Well, Thanksgiving is over. It was a very tough time for us. Not having family close by was very difficult. We really miss you all. We did the best we could for the Thanksgiving meal. On Thanksgiving Day we went to an Italian restaurant that we found. It is owned by a real Italian. It was not just a pizza place. They had a very nice menu that even included tiramisu. The food was great.
On Saturday we had a meal with the other Americans. Everyone made part of the meal. We didn't have turkey so we had to be satisfied with chicken. Marianne made home-made rolls and stuffing. We even had three pies. Everything turned out very well.
We didn't get to jump in a pile of leaves, or play football in the yard, but we had a nice meal with our colleagues.
On the plus side, I didn't have to rake any leaves this fall. Leaf raking is done daily here in Baoding by an army of people. The gutters are swept clean each night.
Another thing we've noticed is that there are lots of little dogs in Baoding. I have not seen many big dogs, like the size of Irish setter. During the day, the dogs seem to gather for some kind of community meeting, then they go out to check on things. The amazing thing is that they never get hit by the traffic. I watched a group of four little dogs cross a busy intersection at rush hour, and they made it across the street without a scratch. No problem. They acted like they owned the place. There has been many a night when I thought it was a miracle we made it back the apartment in one piece. Its not a big deal deal for dogs. I could probably learn a lot from them.
Here we are, ready for whatever the Baoding streets throw at us. Marianne has her 'game face' on. Somehow, people still know we're foreigners. Thanks to Brian for sending the reflector vests. They are very helpful at night.
We ride our bikes just about every day. To class, to the grocery store, to make copies...it's how we get around. Electric bikes are very popular here. We call them 'Silent Killers'. They don't make any noise, so you can't hear them coming up on you, so if you make a sudden turn...whammo!! You're on the ground wondering what hit you. When you finally get your wits back again, the old lady is already gone.
We found a new supermarket. They've a a small imported section where we found Campbell's soup and other familiar things. They even have aisle signs in English-something new for us so far. The reason the photos below are a little blurry is because I was so excited to see what was in the 'Fresh & Alive' aisle. It was right next to the 'Mushy drinks' aisle.
Y'all have a great December. We wish we could be attending all the Christmas parties in Raleigh and especially being with you We miss you all very much. Save me some pie.
I'm glad Pizza Hut is a food category.
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