Chinese Field Trip!

 One of our translators was nice enough to offer to be a guide to us for a morning the other day.  We went to a nearby reservoir to get away from the city.  I had to give up sleep to go.  Normally I come home from work around 8:45am and then get ready for bed.  Not on Thursday!  The reservoir itself was nice.  It was quiet and I’m sure if there had been less haze it would’ve been beautiful.  I don’t understand how one country can pollute the air so much.  It really is insane.  Anyway, Robert and I hiked up a hill while our translator washed her car.  Then we drove to the other side of the reservoir where there was a park type area. 

At one point we made a bathroom break.  From far away the restroom building looked like a little church chapel.  Sadly as you approached it, it did not smell like a church chapel.  You know it’s bad when the Chinese girl rolls up her pant legs to go in.  I decided not to brave it.  I was informed it was just a hole that led to no where, hence the smell.  Gross…

We ended our field trip with lunch.  A rather interesting lunch.  The first part was a bean paste type dumpling that was wrapped in an oak leaf.  Some of you may not believe me – but yes it was an oak leaf.  I was surrounded by oak trees for a good portion of my life, so I know what the leaves look like.  You had to peel the dumpling-like thing out of the leaf and eat it.  It didn’t taste too bad.  There were also fried shrimp – the whole shrimp.  And you don’t pick it apart.  You eat the whole thing.  Same goes for these fried fish we had.  Those actually were really tasty when dipped in soy sauce and garlic.  There was a plate of vegetables, which looked more like a plate of weeds to me.  There was meat gelatin.  I decided to skip out on that one.  I did like the scrambled eggs with onion and cabbage.  I survived the lunch – that’s what my goal was.  Go me!

Up front and to left - Meat Gelatin.  Front right - scrambled eggs with green onion. Center - whole fried fish

Googley Eyed Shrimp

The one about food and the enormous spider

There are moments when I really love my family.  Ok, for the most part I love my family.  This weekend we celebrated my grandma's 89th birthday!  Today is actually her birthday - so happy birthday Grandma!  She didn't give my aunts and uncles any ideas for dinner and what she wanted to eat, so I told them what I wanted.  I asked for fruit, corn, and beef.  And what did I get?? Shrimp, corn, beef, fruit, veggies, more corn, and of course there was birthday cake.  I asked for corn on the cob, and there was a ton leftover.  It tasted so good!  Over Labor Day weekend I visited my immediate family in Missouri, and my dad grilled hamburgers and bbq chicken and it was sooooooooooooooooooooooo good.  The sad part was that they left the extra chicken in the microwave (it didn't finish grilling when my dad ran out of gas) and Lillie didn't like the alarm reminding us that something was done cooking.  So she turned it off.  And because she did that we forgot to get the chicken out of the microwave and put it in the fridge.  My leftovers were ruined. :-(

The other totally unrelated note is regarding this HUGE spider I saw in my hotel room this morning.  And no, I am not in India yet.  The spider's body was freaking ginormous.  And with it's legs it had to be about 2 inches long (if it were a circle, it would have a 2 inch diameter).  Just thinking about it gives me the creeps!  Seriously - I could've died this morning.  I just hope he doesn't scare the cleaning lady as much as he scared me.  I didn't kill it with a shoe because I was scared he would take the shoe out of my hand and start beating me with it.