This Is China (TIC)

My auntie {who is also Bei Bei's "Fairy" Godmother} is in her second year teaching at a college in inland, Mainland China. 

Her host city is the "88th largest city" in the Middle Kingdom, and although the population of the city proper is 743,601, she has only met a handful of other Westerners during her tenure.

The other day she sent a great "this is China" story about buying eyeglass frames.

This is her email, and with her permission, I'm running it here. 

The problem with putting $265.00 (Canadian dollars) eye glass lenses in 15 yuan frames is that the frames break. After all they are cheap in price and now apparently quality. (like I should have known that.) 

Anyway, I think, what if I could find another pair just like them or close to them? So I said a little prayer and off I went down town and lo and behold what did I find but a pair that looked like they were the same shape as the lens when I measured the old frames to these new ones.  What's more the new ones are flexible - rubbery like . And yes they were 15 yuan too. When I got home I was able to pop the lens right in. There is a minuscule gap between the frame and the lens on one corner but you can't see it unless you look real hard. 

So off I went down town again to see if she had any more of the same kind and she did, so I bought 2 more pairs in case these break in the future. And because I returned for more she only charged me 10 yuan each so, 20 yuan for the additional two. 

Today I went to the new DQ that opened recently. I had a Moolatte for 26 yuan. $4.15 for a latte but only $1.60 for glasses frames. Some how that doesn't seem right. But now I'm set and have new frames and can still use my original lens. Yeah!

 {by SFL} Xinxiang, Henan, People's Republic of China

Sources for XX info ::  

http://numbersandstatistics.org/population/population+of+xinxiang+-+china+in+2000/
http://population.mongabay.com/population/china/1788572/xinxiang

Dairy Queen Image ::

(Google image search)