Pearl, Jade, and Missed Stuff!! : )
Overall, today was great!
This morning, Chloe Grace woke up and had a fever, of course, from her FOUR shots. That wasn't a good part, but she started feeling better to the point where she was running around the room, laughing and playing. It was progress from when she woke up, sick, pitiful, hot, and just laying down on the bed. I felt soooo bad for her because she was so pitiful, but at the same time, I was really mad at the rule that makes her have to get EIGHT shots. As I've said, I hate getting one, so imagine how hard it must be on her tiny body! It makes me sooo sad, and we have to go get her next four tomorrow. Just as she was starting to trust us and get comfortable, they had to go give her those shots! She felt better after she ate breakfast, and has felt good ever since.
At ten, we got on the bus with our holt group and went to the jade and pearl markets. We stopped at the jade market first and had 45 minutes to buy all we wanted. Let me re-word that. BARGAIN for all we wanted. That's what makes shopping interesting in Guangzhou.
Let me explain a little before I get into telling about bargaining in the jade and pearl markets. Chinese money is not as valuable as the U.S. dollar, so one U.S. dollar is equal to 6.6 RMB(the Chinese money). In most parts of China, you bargain for your items, whether it's a mall or a store on the street. They expect you to , and think you're ignorant if you don't. My mom was good(if not a little pushy) at bargaining with people last time, but she was nervous this time. After bargaining for Hannah's, Chloe Grace's, and my jade bangle bracelets, she was back in the swing of things! It's really funny to watch Mama bargain because she is as stubborn as a bull sometimes, and she doesn't give up until she's happy with the price. Ask her yourself! (Don't tell her I said she's stubborn, though! :) I was really happy because I got my jade bangle bracelet and a necklace pendent. I really like jade because most of it's green-my favorite color- even though some of it comes in different colors.
Jade is a really special and important gemstone to the Chinese. Our guide said it is almost priceless to some Chinese people, and they treasure jade. I can see why. It's not sparkly or shiny like what Americans think valuable things are like, but it's a hard, light colored gemstone that can be made into just about any shape. It is very hard to get out of the ground, and there were many statues of ships, buddah, and other shapes. I think it's really pretty, even if it's not 'high quality'! The bracelet I got is a pretty light greenish color-my favorite!!!
After the jade market, we went to the pearl market. I like pearls, but I had my fun at the jade market, so I didn't look around as much. There were a lot of pretty pearls, though, hanging on the wall, in glass boxes, and some in plastic bags sitting on shelves. I didn't really want any more pearls because I already have a nice strand and earrings from last time we went, but Mama bought so much stuff in one store, the lady gave her a pair of earrings free. They are really pretty, I thought, but not real silver or pearl. I have them on right now, and they are getting heavy because they are pretty long. That's another thing. If you buy a lot of stuff from any of the stores here, they give you a free something. Most of the time, it's just a small necklace or other jewelry, but I've gotten some really cool free stuff. For example, the magnetic bracelet I was talking about in my last post. A lady gave us some necklaces today because we bought tons of things in her store. The pearl and silver earrings I'm wearing right now...I think there's another something, but I can't put my finger on it. Anyway, you get the idea. I think it's really nice of them, and I also think that Hannah and Chloe Grace are the real tickets!! They fall all over them in the stores-especially the women!!
Today after the pearl and jade markets, we went to 'High Tea' at the White Swan Hotel. We aren't staying there because they didn't have any more rooms available, but we stayed there last time when we got Hannah. We got to walk around a little, and it's weird how I remember all the stuff from five years ago, when I can't remember anything else. There's tons of buddahs, jade statues, cloisonne, and other cool figures and statues. There is also a good size pond with HUGE goldfish in it. Some as long as my forearm-way fatter!! There's a little red bridge that we tried to get pictures on, but Chloe Grace wasn't in the mood to take any good ones. Before we got to the White Swan, we had no clue what they meant by 'High Tea'!! Really it was just an informal supper with all the other holt families, nothing fancy or really rememberable. (No offense to the people who arranged it.) We didn't even really get to visit with other families because we were all at tables by ourselves. They didn't have a wide selection of food I would eat, either, unless I could have stomached the octopus!! I don't do good with that kind of stuff!
I'm soooo tired from all that bargaining(I didn't do any, but watching the calculators going back and forth in between my mom and a store owner makes you tired, too!) and walking. I have also just made up a wish list.
MISS LIST IN CHINA
1.Mayfield Whole Milk (the milk tastes like cheese here-not kidding)
2.Family and Friends
3.Somewhere to swim (I hate not getting to go to swim team!)
4.The all-American french fry (I've had some here, but they still have a Chinese taste to them...)
5.Mama Jo and Big Pop's home cooking
6.School (It's incredibly weird, I know, but it's not the work I want, it's all the friends there!!)
7.Drinkable tap water (Americans can't drink water unless it's boiled or from a bottle here because there is bacteria that our bodies aren't used to. Even though it's fine to the Chinese, it makes us sick, so we have to brush our teeth and everything with water bottles. It takes WAY too much time if you ask me.)
8.A sense of where we are and what time it is/what day.(I can't keep track of where we are or what day or what time it is for some reason. Maybe it's the lack of school and my regular schedule. You know how it gets when school's out in summer!?)
9.I hope nobody thinks I'm bratty or self-centered, but these are really some of the things I miss most!!
10. One more thing: Store owners that don't get in your face and make you come in their store and buy something.(Seriously. It's like your just walking along and all the sudden you're being annoyed and scared to death by store owners that really want you to come in their store!! At first it was funny, but it gets old!!)
That's the end of my miss list, but there's plenty more things that I really miss.
