Tuesday, June 19

Today was very similar to yesterday, and that is a good thing.  Julia had a full-day play date with Jessica, a second grade friend, so she was gone from 9-3pm (she began by coloring a ‘model’ (her idea) of the beach booklet we are going to provide to the children for coloring).  They had a good, regular, kid time, complete with a donut, and pizza for lunch.  Just what the tour director ordered for the day.  Julia has really only known Qingdao as a school routine; it’s nice to have a different weekday routine.

Julia in Mama's classroom, early this morning

I took a few photos of vehicular traffic today—a source of continual interest to me here in China.  First, military boats outside the classroom window all day.  Wonder what they are doing.  It was a crystal clear and beautiful day—with some algae floating in the bay; any connection?  In one photo, you can see a big pile of green—it’s been fished out of the sea and is of real interest to the bystanders.    I hope our beach field trip tomorrow has as good weather as we had today!

The sea full of boats

A huge, green algae pile!

Later, on the way home from our errands—no food in the house!—I took some photos of the evening rush hour traffic.  We were lucky to board a moderately filled bus at 5:45 pm.  But outside on the streets, things were crowded.  These are primarily photos of the intersection.  Just so you’re clear on that!  There is no such rule as ‘don’t block the box.’ The cars just enter the intersection (which, admittedly, is huge!) as they please, often without a green light.  And once there, they make their own lanes.  Well, in fact, every car makes its own lane when it chooses to.  Often cars ‘follow rules;’ but just as often they make their own rules.  The basic approach is to start, vigorously, what it is you want to do, and watch for any flinching on the part of the opposing driver (or pedestrian, in some cases!).  There are 4 or 5 lanes going each direction (varies here and there) plus a bus lane.  When we get to the up slope of the mountain cut through, it is wall to wall cars as far as I can see.  In what appears to be Qingdao’s way, the Chinese do what they need to do, but cheerfully, and without rancor to those ‘in the way.’

A bus pulling up

Not too full - but busy enough Julia happily got to stand!

Typical traffic in the intersection!

More intersection blocking

I love the photo of the fruit seller, set up right underneath the huge triple level overpass that is such a feature of our lives.  He is sitting on the median, which has been turned into a parking lot; there are too many cars in China!  How do the individual sellers survive?  Every vendor has the same products!

Julia in her jaded city dweller mode!  And pure tourist, at May 4 Square.

Jaded city dweller (or tired of the paparazzi?)

The now-so-familiar May 4 Square sculpture

While we were on the boardwalk—Julia practicing gliding on her scooter—we came across a group of bystanders gathered around a fisherman who’d brought up a pile from the sea—seaweed, rocks, etc.  He was wiggling a crop from the pile:  urchins, crabs, clams, sea slugs (or maybe they are called sea cucumbers; gross looking under either name!), and large sea shells.  The group was even more closely crowded around the fisherman than these photos give the appearance; they weren’t going to miss a thing!

We bought bread, as usual, at the high-end grocery, which is in a high-end mall.  In every department store we’ve been in, we have seen this scene:  kitchen wares for sale, at small, beautifully arranged islands.  And cooking set-ups, so that the (numerous) sales staff can demonstrate the efficacy of whatever kitchen items are for sale by cooking, right there in the department store!  I was too discrete in my photo taking to give you a full flavor of the cooking that is going on.  In the distance in one photo, you can see a group of people sitting at another stand, being marketed to by the sales person.  The little boy walking away in one photo has jus scored a piece of pizza from the kitchenette!

One of the larger cooking spots - and the boy with his pizza, on the right

Another demonstration area

And Julia, scootering right through the store

Julia self reported general pleasure with her Chinese experience, as we were readying for bed.  Her first item was ‘friends.’  It’s all about the people, isn’t it?