Wednesday, April 5, 2006

Inner Mongolian Students Hostel

Tonight, it feels like winter all over again…and my coat is still in the wash. Brrrr…

Pls pray for God's protection to be upon Tim as he begins his training in Taiwan. Xie xie...!

Yesterday, my Psychology class was cancelled for no apparent reason. We were also informed that my teacher for Southeast Asian Culture would be in the Philippines, so no class for 2 weeks. This very afternoon, my English News Writing prof had to excuse herself to tend to some Danish delegates. Is it just me, or is my education here really discounted?

With more free time at hand, I decided to visit Lisa’s hostel, some 10 min’s walk away from school. People who do not stay here call it 学生公寓. Lisa said it’s a 内蒙贫民窟.

I like the Chinese feel of this main gate.


















Here, on the ground floor, two rows of rooms facing each other.














Inside, 6 people in a room. Cost 20rmb per night per person.














My first thought when I entered was, “It’s humid!” It’s been a long time since I felt a wet touch to my skin! Lisa explained that it’s because the room gets no sun and they have to keep the door open for a while every time they come back. I thought it was the evaporation from their laundry, and the basin of water they placed in the room for hand-washing.

As I looked around, what caught my attention was this.














The girls are here to study, so rightly, they each require a study desk. With limited space, they have to make do with a small desk each on their beds.

Because the bed in MY room creaks quite a bit, I casually asked if their beds were the same. To my "horror", as a result of the way they tie the laundry strings (from bed to bed, parallel and diagonally), if one person toss and turn in bed, the other 5 people will feel the vibration on their beds as well. Can you imagineeee…!

Leaving, I took a closer look at the roof outside.


















Lisa joked that strong winds often cause this covering to flap and make noises so loud, they feel that their roof would collapse. ;) I told her it could be much worse with Singapore-style torrential rain.

After the “tour” of the Inner Mongolian Student Hostel, Lisa led a hungry me to a market. I expected a proper supermarket, if not a small provision store.

This was cool. Modern supermarkets probably originated from these – wet market + hawker + provision stores + clothes/shoes retail








































Pretty yummy sight…only possible in dry climates like this.


















Lisa treated me to a 土家族煎饼 aka Chinese Pizza. This crispy pancake has a little meat and sauce on it, and it makes a great snack.














Unfortunately, a middle-aged woman from the stall had to charge out and repeatedly question me on the purpose of my photography. Heh?!

gRacE =)

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