What's that smell? Oh, it's me... - by Chris Schave, CE Adviser in China

I have just gotten back from taking my new friends to the train station. It was great to meet them, and it’s too bad they have to leave. Today we went to downtown and got some random fried food. I had what the Brits called chips. Sliced potatoes on a stick then fried. Along with that I had two mystery meats. I suspect that it was chicken and pork. Either way, they were good. Even though I am trying to just go wild with the food, I’m not trying to get sick. They had baby squid that looked interesting. I wasn’t sure if they fried those, so I stayed away from them.

After we headed to the grocery store so the girls could pick up some snacks for the train. I got some a couple of things, a small piece of chicken in a package and a pickled chicken foot. I ate the chicken and it was okay. It was odd tasting, but kind of reminded me of MRE’s from the military. I have to wait on the chicken foot. I accidently broke the bone when I was fidgeting with it in the line at the store. Maybe tomorrow I will eat it. I’m down with them being cooked, but pickled is something I’m not accustomed to.

Tonight I am going to get dinner with Persy. He is the coordinator for the company that is putting this trip together. He seems like a nice fellow. Tomorrow the other three people in my group get here. They are all from England and there’s supposed to be two girls and a guy.

I’m really happy that I took the plunge and signed up for this trip. It truly is an amazing experience. All of the kids I’ve met from Europe are surprised an American would choose to come here. I can see what they why they would think that. For the most part we stick to the safe places. Funny thing is, I feel just as safe here as I did in Paris or Rome. The only thing is, I really have no idea what any of the signs or people are saying. I do enjoy the interesting translations and knock off brands.

Well, Persy has just arrived… To answer my aunt Gaylene’s question… “What does it smell like here?” Well, when I got off the plane it smelled a bit like sulfur. The air is thick and downtown it smells like street food. Similar to a row of hotdog stands. The mornings are clear, but the afternoons seem to get foggy with smog.
Until next time…

Chris-Adviser Abroad China