When I was preparing for this trip, ELI had given me a list of things I would need to bring with me. For example, masking tape, wool socks, and more. But you know what, there's a lot more in China than one would expect. Wuhu isn't a huge city, but it's got its share of goodies.

One of the first places I was taken to by Beth, my teammate, was the department stores. The first one was YinZuo (Silver Pavilion) and the other one was XinBai (New White). Both of them have a huge selection of goods. The first section of the store I walked into was the shoes section. A lot of shoes. A lot of nice shoes. Then there was the edible goodies section. There's quite a bit. There was even Skippy peanut butter. A fair assortment of beverages ranging from CocaCola and Fanta to Vitasoy and Ovaltine.

Electronics and appliances are popular items in China, even though they are costly. There were a lot of air conditioning units. It had been hot for the first two weeks of September. Refrigerators that are normally shorter than most people. TVs, VCD players, DVD players, and other entertainment stuff are in ample supply. One of my favourite items that I bought was the mosquito vaporizer. Plug it in, and it will keep the little buggers away. It's very handy. My first few days, I had like 7 or so bites. The vaporizer has literally saved my skin.

The clothing sections are also full of selection. Prices are very affordable by Canadian standards, but probably a little costly for a local. There was full array of men and women's fashion.

There are also a lot of, lot of people in the stores. Not only shoppers, but workers too. There can sometimes be 3 or 4 people at one counter. There is a reason why, though. The weekend brings a lot of, lot of people through their doors. I was in the department stores on the weekend and it was hard to walk around. It was amazing.

Apart from the department stores, there is the food market. It's a little dirty there, but you can get really good prices on food items and small household goods. In the morning, I sometimes walked down to the entrance of the market where there are these small little eating establishments. You can have Soya Bean Milk, YouTiu (Chinese Doughnut), jiaozi (potstickers and other dumplings), and steamer dishes. The food's good, but if you're not careful, you may get an unwanted nature call.

One of the bigger items I bought is a printer. I got a Canon BJC-265SP. I have no idea if it's available in Canada or not, but it's been pretty handy in making lesson plans and handouts. It was a worthwhile investment.

So some of you may be shocked to hear what is available here and some of you are not. I think that there will continue to be new things coming on the market over the next few years in China. It's definitely a country on the go.