A brief blip from the 1st of Nov.

If you count the weeks, I’ve been in China two mos. today. If you go by dates, I still have a few more days to go, seeing how I arrived on the 12th of September and today is (FRIDAY!) the 7th of November. I can’t say that I’ve had anything earth-shattering happen to me this week in terms of exciting events, but it has been a pretty full and crazy week regardless. I will do my best to keep the days straight, but I may switch things up a little with Monday and Tuesday. Not that anyone would know, but just for my own peace of mind.

Last Saturday and Sunday was Kyle, Charise and Damon’s last weekend in China. (A big) part of me was jealous that they were going home and I was still here. But, not enough to do anything more than joke about it…. I don’t think Charise would notice if I took Kyle’s place J

Kyle, Charise and I had a craving for McDonald’s breakfast Saturday morning, which is usually something that I had done with Anna and Samuel, but they couldn’t make it this time ‘cause they were talking to family. What? Family is more important than a greasily-delicious McDonald’s breakfast? I’m not sure about that ;)
The three of us started out for McD’s and had just gotten out of the hotel parking lot when they told me they were going to hop on the subway and head to Ancient Culture street after McD’s. I had been meaning to go back there to finish my souvenir shopping one of these weekends so we all turned around so I could get money and Kyle could look for a sheet that the maids had given him with the name of some Chinese medicine for Damon’s cold. Because it was almost time for the menu change, Kyle and I bolted to our rooms while Charise waited with Damon in the lobby. I guess it was a good thing we thought we wouldn’t make for the breakfast menu. Kyle and Charise normally walk quickly on the way to a meal, but my goodness did we burn a few calories power walking to McD’s!
We arrived in record time. According to their clock we still had 20 mins before the menu changed at 10:00 a.m. I think what normally takes 10 mins or so only took us 5. Darn right we’re amazing! Even the food was better than usual. Okay, so maybe it was just that the orange juice was exceptionally good that Saturday, but sometimes there is nothing like a Sausage, Egg and Cheese-oh, did I say egg… silly me!-Sausage and Cheese McMuffin with a hash brown and a glass of O.j. Not quite as good without the egg, but still just what the doctor ordered!

While we were there Damon was hamming it up with all the little kids. The first little girl that passed Damon went up to the counter to get ice cream cones for her and her mom. Needless to say Damon was attracted to the little girl, but moreso, the ice cream she was holding. A few moments later, mom drops ice cream cone and sends her daughter up to get a couple of napkins. Not to clean up the mess, but to wipe off the part of the cone that touched the floor. I watched this happen and some how was not surprised that she was going to eat her cone even though it had fallen on the floor. All things considered, it was a full cone, and if you wipe off the part that hit the ground and didn’t eat the cone, it was still good. I’m not sure I would do that in the states, let alone here. That led to the discussion about the next baby Damon was looking at. To preface this bit, I think it good for you to know that baby’s pants here have no butt or crotch to them. They don’t use diapers, just a simply squat outside and business is done. The mother of this new child was of course fascinated with Damon and while waiting for her food, sat relatively nearby. The discussion went as followed: “Parents allow children to pee (and poop) outside on the streets and side walks, and even on the concrete floor of the indoor vegetable market. Do they also allow their children to pee on the floor of restaurants?”
No sooner had I asked that did I receive my answer. Yes, they do. The little, maybe 10 month old popped-a-squat and peed on the floor of McDonalds a mere 3 feet away from both us and the place where the lady dropped her cone. The mother did not inform any of the staff to clean it up, she watched us for a reaction-which we tried very hard not to give her-and when her daughter started playing in her pee, then it was time to get up and give her daughter some hand sanitizer. Nice. Then she walked away and let the worker kid clean it up with a mop. Not a clean scrub, just as if it were a water spill and a once or twice, back and forth kind of motion. Gross! We decided we were finished and it was time to leave. Lol. Peeing on the floor then eating a brushed off ice cream cone off of it. Wow.

Next stop: the subway and the Ancient Culture street.