Today was a sweet day! No photos, of course. I am not very good at chronicling everything in photos, and sometimes it just seems weird. So you'll just have to take my word for it.
In case you didn't know, it is the spring festival here...also known as Chinese New Year. It lasts about a month although the first week (of which today was the final day) is the biggest holiday with many people off work. My kids who go to public school, however, are off school for a month. With two more weeks at home I am trying to have some fun with the kids.
Another spring festival tradition is for kids to get new clothes...a nice retail tradition as clothes are way more expensive right before the holiday (no deep discount sales like we see at Christmas). So although Crystal, one of my big girls, really needed some clothes, I waited until after the holiday when things are on sale. So, today the 5 girls and I took the #4 bus downtown for lunch and shopping!
We went to McDonald's for lunch. Yippee. Ok, it doesn't sound like much to you, but I sure enjoy some American food now and then. We don't go much because 1) it isn't too close and 2) it means a bus or taxi ride (gee, I miss my van!). It was especially eventful today because in addition to a cheeseburger, fries and chocolate shake (burger and fries taste EXACTLY like home, but not so much the shake), there were SIX foreigners who came in while we were there. WOW. That is really unheard of around here. We waved and smiled, they said "ni hao" which made us laugh. One of the guys came over to say hi and we found out they are from Lebanon. You really don't hear that everyday. (You don't see a western woman with five Chinese daughters who speak English everyday either.)
After lunch we went into the six-story mall that the McDonald's is part of. I had hoped to get Crystal a couple of pair of jeans, and since there are lots of western brands in this mall I headed for the Lee and Levi shops. Yowza! Everything was in the 600Y to 900Y range ($100 to $150). Sorry, that was not in my budget. Usually the kids get clothes at the outdoor market. The quality and style are not great, but not bad either. Since Crystal is 13 and goes to public school I want her to have some things that are a little nicer....but not quite that nice! So we headed to the 6th floor where the Chinese brands are. MUCH more reasonable. She got a pair of blue jeans and a black pair for 110Y each. They look nice on her (and will look even nicer with fewer layers underneath - I made sure she had underwear on, I just didn't realize she had on her thickest set of long underwear). We then browsed through the store, looking at linens and pajamas and this and that. We ended up getting a few books (Chinese for the Chinese kids, including the 3rd Harry Potter). Kristen also bought a little painting set with her own money. Then we headed back to the bus stop.
On the way we bought a yummy pineapple. Of course, we were overquoted and overcharged. But they really are sweet and yummy so 8Y (about $1.25) is not such a bad price to pay. :) Yup...a pretty sweet day!
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