Wednesday (March 4)

I woke up around 11, took a bath and did some culture homework. Around 1 p.m. I walked to my Culture class. Afterwards, I went to meet Mabel outside of the West gate. It was drizzling. When I saw Mabel, she told me that she had walked to the school and didn't have her car with her. She did, however, have an umbrella. In order to get out of the rain, the two of us walked to a teahouse in Jinli street, where Wang Jian later met us.

A "puppet" show on Jinli street







The three of us went to eat close by in a cheap but decent restaurant. Wang Jian and Mabel ordered some local dishes for me to try, some of which I liked and others which I didn't. As we were walking back, Wang Jian went ahead to get the car and Mabel and I began talking. We got on the subject of pregnancy and she asked me about pregnant women in America. She told me that when I go back home to America and if she's pregnant by then, she won't be able to talk to me over the computer. Apparently, in China, pregnant woman aren't supposed to use the computer. She told me that there are special clothes that the woman has to wear if she uses the computer, so that the radiation won't harm the baby. I had never heard of this and it sounded so weird to me. She also told me that before getting pregnant a woman has to stop drinking alcohol, tea and coffee (because of the caffeine) and stop smoking. I knew about the smoking and the coffee/alcohol, but not the tea.

Once Wang Jian picked us up, we went to play ping pong in Huanhuaxi park with Mabel's cousin. Ironically, Mabel just found out then that her cousin is now pregnant and she was so exasperated!

Playing ping pong

Mabel and her cousin's husband


Wang Jian, Mabel's cousin and Mabel




Mabel and I trying to play ping pong