Waiting in the train terminal was painfully sweaty and I escaped to a little magazine stand in the corner for some room to breathe. I was proudly voluntarily buying, and planning to read, my first Chinese magazine! I finally settled on QingNian WenZai for it's market price of 10yuan, a magazine with stories for younger audiences. On the train I struggled through a biography on Condoleezza Rice. Then, as I started on other articles about the Olympics, progression of education and the job market in China, I noticed all the figures from late 2004. Flipping to the back, I discovered this magazine was published it January 2005. It is now only worth it's price in trash (at the going rate of 0.8yuan/kg).
06/14/08
After two weeks at home, I was eager to start exploring Hong Kong with friends (and Allen). I got to the airport early, got through security early, and went to look for my gate. I didn't see my gate at first, and asked this worker where Gate 6 was. She said, "Your plane doesn't take off for another 2 hours (which was true) so come sit in this cafe and wait. They'll come get you when you board!" I was lured by the red wood tables and blasting AC. Sitting down, I was handed no menu, but asked "Do you like watermelon smoothies, orange smoothies, coffee or tea?" "Watermelon smoothie please" I replied. That sounded good and I had two hours to kill. It's China, and here, I'm no longer a poor grad student. How much could it be?? I pulled out my 10yuan magazine and was determined to get my money's worth by reading it cover-to-cover. 30 minutes later, I noticed a guy paying for a pack of cigarettes with a 100 bill. Then another 45 minutes went by and the lady at the next table stated yelling because her two cups of water, with lemon, cost 29 each. Did I get tricked again? An hour and a half later, someone did come to get me to board my flight, but also handed me a 45yuan bill for my watermelon smoothie. For those who don't know, outside the FuJian International Airport, 45yuan will get you:
- 45 ice cream bars, or
- 27 liters of bottled water, or
- One "Polo Ralph Lauren" sweater, or
- Roundtrip train tickets to visit my grandparents in Nan Ping, or
- A helluva good dim sum meal.
