As is true of any big city I suppose, there are certain parts of the city that you just know to go to if you need a certain commodity. For instance, if you want cheap department store clothes, you go to the Happy Family store at Zhong jie. If you want $.50 dvds, you go to Sanhao Jie and then start perusing the $5 dvds that are out and wait to be taken to the back office on the fifth floor where they keep all the illegal pirated $.50 stuff. (another recent adventure and although a bit sketch, definitely worth the price of goods) If you want fabric, you go to the Taiyuan jie, through a back alley to an unmarked market building, up the escalator to the third floor whereupon you find yourself in seamstress heaven. The fabric district!

Every kind of fabric you could possibly imagine is essentially at your finger tips. Want to make a suit? haggle a little and you can get yourself some quality threads for a very low price. I didn't believe my friend when she warned me how easy it is to go nuts up there. I bought material for four pairs of pants and three shirts and spent less than $30. I also got some bargaining practice and while I know I got a little ripped off because I'm a foreigner, I was able to bring down the prices quite a bit so I felt it was a good practice. I also helped Jill and Kurt get some good prices so all in all, a well spent morning.

Went to the tailor this morning to get measured and deliver all the fabric. In two weeks, I will be all decked out. I'm so excited. Fabric colors and types I want, styles I made up and clothes that will fit me exactly for CHEAP, all in all, cheaper and better quality than what I could buy in the stores. I love this place. At some point, I'm going to have some suits made for, get this, under $50. That's right, full on, handmade suits suitable for interviews for practically nothing in comparison to what I'd have to pay in the US. Stoked!

I also met with a friend of mine whose business partner has a son whom he wants to learn English. The kid is five. We'll meet for an hour a week and I get to read to him and teach him the ABCs and all that. Really cute kid and very smart. As we were walking out today, he kept yelling and waving bye to me. We'll see how long my schedule permits it but it should be fun.

Introducing public speaking to my classes this week and then next week is vacation. Some of my students have convinced me to travel to a seaside city called Dalian for part of the break to visit them so I'm going to see about getting a bus ticket tomorrow. *crosses fingers as she prepares to brave the lines and the intimidatingly crowded bus station*