Success!

I've been many places in Qingdao with my family or friends.  So, I thought it was time to branch out on my own.  First of all Qingdao feels very western.  There is very little Chinese architecture, the mall close to us is amazing, and where we live you see expat faces all the time.  Taidong is completely different.  It feels more like China.  There are a lot more people, the apartments are much smaller, and there is a lot of shopping.  I went to get backing for a quilt.  After looking briefly at the Women's and Children's market (has everything from toys to shoes to clothes), I headed over to the tailoring market.  While I had to pay more than I wanted, it was a high quality fabric.  I saw lots of other fabrics that I would like to go back an buy :)  Then I headed to Wal-Mart.  Although it is nothing like an American Wal-Mart, I do like it!  They had some fantastic deals and it has the best price on Hershey bars (which I use in place of chocolate chips).  Its also much less crowded.  So, this trip really boosted my confidence--although it would have been nice to have someone to translate for me a couple of times.
My next mission is to buy a pair of boots!  Wish me luck!