Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's Back to China I Go

I just got a VPN so that I can access my blog and Facebook, Pinterest etc.  I tried to get one on my iPad, but I could never get it to work.  I feel sad for people in China who don't have access to the wonderful sites and blogs that I regularly view.  I feel sad that they don't have access to as much information.

We are presently in SuZhou, Jiangsu, China.  I think this is the most beautiful city I've ever seen in China.  It was designed with the help of Singapore, and is considered a model for the rest of China.  In addition, the area where we are staying isn't quite as densely populated, so has much less traffic, and is cleaner.  Oh that all of China could be this way!

I'm still trying to adjust to life here.  My main problem is figuring out what to do all day.  I usually go out shopping in the mornings.  There is a vegetable market about a block away.  There is a grocery store right by it.  Then I come home and eat lunch.  I am taking an independent study class, but honestly I don't have the patience to spend hours and hours a day with it.  But I am working my way through the class slowly.  I still have a little jet lag, so usually take a nap in the afternoon.  Also, we have been getting a lot of phone calls from the U.S. during the middle of the night, so we aren't sleeping well.  We have had some family issues that we have had to deal with concerning my husband's brother who was involved in a wreck with a scooter my husband gave him to use.  In the evenings after my husband gets home, we usually walk a block or two to find a restaurant to eat dinner.  Eating out in China is inexpensive, and is really good.  So that's pretty much how my days go.

Tonight's dinner was unusual.  The speciality of the restaurant is a congee dish that is served with meat and vegetables in it.  We ordered some vegetables, shrimp spring rolls, and beef to go with it.  We were sitting right next to the fish tanks.  They have fish, shrimp etc. in big glass tanks.  Every few minutes the chef would come out and get some of the shrimp, or a fish to cook.  So we were just sitting there when all of the sudden a fish leapt out of the tank!  It was flopping on the floor right next to me, but no one but us seemed to even notice!  I called out to the waitress.  She came quickly over, smiling, and grabbed a net to put the fish back in the tank.  Pretty funny!

We have run in to some funny signs too.  One restaurant had the name "Toilet".  I am wondering if they meant "Towlette" or something.  Someone needs a refund on their translation.  

And this drink shop chose the name "Fly juice", when I think their meaning had more to do with the verb, than the noun.  We chose a passion fruit juice that had big black seeds in it.  It was a little too much like real fly juice.....

And the adventure continues....