A New Meaning of Luxury
July 13, 2014
By Sarah Ann Huber
As Taylor mentioned, Teddy invited us over to sleep (my mom
said Christian couldn’t come, so just Rachel, Taylor and I came). After taking
us to People’s Square, we went to their apartment. Some things I found
interesting was that although you take off your normal shoes by the door, there
are these sandals that you wear everywhere except for the carpet. We stayed up
late watching a movie. It was in English because Teddy knows English and we do
not know Mandarin. Their mom also brought us lots of snacks. After the movie
ended, we all took turns taking showers. I found that interesting. Then we went
to sleep. All beds are much harder, and the pillows much smaller in China, as
they are in the U.S., but still, I fell asleep immediately. In the morning we
ate tons of delicious breakfast, and then we went back to our apartment. We
hung out there until lunch time when we went to Pizza Hut on the tram.
The Pizza Hut we went to was Luxury. First we got this delicious mango-pineapple smoothie with
vanilla ice-cream on the top. It was super good. Then we got the best pizza I
have ever tasted. I would rather have one slice of that pizza then a mountain
full of candy. It probably wasn’t actually
that much better than other pizza but I haven’t had cheese since we got to
China. The third reason that made this pizza hut much better than many places I
have been is the bathrooms. There was a toilet, not just squatters. Also, the
floors looked like they had been cleaned! And, there were stalls, with doors,
and a big wall between you and the person in the next stall. Another thing,
there was toilet paper in the stall, so you didn’t have to bring your own in.
(None of these things were true about the bathrooms in Bingyu.)
Here we are in luxury at Pizza Hut
After Pizza Hut, we stopped at Wal-Mart across the street.
Here are a few of the things we saw: milk-flavored breakfast bread, chicken
powder, milk powder, a whole aisle of dried seafood, a whole section of
mushrooms, bags of black watermelon seeds, and other things I’d never seen at a
grocery store before.
On the tram on the way home, our family talked about what we
like best and least about China. Here’s what I like (for right now – I wouldn’t
want some of these things forever): being a celebrity, eating in the cafeteria,
having an adventure every day, the beautiful scenery. Here’s what I don’t like
so much: the hard beds and pillows, the bathrooms, being clueless most of the
time since we don’t understand the language or culture very well.
We just have a couple more days here in Dalian. Then on
Saturday, we leave on a huge two-week trip across China. I’m excited to have
even more adventures.
Being in China has changed the way I think about lots of
things – including how I think of luxury.
Being in China changed my definition of luxury as well. Uncle Mathew took me on a tour to see the poor people of China - and they were really poor. They lived in cardboard houses and cooked their food over campfires. I also remember the squatters. That experience was similar. But we didn't eat all of the yummy food that you describe. We ate mostly rice and noodles and very little meat. The barbeques and banquets you guys describe were not part of our experience. It will be fun to compare experiences when you get home. Thanks for sharing, Love Grandma A. .
ReplyDeleteHuh, I wonder what the bags of black watermelon seed are for. Do you think they eat them?
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are getting a real appreciation for our everyday "luxuries"
ReplyDelete