National Holiday just wrapped up here in China, with most Chinese people actually returning to work on Saturday and working the weekend to make up two of the 'holidays' they missed. I did not work this weekend since Max was still here, but now he has left and I am back to the real world, which feels kind of boring and lonely right now. I'm sure I will get back into things in a jiffy however, and you all should be on the lookout for pictures of our vacation in and around Beijing together.
In the interim (the pictures are too daunting of a task for me right now), I wanted to post about something that happened to me today. I have a friend here who was explaining to me his quest (when in the States) to avoid all products "Made in China", "Made in Taiwan" etc and only buy things made in the US. Of course, while here, he has switched to only buying things made in China, which is admirable of him but also possibly slightly risky in some cases.
I have noticed that many things here are either super high-quality or really cheap and awful. You can get tailored clothing handmade in less than 2 days and it will fit you like a glove and look great. You can also buy a fake knockoff of North Face or Rolex or other name brand which will work for 2 weeks and then fall apart or stop working. Of course, you might get lucky and maybe it is really a North Face jacket with some minor defect that will last forever and be super warm, you never can tell! Its certainly a bargaining chip to use at markets though - "how do i know this isn't a fake? i shouldn't have to pay that much..."
Today, I went on a mission to get spare keys made for my apartment, since I will be having a parade of visitors between now and New Years. I followed the directions of some of my officemates to the closest 'key guy' who sets up shop under an umbrella on the corner of a busy intersection, with jars of blank keys and several key pressing machines. For $2 USD I got two keys made, which probably is a bit much for China, but hey, I don't speak Chinese, and its the same price as at home. When I came home this afternoon, I tried the new key to the outer door - and with only the slightest bit of turning pressure - SNAP! - left a bit of key in the lock! Luckily I managed to rip the wire mesh on the door and open it from the outside, get into my apartment door using my old key, and then rescued the bit of key from the lock with a pair of tweezers - this story could have been a lot worse! I had visions of being locked out of my apartment and other people being locked in behind the outer door as well! Perhaps I will take a Chinese person with me to visit the key guy next time to make sure he doesn't use last year's scrap metal!
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