Day at the Market

Nothing too eventful during the week occurred, besides my birthday, which you've already heard about :) . It was the usual: class, meals, spending time with friends. A very good week indeed. Well, maybe not the homework assigned for the weekend :-P

Despite the homework load, Pla, Rachel, Laura and I managed to find time this afternoon to have lunch at a small Korean restaurant, followed by an afternoon at the Beijing Zoo Market. This market gets its name from its location - it's literally right across the street from the zoo. And boy was it crowded today! Once again, I think it's definitely a place to go on a less busy day, but it was still a lot of fun! The crowds weren't awful, and the prices were reasonable. I actually bought a few things! At this market there's not a lot of bargaining, and I don't think it sees a lot of foreigners. Most prices were posted, which made it a lot easier to see which items I might want to look at. I ended up with a few shirts and a pair of high heels - I guess you'd call the color a shiny burgundy? After the market we stopped by a small store near where we live because we saw some good prices - again, I ended up with a few nice shirts. All in all today, I spend about 110 RMB on my purchases - not a bad haul!

One thing that's become a part of my daily routine that I'm really going to miss when I go home is street food. Every night on the street I live on there are usually at least a few - if not dozens on the weekends - street vendors selling veggies, meat, and bread. I usually go for the veggies and bread. It's sooo delicious and soooo cheap! And cooked right in front of you. I always go with friends, and we definitely have our favorite vendors. They're beginning to recognize us, and remember what foods we tend to order :) It's perfect for a before-bed snack, and it's great language practice.

明天见！(Until tomorrow!!)