Blog for liz4

So far, nothing interesting happened today. And I just want to talk about the shopping experience yesterday.

Yesterday, we went to Short Pump and Walmart to do some shopping. No matter in the aspect of environment or the things they sell are quite different in the two places. Surely, both of them are quite different from the situations in China.And there are something I found really surprising.

First is the location of the shopping center. It is so far away from the downtown. I took us nearly 30 minutes to drive there from VCU which in on the main street. But in China, things are quite different, shopping centers always locate in the center of the city where is densely populated. I think it maybe easier for people to collect things if the markets are arranged in the living community. But maybe in America, every one has private car. Distance is not a problem, so things are different.

Second is the shopping environment. While looking around here and there, I didn't think I was actually in a shopping center. There were so few people. It seemed that I was walking around in the park. It was so quiet.I even wondered that how could the sellers make a living since so few people were doing the shopping. I am still curious now.

Also, what made us excited was that there was a panda express which as you can guess from its name is a Chinese fast food restaurant, But because of my stomach, I didn't eat anything. It was quite a pity. Finally, what astonished me was that a lot of people gathered in the middle of the square of Short Pump. Most of them came here with their family members. They put a piece of bed sheet on the grass, lay on it, enjoyed their snacks as well as the film presented on the big screen. They looked as if they had nothing to worry about and just slowed down to enjoy their life. I suddenly had a feeling of jealousy. I felt they were so lucky in the advanced country. Since they have already developed and they just can enjoy themselves as they wish. But people in our country are still rushing to develop. But after chatting with our intern, I learned that, it is very difficult to earn a living in America. People are exhausted during the daytime, and at night they just come out to refresh themselves. It strike me that it is not only a different life style but a different attitude towards life. Work is just part of life, and life is something that we should enjoy. But without the basic economic foundation of life, entertainment is just out of imagination. Maybe it is the so called "work hard and play harder."

Finally, about my illness, I didn't feel much better. But I am sure another Hamburger OR Sandwiches be enough to can kill me. I am really sick of them. Later, our intern will enjoy the dinner with us in the Elephant Thai Restaurant. Look forward to it. And I wish my stomach will be better tomorrow.