If you don't go shopping, you don't eat!

Obvious statement, I know. But so true.
I awoke this morning with the anxious question, "What have I done??" running through my mind. We also awoke with our stomachs growling, as Zach and I had both fallen asleep around 4 PM the previous day, and had unintentionally missed dinner. What did we have to eat? Leftovers from lunch the other day, which were frozen through in our freezer...a choice of two Top Ramen-style noodle bowls, and 4 peaches. Our 5:30 AM breakfast that morning consisted of tea, 3 peaches and a shared noodle bowl. After a couple of hours of anxious procrastination [mostly on my (Mikaela's) part], we decided to go out to the corner grocery store a couple of blocks away. As we walked out of our air-conditioned apartment, and down the humidity of the stairwell, we stopped by to see if our neighbors were at home. Our downstairs neighbors are another couple who have come to teach as well, and were the first to arrive. (We were the second.) Fortunately, they were home, and were glad to accompany us to the store, which they had already visited in during their time here. It was very much relieving to have friendly guides and fellow Californians to share the shopping experience with.
How did we know what we were buying, you may be wondering? Well, thanks to our global economy's symbol/picture-driven product labeling habits, we were able to find what we needed. Bathroom cleaner had a picture of a sparkling bathroom, etc. And then there were of course many recognizable products and produce. With much rejoicing did we find instant oatmeal for our breakfasts! Other items were labeled in Chinese and (minimal) English. We bought an all-purpose cleaner called "Green Way," which, I am assuming, was a mimic of "Simple Green." (This cleaner actually turned out to be quite caustic, which was great for cleaning, but probably not great for the environment as labeled!)
We are learning a lot about how to do and act from our constant observation of locals. In the produce section, we noticed that there is a clerk with a station of scales, which is where things are weighed and priced. If you bring an un-marked bag of produce to the register, they simply throw it aside and you have to buy it later. After weighing and tagging several bags of produce, I told the clerk "Xie xie, thank you," and she shook her head in a befuddled manner and mumbled quickly back in Chinese, "Don't worry about it." I don't think she was used to that at all, whereas we say thank you all the time in the States.
In the evenings, clerks in the produce department call out back and forth to each other--I am thinking that this might be verbal advertisements to the shoppers. Altogether, it is a very loud and bustling experience. The environment of the grocery store is something very different too. Constantly crowded, people push past each other without notice or a word, and push as closely together in line as possible. Having someone's shopping basket banging against the back of my legs constantly (BAM, BAM, BAM) while waiting in line earlier tonight almost drove me crazy! Thank you, Casey, by the way for your word of advice: "T.I.C. This is China!" It is going to take me a bit to get used to the lack of space bubbles in the stores. I am assuming that perhaps this shopping environment is more characteristic of the city; although I will amend my statements if I find any differences during our time here!
Well, we have some food in our fridge and cabinets, and relief is starting to settle in. Next step: learning to cook with what we have!