Sunday, September 26, 2010

An African Marketplace in China


Jinan seems a little quieter then Xian was, mainly because they keep it simpler with a little more tradition and culture here. I have seen most of the city and I can already tell that making themselves comfortable is no problem. They understand what they must do to survive. They have no care in the world about what others think about them and how they make their living, or even how disgusting it seems. If it sells, it goes.
Two days ago, I by understood this by experience. The market place here in Jinan is one of the largest produce areas in the city. I saw almost all different kinds of vegetables and fruits in this area. The market seemed almost hidden from the large roads and buildings. It was kept on a lot surrounded by many different kinds and colors of walls. There were about five truck loads of garlic roots which were (of course) selling very well. It did not seem like a Chinese area to me. It was almost exactly like what I pictured an African market to look like. There were many different colors and smells. The way I could tell I was still in China was because of the same faces and eyes, and maybe because of the garlic too. This place, in a way, made my stomach ache with homesickness, maybe because I've watched "The Gods Must Be Crazy" too many times. Because when I see the scenes where the school teacher is held hostage, or spends the night in the wild, It reminded me of how many different things could go wrong while this far from home. Anything could happen to me now, it was like I was on an exposed mountain ledge. But along with that crazy homesickness feeling, there was excitement. I saw so many poor and homeless faces at that market place, but when they saw my face, they asked questions and smiled at me. We had bought some apples and vegetables while we were there, but not much food at all, and this market place was pretty far from the apartment building, but I smiled back at all those faces and just enjoyed the ride.
There must have been at least 250 men and women there selling anything they could that they grew, but most of them looked like they had been in one spot for days hoping to sell as much as possible. It was very crowded with people and we were the only little vehicle trying to get through.
Me, Nei nei, and Lai Si's husband went together that day, while Lai Si stayed home.
Nei nei is Lai Si's mother. She is smaller than I am and looks about 96 years old. She smokes and drinks a lot of tea, and I wonder how in the world she is still here. She walks in the house with only a cane to support her, but when we go out, she has a wheel chair to ride in. It doesn't seem like her mind left her as she aged, but she has lost most percentage of her hearing. She laughs at me the most when I pronounce "eat" or "egg" and though we can't communicate to each other at all, we know about one another and I consider her my friend.
We both sat in the three wheeled car together while Lai Si's husband stopped every once in a while to talk to strangers, or to ask about the produce. When we were finally able to get through all the crowds and obstacles, we went home with the little food we had.
This was a great observation experience, and I felt better about that exposed ledge :)
Mat

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