Frenzy

Today I was able to experience the true frenzy of herd mentality. I was on the 208 on the way to do a little suit shopping for my wedding in 1 month and 26 days, and I was herded on, through, and off of the bus. When I say herded, I truly mean herded. It was so tight at one point, that there was naught any room for anything but my body. On top of the bus ride, I was able to experience the frenzy of a Chinese McDonalds. We have one nearby, but not like the one I went to today. I waited, shoved, and elbowed my way towards the goodness known as a large fry (or to you Americans, a medium french fries). After an unsuccessful suit shopping experience, I ran across an apartment seller. They were able to show me 4 apartments in the area so I could finally see what normal housing was like, and how much it cost. The couple was the perfect manifestation of my studuents in two years. The guy spoke nearly no english, the girl was very eager, and they both had an amazing reading comprehension for English, but nearly no spoken and mininimal listening skills. I love China.
Check out my photoblog or flickr for pics of a Chinese apartment. The normal apartments run about 1000 yuan per month, and the nicer one is 1800. I hear that I can buy my own apartment nearby on Rue Francais (location of my favorite western restaurant Aloha Diner) for nearly $50,000. It is also a traditional Chinese custom for the parents of the groom to buy the newlyweds their first home. Mom and Nick, do I qualify?

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