Getting out there!

I finally had the chance to get out and see a little more of the city this weekend, which was so much fun! On Friday, I got my first experience of riding on the back of a bike along major streets and amid traffic! It was fun, but a little scary because cars, buses, and bikes were coming up right next to me, sometimes hitting my feet! Then I got to go to McDonald's! :) Even though I've loved everything I've eaten here so far, some familiar food was nice too! Then I went to the fabric market with Rochelle and her roommate, Holly. That was fun cuz we took a taxi and I got to see some more of the city and then the fabric market was interesting too, especially watching Rochelle bargain in Chinese. The market was pretty similar to the Philippines and Thailand.

Then that evening, I went out with some teachers for "street food." The streets were alive with activity- vendors and people out enjoying the night. It was a great cultural experience! We ended up getting some BBQ lamb and nan at at Muslim vendor/restaurant. Then we got our veggies from this vendor that has a huge selection of veggies on skewers and you choose what you want and then they put sauce and spices on it and grill it. I liked the lamb and nan...the veggies not as much. We sat on tiny stools with a tiny table on the sidewalk and just talked and watched the street life. There was a funeral going on at a house nearby and we could hear lots of drums and music. We stayed out for about 3 hours walking around and eating. It was really fun.

On Saturday morning and afternoon, I hung out with Rochelle and Bobbie and a Chinese woman they have been witnessing to. She cooked us a huge lunch at Rochelle's apartment and was laughing at me a lot as I struggled picking up some of the food with my chopsticks. It was really interesting talking with her and hearing her random trivia about China.

Then, later that afternoon, Bobbie and I took a bus to "walking street" which is in the more higher class part of the city. There was a Starbucks and Hagen Daz there and the Wal-mart is nearby! Yes, there is a Wal-mart in Tianjin! It is the funniest thing, it looks like Wal-mart, but all the products are different! But the style of the store and the signs are the same. Walking street was a bunch of trendy shops and vendors along a long stretch of sidewalk. It was so crowded and there was so much to take in! It was so interesting. I even saw some of the same stores we had in the Philippines! So, we stayed there awhile and walked around, then headed home.

Today we took a bus to the international fellowship that meets at a college in a lecture hall. Everyone has to show their passport at the door to get in because it is strictly for expats only, otherwise it would be shutdown by the authorities. That felt kinda odd. They mentioned in pra*er too, how even though this is an international fellowship, there is one nationality that is excluded by law...but one day we will all be able to worship together. No law will stop us. My heart goes out to the national "family members" who cannot join us now. It was the fellowship's 20th anniversary today, so there was a luncheon afterwards. It was interesting meeting other expats not connected with the school and just hearing a variety of accents and seeing a lot of different nationalities represented. Tonight is a praise and pra*er time at one of the teacher's apartment.

So, it was a good weekend. It was so great to just get out and actually see some of the city. It's hard because I am totally dependent on others right now because of the language, so my exploring is limited to when others are going to places and I can tag along. But, I am thankful that I got to see a bigger glimpse of China this weekend!