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Nanjing
Ok, I've talked about it, but now I'm actually doing it.
I decided to start from my start. I took quite a few pictures of things in the beginning that caught my eye, but were considered totally normal by the time I left. Unless I say otherwise, assume that the picture was taken in Nanjing or on the road there.
This is a subway entrance. Really. I sometimes think China based it's decorating ideas off of Las Vegas.
Phallic much? This was at a mausoleum of some famous dude (see why I should have made these posts sooner?).
Burtace Cleaner... yes.... We bought it thinking it would work like Windex, but it *soooo* didn't.
This was the street sign for where I lived. If you go past that sign, turn left down a dark ally, and then walk through the ickiest stairways I've ever seen up 4 flights you'd be at our apartment.
These icky stairs actually. At night night the lights wouldn't turn on unless you made a lot of noise, so it was especially fun at night.
Outside our local meat market they had all these little buckets of snakes. If you wanted to buy one, you had the choice of taking it home live or having them cut the heads off for you. *shudders* I seriously couldn't go in there, it smelled way too bad.
This is where we actually did most of our shopping. Not that it wasn't special at times. I was so happy to find out that they used number numbers and not Chinese characters.
This was also on our street. I was told that we were kind of living on the Madison Ave of Nanjing, so it's a little bit more spiffy than most roads.
A random shot from our walk home from work.
I decided to start from my start. I took quite a few pictures of things in the beginning that caught my eye, but were considered totally normal by the time I left. Unless I say otherwise, assume that the picture was taken in Nanjing or on the road there.
This is a subway entrance. Really. I sometimes think China based it's decorating ideas off of Las Vegas.
Phallic much? This was at a mausoleum of some famous dude (see why I should have made these posts sooner?).
Burtace Cleaner... yes.... We bought it thinking it would work like Windex, but it *soooo* didn't.
This was the street sign for where I lived. If you go past that sign, turn left down a dark ally, and then walk through the ickiest stairways I've ever seen up 4 flights you'd be at our apartment.
These icky stairs actually. At night night the lights wouldn't turn on unless you made a lot of noise, so it was especially fun at night.
Outside our local meat market they had all these little buckets of snakes. If you wanted to buy one, you had the choice of taking it home live or having them cut the heads off for you. *shudders* I seriously couldn't go in there, it smelled way too bad.
This is where we actually did most of our shopping. Not that it wasn't special at times. I was so happy to find out that they used number numbers and not Chinese characters.
This was also on our street. I was told that we were kind of living on the Madison Ave of Nanjing, so it's a little bit more spiffy than most roads.
A random shot from our walk home from work.
no subject
I think I'd just give up right there. It's one thing to have a slight difference in pronunciation, but at least it's still the same word. "Houston" is the classic example for me. If you watch Law and Order at all (or actually know anyone from NY), they pronounce it how-ston. In Texas, it's hoo-ston. I remember it threw me the first time I heard them talking about it on SVU.
So Asia it was. :)
Personally, I would have chosen Europe, but I've heard getting work visas is incredibly difficult. And I'm not sure my grades would really get me in at any of the schools.
Oh god, I ran away a few time when I was 11-13.
The best I was able to manage was to go about a block and a half to this little park and hide in the "woods." It was just a little wooded area with a bunch of trails and stuff, but I knew the area like the back of my hand and you couldn't find me back there when I decided to be alone. Scared the *shit* out of my mother because the neighbourhood was already getting to be kinda crappy. Other than that, the best I could do was hop on the A&M (college) bus and go to campus and from there around town.
It's better. A lot of the problems are still there, but my family doesn't pressure me nearly as much because they're afraid I'll do it again.
So did you *tell* them you were going to China? Or was it like a phone call from the terminal? That's one thing that I had to teach my mother, there are some things in my life that she really doesn't want me to talk about because they'll disturb her to no end. My SI being first and foremost. That definitely caused some issues while we were still working through it.
no subject
You'd probably laugh at the way I pronounce it then, because I'm pretty sure I don't say it anything like hoo-ston.
It's the same thing here with Toronto. No Canadian, at least not any who's ever lived near or in Toronto pronounces the second T. It's Torono, or Torana but *never* Toronto. God, it feels weird just saying it in my head.
Personally, I would have chosen Europe
Oh yeah, I didn't go to China because I had any great want to be there, it was because it was one of the only places I could easily get a job. It is *so* hard to get a job in Europe if you're not European. And well, it wouldn't have been a very good job at running away if I always had to call my parents for money :S
and hide in the "woods."
Hah! I did that too! I was totally planning on camping out, but well, I jumped out of my second floor window and twisted my ankle, it started to rain, and then just as I found a semi-decent place in the forest I fox walks across my foot. That was it for me. :P
Or was it like a phone call from the terminal?
That was my original plan. Just announce a few days in advance that I was leaving for China, but I told my sisters who told me that if I didn't tell our parents and tell them now, they would. It ended up working better though, because then I didn't have my parents on my back about school like they would have been otherwise.
no subject
Thinking on it, it's not exactly hoo-ston...more like hugh-ston.
No Canadian, at least not any who's ever lived near or in Toronto pronounces the second T. It's Torono, or Torana but *never* Toronto.
I think I've actually heard it pronounced like that once or twice. But that happens anywhere. We have a few dinky little towns around here that are always a dead giveaway about whether ot not someone is from the area. There's Mexia, pronounced me-hea if you're from this area and with the x if you're not and Bedias where it's kind of run together and there's not strong syllable. Elsewhere, they emphasize the first syllable and make it bee-dize.
Hah! I did that too! I was totally planning on camping out
I never tried to camp because I *knew* there were people there that would do some mean things while I was asleep. But I did spend hours out there. I could never figure out a good place to camp that wasn't obvious and would be checked immediately beyond campus and I was pretty sure UPD would catch me if I tried that.
no subject
That sounds closer to how I pronounce it.
I think I've actually heard it pronounced like that once or twice. But that happens anywhere.
Yeah, once my dad visited New Orleans and was mocked by a waitress.