We enjoy our young colleagues from UK, seven in all, two couples and three single people, all recent university graduates. They hadn’t met before this adventure, except of course, the couples. Apparently they all signed up with a recruiting company which hosted for them a training period in Beijing. They arrived here about a week before we did. They’re all still adjusting—I would call it culture shock, but they seem unaware. We’re adjusting too, but more on the “I had forgotten this” train of thought. They are taking photos right and left of things we barely see.
Rachel and Hannah invited me to go with them uptown on Saturday. Tim suggested he would go along, but I told him it was a girls’ day out. When I told Rachel, she said, “You’ve been married a long time, let’s have a break.” We split the taxi fare, unbelievably cheap by western standards, but I do think we could take a bus if we knew which one to take.
We went to H&M, a British store. It felt like home to them and they happily tried on clothes. I saw a lace top that I liked, and was surprised to see Rachel looking at the very same top on another rack. I said I would wear this over a tank top such as she was wearing, but she said “no, au naturel for me” and winked. I searched the store full of tiny clothes, and finally found a black long sleeved knit shirt, very soft like pima cotton, but I’m not certain of the fabric, and found an XL which fit nicely. It was only 99 rmb, about $14—a really good price I think. The girls called it a “jumper.” I saw some leather pants, and wondered about them. I see Chinese girls wearing such things. Just then Rachel saw them and said that I should get them—that’s what happens when you go out with the girls. No XL’s on that rack. Hannah was looking for a black skirt which she found. We tried on hats, we looked at scarves, we laughed. Rachel found a jumper, I’d call it a sweater, that fit her, but it had a snag on one sleeve. She bargained for a discount on that since there were no others in that size on the rack.
Then we went to Starbucks! We got sandwiches and tea. We sat inside on comfortable couches with a table between. We were in the window, so to speak, and Rachel suggested going outside, but I thought it was too hot, windy and noisy to go to the outside tables. I think Rachel wanted a cigarette, so she went out for that, while Hannah and I stayed inside. Then I bought a piece of chocolate cake and split it three ways, as evenly as I could guess. Rachel said she didn’t want to eat it all because then it would be gone and the wonder of it finished. We talked about life and love, as women together usually do, sitting there in the sunny day in Starbuck’s in China, all far from home, yet comforted together.
We proceeded to Walmart, where we found more familiar foods, albeit in the “import” (translate: expensive) section. We bought tuna packed in water instead of oil. I bought Reese’s peanut butter cups. They bought Coca-Cola. I bought some cotton bed sheets. I was looking for a large blanket, but the clerk managed to tell me, “Don’t have.” I bought more Twining’s tea. I now have Earl Grey, English breakfast, and Mint from Twining’s, and Jasmine which may be from a Chinese section of Lipton.
It was time to find another taxi and head for “home.” One problem, who had the address? To go anywhere, the girls show a picture on their I-phone, but they don’t have one of the school. So Hannah said in English, “#42 Middle School” and the driver said “OK” so we got in. I fished around in my bag to find my printed address for the school, and finding it, passed it to the driver who nodded. Rachel said, “Well done, you are such a Mother.”