The small town of Huai'an

On February 1^st Guy, Sabrina, her parents, and I drove to Huai'an to meet up with Sabrina’s family on her father’s side. Sabrina as well as few new friends at CEIBS gave me the impression that I will be spending the New Year in a small, rural town. I didn’t know until we reached the city that it has a population of 5 million. What’s even more noticeable are all the cranes around new skyscrapers. This city is definitely growing. Chicago suddenly seems minuscule compared to Shanghai. With so many “small towns,” I have a new understanding of why so many American companies are eager to enter this market.

We spent a lot of time walking between meals. On one walk, we got to see an apartment that Sabrina’s parents just purchased for when they retire. I’ve included a photo of the buttons in the elevator. You can see that many numbers are missing... 2 (but I think the first floor lobby area takes up two floors), 4, 13, 14, 18, 24. The number 4 is an unlucky number because it is a homophone with the word "death." I am curious to see how mobile phone companies adjust to this fact when they promote 4G networks. To be honest, this was my first experience in a wooden elevator, and I was quite nervous. You know how wooden roller-coasters can feel a scarier than metal ones? We went up to the 21^st floor first, but then everyone wanted to see the view from the roof. I was very close to suggesting the stairs, but I was afraid of sounding silly in front of Sabrina's mom and aunt. Fortunately, I survived.

I was a big fan of the exercise equipment in the surrounding parks. Part of the fun was trying to figure out how to use the equipment. When I first saw this one, I thought it was a weight machine, but looking closer, there were no weights. I then realized it was a massager where you sit down and pull up the wheels along your back. You can also stand up on the other side and roll the wheels on your back. It looks strange, but feels quite good. They also had their version of a treadmill that didn't require electricity.