Old School

Ever see those old ads from the 1920s, where some housewife whiles away her life doing menial tasks, with an apron on her hips and a smile on her face? That's exactly what I thought of when I saw this iron in the backroom of the tailor shop across from my grandmother's house.

Except instead of a cheerful housewife, I found a middle-aged Chinese woman in a room only slighter bigger than my closet, bossing around a handful of seamstresses and tailors who all were darning and mending and making clothes perfect...for less than three bucks a pop.

21st century living, eh?

"Have you been with pig recently?"

[I kid you not, that was a question on the entry form to get past Chinese customs.]

Ah, swine flu paranoia. Even though thousands around the world die from things like measles, malaria, and poor water sanitation, the Chinese government decided that swine flu was Enemy No. 1. As a result, every passenger flying into the country from overseas had to undergo these radar-y temperature checks by silly men in outlandish costumes. Yeah, it was annoying, but the suits are funny as hell.

Also, fun fact, that's my dad sitting next to me.

If the photo looks familiar, that's because Shanghaiist used it here and here.

Notice something different?

I'm baaaack!

As most who follow my Twitter know, I've actually been back in the land of the cheese and home of the Braves for about a week and a half now. While I have a post in the works about my summer in Shanghai, I thought I'd first highlight some changes I've made to this blog.

Before:

After: (Well, what you're reading is obviously the after. But for visual comparison's sake:)

So obviously there's been a title change, tagline change, photo and profile change. The real overhaul here is going to be in content.

Posted photos will come from both the year in Dalian and the three+ months in Shanghai. But more importantly, I'm going to start posting about my daily life now as well. China-bubble-related material that is, like insane bouts of reverse culture shock; plus the occasional senior year freakouts musings. I mean, it's inevitable- it is senior year.

[Edna's in China AGAIN? It's break time!]

NOTE:

The previous post may be my last for a while. In a couple hours, I'll be flying out to Shanghai and spending the summer there at an internship. I hear Blogger is currently off-and-on in China (in terms of accessibility), but on top of that, I do not have an internet connection at the family apartment (in the French Concession, whoo!). I'll update when I can find wi-fi, but regular daily posts will continue when I return on August 12.

Steamy Night

The mildly famous 'top of the hill.' When I arrived in Dalian it was still winter, but as spring crept up the tiny restaurants set up their chuanr (like grilled kebabs) stands, all in a row. At night, in the chilly air, you could see the smoke from the chuanr as you walked up the Dawai hill, as crowds of people huddled for warmth around the coals.

Seaside

Hey, my internet's been fixed!

This photo was taken at Binhai Lu, or a long stretch of road along Dalian's coastline. It has gorgeous views and an entire day could be spent walking along the road. Or, if you don't have all day, you can hire a taxi to drive you for a certain distance/length of time. I did this three times; with my two best friends over May Holiday, when my dad came to visit in June, and when my mom visited in September. 

Also, notice the clarity of the water. This is generally not seen in China and is an example of why Dalian is known for being one of the cleanest cities in which to live.