Rain isn't out of the ordinary here. Today I was extremely grateful to not have anything to do. I slept in and got up in time for lunch. But after lunch I crawled right back into bed and just relaxed. Not to mention we have heated blankets which makes it extra cozy. It quite cold in our hostel too. I also discovered a hair dryer in the social room! I dried my hair for the first time in a week and it felt AMAZING.
I did do some laundry but drying clothes is quite a challenge here. I laid out all of my socks and things on my heated blanket and covered it with the duvet. Thankkfully most everything dried while we were in Ya'an City. I'm not sure how exactly that worked but other volunteers passed down that little secret.
I haven't really talked about the food. It's the same set up everyday. We get a small bowl, chopsticks, and there is a large lazy Susan in the middle of the table. We start off with a huge bowl of rice and different dishes are brought out 1 by 1. Everything is pretty delicious. From fried green beans to sweet and sour chicken... there's also a ton of potatoes. I am also definitely becoming a master of chopsticks. I never thought I'd be able to eat rice with them, that's for sure. I'll try to get some photos to share during the week.
We got in our rickity old taxis after dinner and set out for Ya'an City. It's only a 30 minute drive so nothing compared to yesterday. My arm nudged the window open and Sarah tried to lock it closed. She looked at me and said it's broken and without skipping a beat we both said "like everything else in here." It was pretty funny.
First stop was the bank/ATM to grab some cash. Then the drivers dropped us off at the "supermarket" which was also a bit like a mall. We decided to go ahead over to the bridge and do that shopping after. There were lines of these bicycle carts so we thought why not... it was definitely an experience and very cheap. Given we didn't go very far.
The bridge was traditional and lit up on the outside and lined with shops on the inside.
Back at the supermarket, I bought some Coke zeros, some pringles, and candy. I've heard snickers tastes different here and figured I'd find out for myself.
On the way back, Chris asked if anyone was homesick. Everyone pretty much said no and my response was "just for a toilet." And that is the honest to god truth.
In preparation for another full week, we called it an early night tonight so I am currently snuggled with my bear and toasty warm in my bed. Until tomorrow, goodnight.