china's goodwill outlet

We've been traveling for over two months. I brought three pairs of shorts with me and bought a pair of jeans in Bangkok. I have four or five cotton t-shirts, most of which are visibly worn. When we started the trip, I took the time to put a little make-up on in the morning. I haven't worn make-up in a month. I haven't had a haircut and my bangs are becoming dangerously long. Picture me in worn clothes, with shaggy hair, and without makeup. Here's a picture of me from this morning: When I present my work on Tuesday, I want to look presentable. Our free time thus far in Jinan has been scarce. Most days we're at the SUAD campus working with our partners from 8am-8pm. When we get home we work on our individual art projects. On the days we don't go to campus, we go on tours. Often we leave earlier and return later. I've been meaning to buy a dress or a skirt for the exhibition and was hopful that I might have time to do so in Jinan. I paid careful attention on our bus rides to and from our hotel/dorm and noticed that there are a number of clothing shops just a few blocks from where we're staying. One shop, in particular, peeked my interest. It wasn't the fanciest, nor the trendiest shop we passed. It was the simple storefront window, behind which were piles of clothes and a hand written sign that read "15Y." As we passed the store, I quickly memorized its location in relation to our hotel/dorm. I waited for four nights hoping to steal away from the group but never found an opportunity. Finally, last night I had my chance.

We had the option to take a local bus back early and grab dinner on our own. I jumped at the opportunity and though I was hungry when I got off the bus, I knew I wouldn't have another opportunity to search for a dress or skirt. Sylvan agreed to accompany me on my clothing adventure and so we set out for the 15Y shop. We passed the designer shops and peeked in a few of them. I refused to pay twenty us dollars for a skirt I may never wear again. I'm just not built like a Chinese woman and the more "designer" the clothing, the more tailored it will be to fit a tiny Chinese woman. After walking a few blocks and passing a number of clothing shops that had already closed for the night, we stumbled upon our destination.

The storefront was generic and it could have been a grocery store as easily as pharmacy or clothing store. No sign advertising name or brand hung above the door. The hand written "15Y" paper taped to the inside of the window was the only identifying sign. We walked in to find clothing piled on tables and thrown hapazardly into boxes and bins. Sweaters and sweatshirts hung along the perimeter of the room. No doubt, China's version of the goodwill outlet. No one seemed to notice or care that we had entered. Men and women picked through the clothing and tried things on over their clothes wherever they happened to be standing. There was a full-lenght mirror proped up against the wall by the front door.

I sifted through the pile of clothing nearest the door. The clothes seemed to be grouped by gender. Tops and bottoms had also been separated. I found myself browsing the women's bottoms table. The size selection was slim and since I'm neither a zero nor an eighteen, the pickings were slim. I found a coupld of skirts that I thought were interesting and grabbed them to try on. The medium skirt was entirely too small and the large seemed a bit snug, but fit. Skirt in hand, the search for a shirt began. I didn't see any shirts but didn't lose hope. I sauntered around the room until my gaze fell upon a medium-sized cardboard box near the cash register. Shirts! Well, tank tops. Ugly tank tops. I tried a couple on over my shirt only to realize that my man-shoulders and rib-cage were not meant for Chinese clothing. I dug to the bottom of the box and found a taupe collared shirt. Size S. I kept digging and found a medium. I doubted the medium would fit but was pleasantly surprised when it appeared to fit my shoulders and even more pleased when I was able to button the shirt without dificulty. Finally, an outfit for the exhibition.

I asked the woman at the register, in Chinese, how much the clothes cost. She answered, in Chinese, 25 yuan. For four US dollars, I found myself a great Chinese outfit and enjoyed shopping with locals. They pulled the gate down over the door as we left. Our timing was impecable.