This morning, Chloe Grace woke up and had a fever, of course, from her FOUR shots. That wasn't a good part, but she started feeling better to the point where she was running around the room, laughing and playing. It was progress from when she woke up, sick, pitiful, hot, and just laying down on the bed. I felt soooo bad for her because she was so pitiful, but at the same time, I was really mad at the rule that makes her have to get EIGHT shots. As I've said, I hate getting one, so imagine how hard it must be on her tiny body! It makes me sooo sad, and we have to go get her next four tomorrow. Just as she was starting to trust us and get comfortable, they had to go give her those shots! She felt better after she ate breakfast, and has felt good ever since.
At ten, we got on the bus with our holt group and went to the jade and pearl markets. We stopped at the jade market first and had 45 minutes to buy all we wanted. Let me re-word that. BARGAIN for all we wanted. That's what makes shopping interesting in Guangzhou.
Let me explain a little before I get into telling about bargaining in the jade and pearl markets. Chinese money is not as valuable as the U.S. dollar, so one U.S. dollar is equal to 6.6 RMB(the Chinese money). In most parts of China, you bargain for your items, whether it's a mall or a store on the street. They expect you to , and think you're ignorant if you don't. My mom was good(if not a little pushy) at bargaining with people last time, but she was nervous this time. After bargaining for Hannah's, Chloe Grace's, and my jade bangle bracelets, she was back in the swing of things! It's really funny to watch Mama bargain because she is as stubborn as a bull sometimes, and she doesn't give up until she's happy with the price. Ask her yourself! (Don't tell her I said she's stubborn, though! :) I was really happy because I got my jade bangle bracelet and a necklace pendent. I really like jade because most of it's green-my favorite color- even though some of it comes in different colors.
Jade is a really special and important gemstone to the Chinese. Our guide said it is almost priceless to some Chinese people, and they treasure jade. I can see why. It's not sparkly or shiny like what Americans think valuable things are like, but it's a hard, light colored gemstone that can be made into just about any shape. It is very hard to get out of the ground, and there were many statues of ships, buddah, and other shapes. I think it's really pretty, even if it's not 'high quality'! The bracelet I got is a pretty light greenish color-my favorite!!!
After the jade market, we went to the pearl market. I like pearls, but I had my fun at the jade market, so I didn't look around as much. There were a lot of pretty pearls, though, hanging on the wall, in glass boxes, and some in plastic bags sitting on shelves. I didn't really want any more pearls because I already have a nice strand and earrings from last time we went, but Mama bought so much stuff in one store, the lady gave her a pair of earrings free. They are really pretty, I thought, but not real silver or pearl. I have them on right now, and they are getting heavy because they are pretty long. That's another thing. If you buy a lot of stuff from any of the stores here, they give you a free something. Most of the time, it's just a small necklace or other jewelry, but I've gotten some really cool free stuff. For example, the magnetic bracelet I was talking about in my last post. A lady gave us some necklaces today because we bought tons of things in her store. The pearl and silver earrings I'm wearing right now...I think there's another something, but I can't put my finger on it. Anyway, you get the idea. I think it's really nice of them, and I also think that Hannah and Chloe Grace are the real tickets!! They fall all over them in the stores-especially the women!!
Today after the pearl and jade markets, we went to 'High Tea' at the White Swan Hotel. We aren't staying there because they didn't have any more rooms available, but we stayed there last time when we got Hannah. We got to walk around a little, and it's weird how I remember all the stuff from five years ago, when I can't remember anything else. There's tons of buddahs, jade statues, cloisonne, and other cool figures and statues. There is also a good size pond with HUGE goldfish in it. Some as long as my forearm-way fatter!! There's a little red bridge that we tried to get pictures on, but Chloe Grace wasn't in the mood to take any good ones. Before we got to the White Swan, we had no clue what they meant by 'High Tea'!! Really it was just an informal supper with all the other holt families, nothing fancy or really rememberable. (No offense to the people who arranged it.) We didn't even really get to visit with other families because we were all at tables by ourselves. They didn't have a wide selection of food I would eat, either, unless I could have stomached the octopus!! I don't do good with that kind of stuff!
I'm soooo tired from all that bargaining(I didn't do any, but watching the calculators going back and forth in between my mom and a store owner makes you tired, too!) and walking. I have also just made up a wish list.
MISS LIST IN CHINA
1.Mayfield Whole Milk (the milk tastes like cheese here-not kidding)
2.Family and Friends
3.Somewhere to swim (I hate not getting to go to swim team!)
4.The all-American french fry (I've had some here, but they still have a Chinese taste to them...)
5.Mama Jo and Big Pop's home cooking
6.School (It's incredibly weird, I know, but it's not the work I want, it's all the friends there!!)
7.Drinkable tap water (Americans can't drink water unless it's boiled or from a bottle here because there is bacteria that our bodies aren't used to. Even though it's fine to the Chinese, it makes us sick, so we have to brush our teeth and everything with water bottles. It takes WAY too much time if you ask me.)
8.A sense of where we are and what time it is/what day.(I can't keep track of where we are or what day or what time it is for some reason. Maybe it's the lack of school and my regular schedule. You know how it gets when school's out in summer!?)
9.I hope nobody thinks I'm bratty or self-centered, but these are really some of the things I miss most!!
10. One more thing: Store owners that don't get in your face and make you come in their store and buy something.(Seriously. It's like your just walking along and all the sudden you're being annoyed and scared to death by store owners that really want you to come in their store!! At first it was funny, but it gets old!!)
That's the end of my miss list, but there's plenty more things that I really miss.
We really miss ya'll too MaCayla. We even miss Chloe Grace and we haven't even met her yet! We saw Lydia, Elizabeth, and the Atkin's last night at their house, and had a nice time, but we all missed you all. Come home soon!
ReplyDeleteLove the stories today.