May Week holiday

Ah, vacation. Now that the seven day week of doom is finally over, I have until next Saturday to relax. Technically, this is "planning time," and I will probably go to the school and do some work to prepare for next week, but after making me work two extra days (something the full international stream teachers didn't have to do), I feel no guilt about taking a couple of days completely off. And it's been a good couple of days.

I went to Carrefour today for the first time in months. The place gives me a bit of a bad feeling sometimes- it's so crowded and the fluorescent lights are too bright. But my watch battery has died, and Lotus Center (which I also try to avoid) didn't have the right battery size. So it was on the 57 bus and off to the 家乐福. Sadly, the watch person was not there today, and the lady behind the counter had no idea when he or she might return. I may return tomorrow, especially since I'm thinking of buying a new bike. But the trip was not a total failure! In the months since my last visit, Carrefour has undergone a few changes. The mediocre Italian cafe next to the Megabite has been replaced by a conveyor-belt sushi place. Which is currently running an opening week special- all plates 6元. After a few minutes of deliberating, I decided I had to try it out. The sushi itself was only so-so; about the same quality as the stuff at the Kroger. But being able to able to eat masago, tamago, inari, and two kinds of salmon (one chopped up with green onion threads) for 30 kuai (about $3.75) was nice. And there's also a new gelato place, where I got a cup of nutella gelato with roast hazelnuts for the same cost as the sushi. Which is a bit expensive, but thanks to my raise and Saturday classes, I could eat it nearly every day and not be stretching my budget much, so I think it's okay as a treat. It will be a little hard to go home and have to actually budget again, but that's one reason I'm trying to save money every month. And I'm usually pretty good about not spending money I don't have.

I felt sad this morning. While walking to the bus stop, I ran into a tiny white kitten, covered in mud and crying. I wanted to take him home, give him a bath and nurse him back to health, but I somehow think the ayi wouldn't let me get away with it. So I ran to the Lawson's, bought a packet of kitten food (convenience stores here have everything) and fed it to him, then cuddled him until he stopped crying and shaking so much. I wish I could have done more, though. When I came back from Carre, he was gone along with the food, so I'm hoping that someone felt sorry for him and took him in. The fast food employees seemed interested in him- they were trying to feed him lettuce when I came back with the food. I explained to him that I couldn't take him, and got all teary-eyed doing so. Maybe someone who can have pets had similar feelings for the little guy. Not being able to help the feral cats I see around here is one of the harder parts of living in Shanghai. Oh, and don't worry, mother; I washed my hands with lots of soap and warm water.

Oh! And tokyoselbstmord's mix CD came yesterday! That's right, in China the mail gets delivered even on national holidays. Anyway, I was listening to it on the bus and enjoying it quite a bit. I was dancing in place in my seat. People were staring at me, but since they do that anyway here, I didn't mind. Thank you for the CD and note both, Eric!

As I mentioned to Sushu, it does bother me sometimes, all the staring and mutterings. When I thank someone in Chinese, they look at me and say something like "You understand Chinese?!" Learning how to say "谢谢" is hardly an amazing linguistic feat. Sometimes when I ask something in Chinese, the person just repeats my question in a mocking tone or answers me in very exaggerated speech. And shop workers sometimes talk about me in Chinese, saying things like, "There's that foreign girl. She's so fat and her face is so red." Of course my face is red- you're insulting me! And finally, wherever I walk, people stare at me and random Chinese guys shout, "hello?!" at me. Some of them are rickshaw drivers or vendors, but just as many are random guys walking down the street trying to amuse their friends. Normally it doesn't bother me too much, but sometimes it really does wear on me. Maybe I should become a ゴスロリ like theosakakoneko so people have a reason to stare. I could get loli clothes made here for pretty cheap... Or I could just dye my hair purple. That'd certainly amuse my kids. When I wear a skirt they go crazy, so I can just imagine the fun they'd have if I came in with weird hair. I'm not going to worry about rude or curious Chinese people too much, but it's one thing I don't think I'll miss much when I get home. And if I do, I can always walk around with underwear on my head or something.

My apartment has been temporarily invaded by Filipinas. This isn't a bad thing- my roommate's friends are nice and generally unobtrusive, and we all went out for dinner last night and had fun. They're all going to get their hair cut, and are encouraging me to come along and join in. I may, just to see what happens. The great thing about vacation time is that I have the energy to care about pointless things like my hair.

That last meme certainly generated a lot of comments. Memes are fun. I'm going to make dinner now. I love the holidays. Happy belated Labor Day, everyone.