The beast and the supermarket

After writing more than three pages only about Day 1, I seriously revaluated my priorities and decided not divide this blog into days... mainly because I am still stuck on the Day 1 while I have been here for four weeks already. The time flies by so fast I am no longer sure of its existence.  That is mainly because here I am literally shut away from my past and future living from one day to another....  there are no years or months... there are only days and hours... and, in a way, it’s extremely relaxing (although only in a deep spiritual other-dimensional way because my very conscious mind and feeble human body fall on the wooden bed unconscious every single evening).

But let’s get to the point. Do you remember how I fell asleep on the sofa at 7pm the first evening?

Well... BIG mistake!

I ruined the easiest way to get used to the time zone. If only I have waited for three more hours, all would be well but then that wouldn’t be me and this blog would be unbearably boring. Anyway, I woke up at eleven and decided to watch a movie... I built a modest but comfy nest on the sofa, turned off the lights and cuddled in. Maybe an hour later I saw a moving shadow on the floor out of the corner of my eye. At first I thought my mind was playing tricks on me as usual... but no my friends no... This time, I was to confront a beastly insect that should no longer exist in 21. century.

When I realised it’s no trick I jumped up and turned the light on! That little something completely freaked out and started to run around like crazy... by the time I found a shoe to ruthlessly kill it... the ‘IT’ was gone. I am not a type of girl who jumps on a chair and start screaming when a cute little bee flies into the room... I can deal with insect, I even prefer to let it go free outside rather than go for the kill... but this... oh no... No, no, no...  I have no idea what it was... it was brownish with maybe an inch-long body... and a lot of little legs or should I say tentacles of light brown, sort of see-through colouring which moved so fast it looked like the thing was floating.  It strongly reminded me of those prehistoric giant insect from Mesozoic era you are most likely to see on pictures in natural museums... only this was a modern pocket version. I could not sit in that room knowing that thing is somewhere in there... waiting till I fall asleep, then multiply and kill me. I was secretly hoping the men in black would knock down my door and arrest this unlicensed intruder. 

It was clear that little bastard is afraid of light. So, turned off the lights, put my laptop on the table and sat myself on the chair positioned strategically in cleared area where I could see the floor around and underneath me clearly even in the darkness and... I went back to watching the movie while tightly holding on to my shoe...

In fifteen minutes... BAM! There it was! My attack was quick and deadly! The situation was solved but considering the suppressed stress I was under, my logical thinking (which reasoned that there is not even a slightest possibility this would repeat that night) was ignored and I stayed highly paranoid for next couple weeks...

Anyway, that week-end my sleeping regime went pretty much like this: From 5am till 2pm I slept like a baby... this equals to 11pm till 8am Slovak time.  I planned to explore the city but the weather was not on my side either (despite the heat it was raining most of the time... or it would continue to rain another three weeks but that is another story...) .. . I let it be and tried to get myself back on the ball.

Although I did go to the supermarket... so, as promised, here it is:

The supermarket story...

There is one important thing I need to remark at the beginning. Supermarket (along with subway) is on the top of staring scale. And I am not exaggerating. Luckily, I was thoughtful enough to take my new glasses with me. I did not really need to wear them... they were useless to me outside the lecture hall... but you know... IQ seems to jump few points up the scale when you have glasses... plus mine are really cool looking... AND they offered me a shield against all the looks I would have to deal with.

 My first thought after entering the building was that week-end was not a good time to go shopping (later I found out no time was a good time... that place was packed all day long seven days a week- for that I had two theories: 1. Chinese people liked to shop for food... 2. There was so many of them that even when shopping in normal intervals that place was packed and heaving all the time – to be honest I incline to theory number 2)... my second thought: I was the only foreigner in that overcrowded retail dragon nest.

I stepped in hopping to come out alive and in good mental health... My wish was granted although I made a few observations and came into several important conclusions.

Observation number 1:

I realised very quickly that politeness is not going to get me far. I am polite by nature and with two-year enforcement of this not-always-good habit I underwent in ever-polite Britain... well, let’s say I wasn’t about to cut the queues in a place whose language and rules I wasn’t familiar with... at least not at first... because as two minute experience taught me... I had to push through and across if I planned on getting out of there before dawn (now I am exaggerating a little but I guess you get the idea).

