........on my way home........

I  thoroughly enjoy my daily strolls to and from school. Even though it's currently winter outside, there's just something about having those few minutes at the beginning and end of the work day (.....um..... I feel slightly old referring to "work days." I still find it slightly amusing that I'm actually considered an adult by mainstream society) to meander on my way whilst listening to music.

I had a new friend join me on my working walks a couple of days ago. There is a dog that I usually see sniffing around Walking Street (the main street that runs through my apartment complex) that I have termed "the old-new dog." Unlike most animals here, this one is actually quite cute. I have named him the old-new dog because his face and body looks very much like a puppy, but he's a full-grown dog. He is a bit oddly shaped-he actually kind of looks like a labrador/dachshund mix, and he's about the size of a beagle. However, he does look a bit mangy, and he has small patches of hair missing so I would never actually pet him. My face must look pretty friendly though, because he doesn't have any problem accosting me whenever he sees me. Such was the case a few days ago as I was walking through the gate, and he decided it would be fun to jump all over me. He then proceeded to follow me all the way to school where I had to close the gate to the stairs so he couldn't actually come into the school. I have seen him a few other mornings as well, but he gets distracted by chasing the trash cats (names I have given them because of their affinity for rooting around in the garbage cans and startling unsuspecting passersby when they spring out of the cans without any warning) and forgets to follow me.

Along with various furry friends, there are a number of different shops and restaurants along Walking Street, and one of my favorites is a piano studio. I don't actually know the real name, but it's a building that consists of a bunch of small rooms for giving piano lessons. The outside of the building is one large window, and it's fun to walk past in the afternoon and see small children having piano lessons.

Of course, the other great part about Walking Street (and China in general) are all of the food options. There are always small stands that set up outside of the restaurants to sell breakfast in the mornings. My roommate actually just introduced me to a really tasty tofu dish this morning, and it will probably become a pretty consistent breakfast food for me.  I never thought I would actually enjoy eating tofu, but that has become one of my favorite dishes-they do amazing things with tofu over here. Then again, I never thought I ever would have ended up in China either. Life certainly is intriguing.