Thursday at Auchan

Since my friend A. started her new job in the New District (where I live), we've had a little informal standing arrangement on Thursday evenings.  She and I meet around 6 o'clock, we usually have something to eat, and then I ride with her to worship team practice, which is at one of three different homes in Wuxi.  It's been like this for a few weeks now.

This Wednesday, she told me that she had some special shopping to do for her new apartment and her family the next evening, and wouldn't be able to meet me.  So, I e-mailed another friend who works in the New District, at whose house we were going to meet, and asked if he could help me, as he had before.  Not having heard from him by Thursday afternoon, I texted him with the same request.

Then, just as I was starting my workday at Hy-Lite (downtown) at 2 p.m., I got a text from A., telling me that she didn't need to go to the market that day, and inquiring how I would get to the fellowship that evening.  (Her English was a little rough, but I understood.)  When I got a break shortly before 3 p.m., I texted her back, asking her to meet me.  She replied immediately that she would pick me up at my place before 7 p.m.  I replied shortly in the affirmative, because I was about to start observing another class.  Then, when I was in a VIP class for training, I got a text at 3:09 p.m. (which I thought was from A.) offering to pick me up at about 6 p.m.  It didn't quite make sense to me, but I replied shortly in the affirmative because I was busy.

When my last training class ended at 5 p.m., I hurried out of there, pausing only to visit a street vendor to buy some tomatoes to include with my dinner, because I was low on vegetables in my apartment.  I got on my bike as quickly as I could, not even changing out of my work clothes, but just strapping the cuffs to keep them from getting soiled.  I arrived at my apartment at about 5:30 p.m., quite literally dripping with sweat, and set about immediately cleaning the lunch dishes (which I had left soaking in water), tidying up my apartment (good thing it's small), and preparing to start dinner.  I knew that if we drove straight to our destination, we wouldn't have to leave until 7 p.m., and I expected A. to come to my apartment around 6 p.m., as she usually does.

At 3 minutes before 6 I got a text from A., suggesting an immediate departure and a rendezvous at her usual parking location between her workplace and my apartment complex (on the same road).  Something was different this time, but I grabbed some fruit and some peanuts, and left.  I arrived at the hotel parking lot about the same time she did.

It turned out that she needed to visit Auchan on the way to our destination.  Auchan is a hypermart, kind of like Carrefour.

(This is on my route downtown, and not the one we visited this time, but they look quite similar.)  She still had some shopping to do for her family.  She kindly inquired about my dinner, and I told her truthfully that I hadn't had any yet.  She had eaten at her factory canteen, but suggested that I get something to eat at Auchan, which was quite agreeable to me.  The Auchan store that we went to this time was closer to our destination on the other side of Wuxi.

However, before we got there, I got a phone call at about 6:25 p.m. from the other friend I had requested a ride from.  It turned out that the text I got at 3:09 p.m., offering a 6 p.m. pickup, was actually from him, and not from A., and I had replied to him.  He was on his way from his office to my apartment to pick me up.  I told him about the confusion, that I was already on my way there with A.  So, we cleared up that issue.  Then I told A. about it, and we approached the Auchan near our destination.

This time, she needed to get some milk, which she purchased in two case-boxes containing small sealed bags.  (I've never seen milk sold that way before, but okay.  It apparently doesn't need refrigeration immediately.)  She also needed to get some fruit.  In the produce section, I saw something that I'd never seen before, even after two months in China:

U.F.O.'s (Unidentified Fruitlike Objects)

Anybody know what this is?  It looked like alien fruit to me.  A. only knew the Chinese name, which I forgot.  Later she looked it up on her electronic dictionary, and said it was called fire dragon fruit.  Sounds appropriate.  Anybody have any experience with this fruit?

Anyway, she didn't get any fire dragon fruit.  She was interested in another Chinese fruit which I've had once or twice, a smaller fruit called "li jiu" in Chinese.  (Don't know if it even has an English name.)  There is an old story about these fruit, concerning an Emperor's wife, which A. told me about.  Anyway, I had plenty of time to take this picture, because it was right next to the bin of li jiu:

And A. took some time selecting her li jiu fruits.  She was so absorbed that I don't think she noticed where the camera was pointed when I snapped this last picture:

This isn't a great picture, but it's the only one I have right now.  I will try to get a better one later.  Her English name is Amelie, and you can pray for her, too.

