A Few Local Products I Love

So, the toe thongs reminded me of other new-to-me products I have used here and really liked. (And I forgot to explain something about the toe thongs: people here rarely go sockless, so the toe thongs are a way to wear socks even if you are wearing slingbacks/pumps, etc. I get comments from my Chinese tutor all the time about my habit of not wearing socks, she thinks it isn't healthy.)

Sweetened condensed milk in a tube, not a can. It's so convenient! Made by Nestle, and comes in flavors like strawberry and chocolate. The regular flavor is really good in hot drinks. A little goes a long way.

Plug-in insect repellent. It's made by Raid. It's like a Glade Plug-In, but instead of fragrance it releases unscented mosquito repellent. Most windows here don't seal shut, so mosquitoes get in quite easily. The little jar of liquid is replaceable; they cost about $1.00 and last about a month. If the voltage weren't wrong, I'd bring a supply back to the U.S. You can also buy repellent coils that burn like incense, but I don't like those as much because they have a strong smell. But the coils are used under tables at outdoor bars and patios to keep bugs away, and I really appreciate them there!

Dry, loose tea. The tea here is excellent. I drink mostly Jasmine and Oolong, and they taste so much better than the bagged tea I used to drink in the States. I will have to look for Chinese tea when I return. (And I'm sure I will experience sticker shock!)

My 1-minute electric tea kettle. I'm definitely buying one of these when I get back to the U.S. (That other machine is a water distiller. The Peace Corps provides them for drinking/cooking water. You can buy bottled water here that is germ free, but the metals aren't necessarily removed. The metals content in the water here is higher than what the PC considers to be safe, so they give us these distillers. I distill about 2 gallons of water a day. It takes about 4 hours for each gallon. Basically I am running a distillery in my house, but for water!)