After class with FL today, I set off again to find a suit hire shop.  Thanks to my good friend, XD, (who is currently in England and saw my post on WeChat) for finding somewhere just half an hour’s walk from my school.

It seems it’s a bit of a “fancy dress” shop really, rather than formal wear.  But the guy in the shop was great, spoke good English, and helped me find a suit, shirt and tie, which I have booked for next weekend!  My normal black shoes should be good enough.

Praise the Lord!  I thank Him for good friends.

Several friends replied to my post about needing to find a suit hire shop. Some commented that I don’t need a suit, just smart clothes. Others said that I can buy a suit because they are cheap.  I thanked everyone for their advice.  It’s not that I have ignored it.  I realise this is China and ordinarily wedding guests don’t wear suits.  But no one was very forthcoming on what should be worn instead.  Even if “smart clothes” is enough, such as a “shirt and tie”, I don’t have any smart clothes with me, and what would I do if it is cold day?  A suit is smart clothes – shirt and tie – but with a matching jacket.  So a suit seems to make sense.

So could I buy a suit?  Well, maybe.  But the main reason for not wanting to do so is because I don’t want to have to take it back to England with me.  I already have extra luggage to take and I won’t have room.  Also, I have already seen that clothes are not as cheap here as my Chinese friends seem to make out.  I am sure there might be places you can buy them cheaply, but perhaps you need to be “in the know”, or buy from Taobao.  (I can’t buy from Taobao, as I have explained before).

At least part of this wedding is supposed to be English style – that’s why they are having it in a church, because YH thinks that is something that defines “Englishness”, and the reason I have been invited is because I put them in touch with the church.  So I hope, and expect, I will not be the only person wearing a suit – at the very least the groom’s family probably will be in suits.

Today was a good day.  This afternoon I took some videos of the view from my room.  You can hear the cars beeping.

And this evening we had a lovely time at the English study.

(We changed rooms, because the chairs in the other room made a lot of noise when anyone moved – very squeaky – which is why we were all on very low children’s chairs today).