After getting fruit, she suggested that I get something to eat while she got milk.  I looked around, but I didn't really see anything appropriate, and I didn't know where to look, or how to ask, or how to find something that I could eat in the car without utensils or a big mess.  So, I found Amelie, who was just finishing getting her milk with the assistance of a store employee.  I explained my problem and asked for her help (I seem to be doing that a lot), and she said that she didn't know what I liked.  I said I'd try just about anything.  She suggested a sandwich or something.  I thought, "They have sandwiches here?  I haven't seen any," but I said okay.  It turned out that we found a few things of the steamed bun and dumpling variety, which together made a quite passable finger-food meal, and very inexpensive as well.

When we got to our destination, before we got started with our worship practice, Amelie made an announcement about which I had mixed feelings.  She said that her cousin had been nagging her about finding a boyfriend.  (They do that in China.  Big pressure on girls to get a boyfriend, and make progress toward marriage.)  Because of this, and because of some connections of said cousin, she has an interview a week from Saturday in Nanjing with a blind-date reality TV show.  When she said the name of the show, all the Chinese girls in the room screamed.  From the description, it seems more like a meat market than a blind date show.

So, here's why I have mixed emotions about this.  On one hand, it confirms that she doesn't have a boyfriend.  One source said she did, but I hadn't seen any evidence of one, and this proves that his information was false.  That's a good thing.  On the other hand, I don't really know what the expectations are for this show.  But whatever they are, I know I won't like them.  Is this jealousy?  O.K., then, I'm jealous.  Can you blame me?

I did talk to Amelie after the worship practice, before we left.  I told her that I wanted to spend some time with her, to get to know her better, and I asked when she had time.  Saturday she's going to a church in another town to teach English, but we could get together after church on Sunday.  That seemed O.K.

Then, when I got home, I had an idea that must have been late in coming because I was tired.  Why didn't I go with Amelie to teach English?  They'd probably appreciate the help of a native English speaker.  When I e-mailed Amelie about it, she was very appreciative.  She said she'd check with the pastor.  A few e-mails later, she hasn't been able to contact the pastor, and she doesn't feel right going ahead without permission.  (I won't second-guess this one.  Anything like unauthorized religious activity here is dangerous, and she knows the rules much better than I.)  Hopefully, I will be able to help her at a later time.  For now, we have a date on Sunday afternoon.

Prayer Requests
Obviously, I need prayer.  I prefer to start off this section with a praise request, so you can praise God for my continued good health and safety, and all the things I'm learning, and pray for more of the same.

Based on the above, I probably don't have to ask, but please pray for me and my relationship with Amelie.  Since I'm new in this country, and I don't have much experience with girls of any nationality, I was just going to take it slow, be friends first, get to know her with some friendly, low-pressure (and inexpensive) activities, and see where that led.

However, I don't like this news about the blind-date reality TV show, whatever it's called.  I don't know what she expects from a date, or, for that matter, from a boyfriend.  Dinner?  We've had that, in my apartment.  Conversation?  We've had that too, in English, which she is pretty good at.  A movie?  Haven't done that yet, but it can be arranged.  A car?  Well, I can't provide that, but I hope it's not necessary.  She has one, after all.  Why would I need one?

I'm afraid I'll have to openly declare my intentions this Sunday, when we get together.  I haven't met her parents yet, which I would prefer to do, but transportation and language barriers make that difficult.  I'm planning to tell her that I'm interested in developing a serious relationship with her, that I was planning on taking it slowly, but she forced my hand with this news of the reality TV show.  Can anybody tell me if that's a terrible idea?  She does have a good sense of humor.

As well, please pray for Amelie.  I don't know her very well yet.  She is personable and considerate, she has a good sense of humor, she speaks English pretty well, I think she also speaks the Wuxi dialect in addition to Standard Chinese, she's a good cook, and very helpful.  She is only two or three years old in the faith, very recently baptized.  Her mother, from what she's told me, attends a Christian church regularly; her father, "not so much."  I'm concerned that she doesn't understand how important it is to be equally yoked.  I don't think I would be the right person to bring that up.

Also, please pray for my work at Hy-Lite.  I've worked two hours so far, and I haven't gotten paid for them, which doesn't worry me yet, but no one has explained how, where, or when I will get paid, only that I will be paid 150 RMB per hour worked, which is a very good hourly wage.  I'll be meeting with my supervisor, Andis, on Sunday, because he's off on Monday, and I'll be in the neighborhood for church.  I'll just go in the morning, meet with him, and then get some lunch before church.  I should be able to ask him about payday at that time.

Well, that's a long entry, but I wanted to tell the whole story to go with my pictures.  Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying.  God bless.