Memories in Qingdao Part 2

I tried posting more pictures in one entry but after four pictures, blogspot refused to accept more. I will be making a better blog once I arrive in the Philippines.

Also, most of these pictures are not chronoligically arranged because I am still in Qingdao while making this blog and we have so much to do in such little time. We have spent more than three weeks here and have seen only, I believe, less than 3 percent of the whole of China. I would like to think that one month is not enough to visit even one big Province such as Shandong.

Yet, the beautiful memories I have hear are enough to fill the pages of Encyclopedia Britannica.

Does Maya love Ice Cream? Just look at her smile and you would know the answer. Maya (Novilia Mayasari in real life) works at the State Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia. Her name is Novilia because she was born in November. She is not very secretive about her age but I will not write it here for privacy purposes, hehe.

Aside from ice cream, she like cats (I sometimes call her Ms. Garfield), shopping, long conversations, and she can speak fluent Chinese, English, and Bahasa Indonesia. Maya is really very smart. She is our translator especially when we try to bargain for lower prices in the numerous markets here in China.

Maya taught us a very useful Chinese sentence-

"Duo shao qian"- How much is it?,

"Pian yi dian," which means "cheaper", and

"Tai gui le"- Too expensive.

She laughs at me because whenever I say "Duo shao qian" like a true Chinese, to ask for the price of product, I can no longer understand what the store owner will answer. You see, I have not memorized Chinese numbers yet, but I'm improving!

Maya does not like to talk (ooops my Pinnochio nose is growing), she does not like to talk while sleeping (probably). In one full breath, she can talk in Bahasa, then in Chinese, then she will turn to us and courteously translate what she just said. Hehe, it's a hard job but someone's got to do it.

Maya is a true friend indeed, and loves to talk about her family. We are all lucky to have been blessed by her friendship.

Maya on bus number 1, while on tour in Xiamen.