Observation number 2:

When I finally got in, I grabbed first shopping cart that seemed to stand by without fulfilling its true potential and ventured into lanes and allies bordered by racks full of goods marked with Chinese characters. The staff seemed to be everywhere. There was not a spot in the entire store from where you could not see at least three people who worked there- minimum of one and maximum of 4 people per ally whose job was to help you to find something or chose the best deal (and I really mean choose the best deal... no rip-offs... they were there to help you get good quality for a good price).

Observation number 3:

Everyone expected me to speak Chinese... This was a bit unexpected as in most of the countries people are quick to assume you don’t speak the language. Moreover... this is not just any language; this is Chinese we are talking about. If I am Chinese and I see a foreigner I would assumed immediately... with rightful arrogance that they do not speak Chinese. What was even more amusing, they enthusiastically continued explaining me stuff even after desperate, slow-witted expression on my face gave it away quite clearly that there was nothing even close to Chinese going on behind the scene.

Observation number 4:

Food:

The fruit and vegetables were beautiful... well they still are. The thing is they are not only beautiful they are also extremely tasty (so, there were no perfect looking and tasteless products to be found for a change)...

Next department was an impressive display of marine life... or since we are in the supermarket, seafood would be more appropriate... but I find marine life more accurate because vast majority of this ‘seafood’ was swimming and crawling around in their aquariums waiting till someone decides to eat them.  This wouldn’t be so shocking... till one day I noticed that there was not only fish and crabs trapped to be eaten so fresh and tasty... there were also turtles! People have turtles for pets... they are cute... little weird looking but still cute... and baby turtles... didn’t they watch Finding Nemo??? Turtles are not eating material...

This is not the end though... moving on to the ready-to-eat section, there were more surprises. You could find here baked, grilled or roasted ducks and chickens and other birds... still with their heads for ‘decoration’ purposes... if you did not want the whole bird, you could only buy some parts like wings, drumsticks... or their feet... organs... and other stuff... Ok I don’t like organs but I understand people eat them... but chicken feet??? What is appetizing about that exactly?  (Later my friend informed me that in fact it is tasty- she is not Chinese so I thought she was joking at first... well, she wasn’t ... so... yeah... many people like to eat chicken feet... and call them tasty! We learn all our lives, don’t we?)

Although not everything in that section was so shocking...  there was a lot of amazingly looking things... I promised myself to try something new every time I went there. That way I could try it all (except chicken feet!)... Not even here... in restaurants as well! I love Chinese food (and it is much better in China... trust me).

Bread and pastry department is quite fun as well.  The stuff they make are strange... mainly because most of them are sweet even though you would put your hand in fire SO certain you would be they are salty... Nope... Not at all! I decided to try some but I couldn’t find any plastic or paper bags around. It was a bit strange, so I stayed on the side and observed. A woman came and grabbed a plastic basket and started to put the pastry in one after another. Having a plastic basket for every person that buys pastry... that wouldn’t be worth it, I thought. Then I saw the women go to the nearby counter and there they would weight it and packed it for her... Oh... right... logical!

And there it stood, proud in its mighty glory... Alcohol and Cigarettes department! An only department which bore a sign in English significantly bigger than the Chinese one! Typical! For some reason or other, foreigners are quite notorious for their drinking habits.... (No idea where that came from :D ) Even clubbing does not have a good image in Chine... but for the story of how I went to club in China you will have to wait till next time!

I didn’t buy any alcohol on my first visit, neither the second nor third...  First two weeks I was caught up in swirl of work and fatigue. But then, I could not go on any more... A person can live 110% only for so long before crushing and I did not want to crush. My colleague Mariana from Angola (she started the internship at the same time as me, so we were in this together ... in due course she became my very good friend) and me, we decided to get a bottle of wine, cook dinner and chill out... food and wine have never tasted so good. I haven’t felt so incredibly relaxed for a long time.  Plus conversation over glass (or more glasses) of wine are my favourite and this one gave me a friend... a real one.

Well, this is the end of the supermarket story... there is more to talk about... work (this will be a big fat topic), another good friend, shopping, clubbing, sightseeing... living. I hope I will have time to write about all those things because they are worth more than mentioning!