Isn’t it funny that I’m here in China writing about Wal-Mart, of all places? I was wandering around in the early evening around where I was living, checking out various stores, and I came upon a grocery store. Since I enjoy cooking, I made my way inside to see what sort of options I would have. Not much, I reckon; I didn’t recognize almost anything. This didn’t really surprise me, but I certainly didn’t have any answers about what I could cook. So, I wandered a few aisles and then left. The following day, I had to leave early from work because, the jet lag, which was totally manageable, caught up with me and I barely could stay awake at work. So, I took the prescription from many people and went home and slept. In the afternoon though, two of my Chinese colleagues, Marshall and Michael, came by to take me to Wal-Mart. Never before had I been so eager to see that store. Of course, the goods were very different, but just seeing it was a treat. There were easily 5 times as many employees in the store, so asking where something was (not me, of course) entailed just turning your head and asking and then being pointed in the right direction. Like a Wal-Mart in the US, I couldn’t believe the quantity of items available…and there were two floors. I especially enjoyed the food area, which included all sorts of live fish that people caught with nets to purchase.

The entrance to happy Wal-Mart