The fire alarm starts up again this morning at 6:45 am.  I text Lisa, and ½ hour later, a UHN technician comes by.  He checks out the alarm, pulls out his pliers and cuts the wires to the alarm, solving the problem rather permanently.  I check in with my parents on Facetime, and then walk over to the wet market for fruit and vegetables.  I fill my cart and drag it home.  When I walk in, Courtney is calling on Facetime.  It’s still hard to believe how easy it is to contact family and friends.  The toughest thing is working around the 13-hour difference in time zones (9:00 am Beijing, is 8:00 pm in DFW).

I head back out to the train and ride to a station near Sanlitun, the “hip and happening” foreigner mall.  I find ink for our printer in Sundan (finally), the store where I bought the printer.  To reward myself, I find a Mexican food restaurant and order a carne asada burrito, called “Burrito Mamita”.  It’s really very good.  Check out the pictures.  I relax with some iced tea, and build up my resolve for my next stop, the Soushow Clothes Market.

Cantina Agave, in Sanlitun

Burrito at Cantina Agave, Sanlitun

We’ve been hearing about this place since we arrived, but this is my initial visit.  It’s four floors of very crowded kiosks, lots of counterfeit goods, and aggressive sales people.  When I say aggressive, I mean they will reach out and grab your arm if you show the slightest bit of interest in their products.  No prices are marked, and bargaining is expected.  We’ve been told to offer 10% of the asked price.  Most of the time I don’t get the chance to offer a price.  One verbal exchange at a place selling “North Face” parkas went like this as I walked by:

“Hey, you need jacket?  200y ($36 equivalent)? 150y?  You need two?

What color?  Two for 200y”?  150y?  120y”

They were still yelling at me as I went up the escalator.  I was almost afraid to come down the escalator later, knowing how much they wanted me to have one of their jackets.  It continued even outside the building.  One older woman tried to sell me socks, following me for over 100 yards, as I walked away, and I never looked at her.  If I’d made eye contact, she might have tackled me.  She was hollering at me “What you want, What you want?” as I crossed the street.  I don’t think she understood the phrase “leave me alone”.  I know she didn’t understand “no”.  I can’t wait to take Judy.  I’ll just need to make sure she doesn’t have any money when she goes in.

Judy was excited when she got home tonight.  She found a desk she could use.  Prior to now, all she had was a table, and everything was spread on window sills, the floor, and a tabletop.  She found a desk in another room, not being used, dusted it off, and dragged it into her room.  She is beginning to feel like a “real” teacher, with a desk, staplers, and everything.

Judy’s new desk! She’s a real teacher now!