OKAY, maybe it's not big news to you, but it was for Chai. Our Foreign Affairs Officer (FAO), Chai, handles all of our day-too-day living and visa arrangements. He was so ecstatic to tell everyone that we would get new washers that he put up a sign saying, "BIG NEWS" with an explanation of when and how the new washers would be put in. I guess he was pretty excited to FINALLY give us all good news, since he normally answers most questions, "Sorry, no..."

Let's have a moment of silence to remember our faithful old washer. Okay, that's enough. Let's hear it for our new washer.

Interesting fact about China: most normal people don't have clothes dryers. I've never met anyone with a clothes dryer, even rich people. Towels, sheets, jeans...you name it, we hang dry it. You know, I think that's how most of the world operates anyway. I'm not complaining either; in actuality it's better for the environment to hang dry. The dryer kind of uses a lot of energy, and if you hang them up right, clothes dry in about a day.

Here are a few images from our local market. I wish I could also encapsulate the smell of it and share that with you...but you might never come back to the blog. Let's just say the place is a combination of dirt, seafood, raw meat, and a hint of a few rotting fruits.

Regardless, most of the food is farm fresh. The beef is slaughtered that same morning, and the fruits and vegetables are local.

Bon appetit!