Picture Update

Hu Taitai works in the little store on the first floor of my building. She is kind of like my "Chinese Mother", always willing to help me with whatever problem. Once she ordered take out for me because she was afraid the restaurant would recognize my foreign accent and raise the price. Another time she told me I wasn't wearing enough clothing and made me go get a jacket from my apartment before leaving. She's currently in the process of convincing me of buying a humidifier before winter comes, and has even cut out a few coupons from her magazines to advise me on my purchase.


Some friends and I went to find a tailer near Ritan Park last weekend and ended up wandering around the park for awhile afterwards. The above picture is a mural of ritual sacrifice to the Sun found in the middle of the park. The following two pictures below are of some elderly men using the exercise machines and another man practicing some form of martial arts in the bushes. It is customary for the elderly to gather in public parks every morning to practice Taichi and other forms of exercise, but even at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon, (with not great weather), Ritan Park was crowded with people engaging in a variety of activities from jumping rope, playing cards and ping pong, napping on the benches, and leading their grandchildren around the playgrounds. The park seemed much more active than any park in the US I have ever visited. The pictures are a bit hazy because the pollution was OUT OF CONTROL this past weekend. I have never even imagined it could get that bad... I'll spare you the pictures but it was truly scary.







And finally, another picture from my apartment window. I was up early one morning last week and caught the sunrise... A really peaceful moment in an otherwise extremely loud, dirty, and overwhelming area...