Pedestrian Perils

The China Daily (China's only English language daily) recently reported that private car sales have been increasing by double digits annually for the last several years. We can certainly vouch for that. During our last stay, the campus was relatively clear of moving and parked vehicles. Now, you would be hard pressed to find a parking spot anywhere on campus. Off campus, it is just nuts. Pedestrian rights do not exist. You may be fooled at first by the wide hash marked cross walks, pedestrian crossing signs and the little green men signs found everywhere. But once you been grazed by a kamikaze taxi or two, you quickly realize that these pedestrian accouterments are suggestions only and not taken seriously by Harbin drivers. The only thing that will stop a vehicle (that includes police vehicles) turning left is something bigger than them coming through the intersection. Sidewalks are just an easy and quick way for motorcycles, gas and electric scooters to avoid busy intersections and traffic jams. The electric scooters or stealth scooters as I like to call them, can sneak up on you quick especially when you are a law abiding Canadian and are under the mistaken assumption that sidewalks are for pedestrians. But on the plus side, you get a great workout just walking to the market.


The past few weeks have been very nice only having to work eight of the last 15 working days. We celebrated a national holiday, 61 years of communist rule in China. Enjoyed a free meal on the provincial government and rubbed elbows with some provincial muckymucks who tried to get me drunk on Chinese shooters, a delicious alcoholic drink that can be bought in various strengths from 25 to 80% alcohol. A week after drinking the stuff, you can still burp and taste it. I was told the stuff we were knocking back was 38% and had been made special for the provincial government to serve at dinners that would be inhabited by foreigners. Left unsaid but inferred was that foreigners could not handle the good stuff. (80%) Little did they know they were dealing with a 1/4 Newfie who had just been screeched a few months before, so I could laugh at their meagre attempts to get me drunk and lose face. That and the dinner was over in less than an hour, which when you subtract the time to eat over 12 of the tastiest dishes we have had in China, did not leave a lot of time for knocking back shooters. Take that Chairman Mao. One for the Canucks. But who's counting.



We finished the week with some bowling, a pasta dinner with Janie and Justin and a brunch with a few of our fellow teachers to celebrate our last day of the National Holiday. Nonie took advantage of the time off to throw a coat of paint on our livingroom walls. Thanks to a helping hand from Janie who left each day covered in pale blue spots. Nonie had asked for white paint but I guess the paint store person thought blue would be a nicer touch. She is learning to live with it.

A little late with this blog but will catch up in the next week. Congratulations to the Warner's who successfully answered the skill testing question in the last blog. Staves is the plural of staff. Not quite grammatically correct in this context but hey, they were trying. The Warners have won an all expense trip to the wonderful Hawaiian islands which they are currently enjoying. Aloha, Warners.