shopping for new clothes because my spring clothes don't fit! This store is a treasure box. It has samples of American clothing from Chi.nese factories that are used to show the companies, but then can't be sold on the floor. I bought a BCBG dress for 10$ and a shirt with a "Ross $15.99" tag for $6. And the owners are really nice and don't haggle me and my friends. I am a loyal fan/customer. If you live in Chi.na and want the address, let me know!

And running. Lots of running. I like to take pictures of myself after workouts. I'm weird. This one is epecially funny to me because I think I look like I am missing teeth. But the beauty of it is that I was so happy after completing my 8 miles on the dreadmill! It was my longest run on my half marathon training plan yetand I was so nervous that my mind wouldn't be able to handle over an hour on the treadmill. But my brain and body worked together (so imperative), and I got it done, and faster than I expected!

Running distance is such a mind thing. I never got it before, but I think I'm getting it now. It takes two miles to feel good about running, then around mile 5 I start to smile - like pysically show happiness about running, then around mile 7 I feel like a baller - unstoppable and free. At mile 8 I need to stop or my hips will give out and I start thinking about what to eat to get protein in my body fast, usually a tea egg from the convenience store. It funny that in the past I just never got to mile 2 to see that nothing hurts as bad as mile 1. I always quit before it got easier. What a good life lesson.

Besides life, I'm working and writing a huge paper that is due in a few weeks for my Philosophies of the Qin and Han Dynasties class. It's all in Chi.nese, so its taking some time to even figure out how to start. Blah.

Cheers.

walk slow. xoxo.

sun and spots.

The sun is out, and so are the tourists along West Lake....

And my back has been hot-cupped to pink, spotted perfection....

Good day.

Hope yours was, too.

walk slow. xoxo.

Qing Ming.

I want to go everywhere in the world.

Just not today.

Today I wanted to sit in my dorm with my cat and drink imported wine while reading my Kindle. I wanted to wander around with no destination and eat fruit from street vendors. I wanted to walk slowly down the sidewalks instead of having to hurry somewhere.

So that's exactly what I did.

Monday (today) - Wednesday is a public holiday here in Ch.inaville. The Qing Ming (tomb sweeping) festival is upon us again. Chine.se people return home and are supposed to literally sweep the tombs of their ancestors in order to pay their respects (and other superstitious honky I can't remember). The holiday is sometimes referred to as, "Chi.nese Halloween," but I don't agree. Nobody gave me any candy all day.

In past years, I have taken these coveted days off and travelled - seen a new corner of this land. This year, I am giving myself time off from life. All I want out of these three days is amazing workouts and lots of coffee/wine dates with my long lost friends.

Things are starting out just as I hoped. Today I met a friend for coffee and we wandered around for awhile. It was so nice to just...exist, and the weather today was fab. Three weeks ago I was in 4 layers and long johns. Today, a tank top and light sweater that I took off! Whooohoooooo for Spring!

Spring also brings us pineapple on a stick! Sold for 30cents on the street outside fruit markets. H-e-a-v-e-n. Yum yum yum. I love knowing what fruit we will get in what season. I know the year calendar now of Chi.nese holidays and cultural nuances that go along with the timing of those holidays. Pineapple/Qing Ming season is fab.

After fruit, it was time for the electronic market where my friend wanted to look for a new computer case. The electronics market is a swirl of knock-off everything. And we got to see one of the latest trends here in Chi.natown...dog dyeing. (sp?) Rich people dye their dogs ears and tails. This little guy even has on sneakers and a denim get-up. Ha. I just hope the dye is safe for dogs! Most of the pet dogs here are little poodles. There are laws about how big your dog can be (not big).

After leaving my friend, I set out walking home (I HAVE to buy myself a bike soon so I can get around faster, but I am still mourning the loss of my yellow one...). I stopped into a Pho restaurant for this glorios bowl of deliciousness....vegetarian pho.

Pho makes me remember my grad school summer in California when we would walk down the street to get Pho because no one had cars to go anywhere else. ha. This bowl was just what I needed to fuel up for the long, slow walk home.

When I returned to my humble abode, I found that Mushu was enjoying the nice weather as much as me! Love that fluffy face.

It's been a great first day of Qing Ming - intentionally relaxing.

Happy Tomb Sweeping Festival. Or Halloween.

Someone send me some twizzlers.

walk slow. xoxo.

stairs sunday.

There's 49 days til the Great Wall of Chi.na Half Marathon.

Today was "Stairs Sunday." The endorphin packed day of the week where my training partner and I run the stairs in her apartment complex and then talk about our (lack of) butt muscles for 30 minutes.

We run up/elevator down to help save our knees for when we're 90. Because Jess is in shape and I'm a slug, I end up taking photos of myself while waiting for her elevator to return to me on the 16th floor. I get lots of beauties like this one that prove when your heart rate is 800/6700 it is impossible to smile...

I finally caught up to her (a miracle) and showed her my beauty shots for a sec while we chugged water. "Document me!" she said. "You're too freakin fast!" I gasped through shallow breaths while snapping this blurry shot of the machine herself...

Wore my Boston shirt for you, Dad! Marathon Monday is 2 weeks away!

Then I ate an 80cent ice cream float from McDonalds. Because if I'm going to die on the Great Wall in 49 days, I want to have enjoyed all of life's little pleasures...

Happy Stairs/Palm Sunday.

Cheers.

walk slow. xoxo.