Suzhou Adventures!

Hello all! Here are a couple highlights of last weekend and work this week.

Preparing the tea to drink!

Traditional Tea Tasting- On our way to the Yu Gardens Saturday, Me and Joe made a change of plans and attended a traditional tea festival. I learned alot about chinese tea customs, lucky numbers and what teas are good for certain people. The young girl presenting the teas would have a laugh attack every time that I looked at her because she couldn't speak any english (hmm laugh attacks remind me of someone I know who can't control her laughter in public settings!) it was really funny and Jo and I started laughing too. The water was heated at just the right temperature for each different tea and we used different cups and tea pots for each different kind.

The place where we tried Chinese tea

Pudong Library- On Sunday Morning before we headed on a train to Suzhou, I got up early to go to an art exhibition with art displayed by my friends Sofina and Tina’s high school art professor. He is very well known and famous in Shanghai and all of his artwork was very interesting and pretty. He has many different styles but my favorite was the blended colors that make up one big picture. After we looked at all of the paintings, he gave me one of his books and signed his name and the date in Chinese in it for me. He was a very kind man and I am glad Tina and Sofina invited me. The Pudong Library is a pretty cool building, it has a very relaxing atmosphere and a lot of different architecture.

Me and the artist who signed a book for me

Me, Sofina, Tina and Mia at the Library

Suzhou- Sunday afternoon we got on a high speed train that took us to Suzhou, a water town close by Shanghai. Tina, Mia and Sofina also joined us for the trip. We arrived around 2:30 and got out right away to explore. We hit one of the many gardens there, there was a bunch of rock cave pathways to walk through and pagodas and lily pads and we walked around and took a lot of pictures. It was raining all day but we still had a lot of fun taking pictures in the gardens. After the gardens we hopped on bike taxi’s and the peddled us all the way to the big 8 story pagoda that we climbed to the top of to get a view (and some exercise). We climbed down and then walked around to find a place to eat supper. Tina, Mia and Sofina ordered all of the food and they did a good job. We were going to go to the river and hop on a boat for a quick ride, it was pouring rain and very hard to grab a taxi to take us there and we didn’t know what bust to hop on so we just walked and walked and walked some more asking dozens of Chinese people along the way  how to get back to the railroad station so we could get on a train home. What a task that was, we were pointed every single direction and walked. Even though it took forever, I was still able to see the town and the people more. It was nice to get back to the apartment and relax for a short time before I went to bed because I had to wake up for work in the morning. I really enjoyed exploring this small city and hope to get to at least two more in my time left here.

 The Pretty Gardens

Catching a bike ride to the pagoda in the rain! Notice our tourist hats :)

Posing with Buddha !

View at the top of the Pagoda!

This week at work I learned the 3pm daily stretch that they all get up and dance/stretch to, it is a pretty funny and awkward time at work. I just like to look at it as a very easy zumba dance. I go to the way back so none of them can see me guess which move comes next because the whole song is spoken in Chinese and I just mirror my co-workers actions. I am working on editing their website and have been working on marketing materials for the vendor conference I will be attending with them in MN on August 4^th sponsored by Northern Tools. This means my flight has been switched and I will be heading home four days earlier than planned so I can be at the conference with them. The preparation for the conference and actually attending it will be a great experience. I am learning so much and really dipping my toes in a lot of different areas of business. On Wednesday we celebrated my co-workers Derek’s birthday with cake in the afternoon.

Derek making a wish!

my co-workers watching derek open presents!

Food- When we are on the go or eating dinner late at night, something that is always good is street food, vendors kabob up tons of vegetables and meats on skewers and lay them out on a table. You pick up the ones you want and hand them over to be grilled over coals. It is the closest thing I am going to get to a barbaque until I get home. It is good stuff. I particulary enjoyed the grilled eggplant, mushrooms and beef. Another thing I tried today was a chinese hot pot. You sit at a table with a propane oven top built into it and order your food. They bring out a big pot of the food with liquid in it and your food boils in front of you and you order vegetables and meat off the menu of your choice to add in and cook. Its like a huge stew and all the flavors work together making a great dinner that is easy to share. We had a mushroom bowl and added lamb and alot of green vegetables tonight. I definatly want to go eat another hot pot in the near future. So tasty!

The finished product above and all the choices below!! Look at those fish!!

I leave on the train for Beijing at 7am this morning so I am excited togo see the old city and climb the great wall. I am sure there will be some good stories and experiences to share in my next entry after I return.

Keep checking back for more!!