Life in China is definitely different from anywhere else I’ve been…let’s review some of the likes/dislikes I’ve come to notice over the last few
months.
China-likes
+it's different
+most of the food is good
+the traffic, there aren’t any rules…red is just a ‘suggestion’ here…so you get to places faster
+the historical places are cool, just think of all the people that have visited
+the country scenery is amazing, the YanDang Mountain was stunning and millions of years old…that’s pretty remarkable!
+the fact that I could just walk to the front of the line because everyone else does it and no one will really say anything to me because I'm a foreigner, and if they did say something I wouldn't understand them
+everything is really cheap, I mean seriously cheap, a t-shirt can be purchased for less than $1 USD…only at the thrift store or a yard sale could you get it that cheap
+I don't have to pay rent
+I'm a ‘Foreign Expert' here...haha, I even have a certificate that says so! :)
+the fact that if I wanted to teach for a long time, I could save a lot of money
+the fact that if I wanted to go to the Great Wall during holiday, I can just take a short flight and walk where millions of people have walked…it’s the only man-made item that you can see from space…amazing!
+the fact that I can take a 5 hour train or a 1 hour flight to Shanghai and hangout for a couple of
days
+the new friends that I have made, Mrin, Noni, Sharon, Greg, they’ll be missed when I leave
China-dislikes
-it's different
-some of the food is gross to even disgusting…chicken feet for example!
-the traffic, they drive on the sidewalk and then have the nerve to honk at you for walking on it…I mean common! It’s the sidewalk!
-the fact that people cut in line, because the fact is I don't...I'm civilized for goodness sakes
-the fact that as much as I've been listening to the language CDs I still only remember a couple of phrases, damn hard language, and then when I say them my assistants laugh at me because I said it with the wrong intonation thus saying it completely wrong...I probably said something bad
-the fact that my assistants laugh at me, even when I'm being completely serious
-the staring, even when you look back at them they still stare...no, you aren’t wearing your invisible cloak, I can see you…
-the spitting and hocking of boogies in the streets
-the public urination or pooping (I saw a little kid doing that!)
-the kid that peed in the hallway at school (this should count for about 5 dislikes)
-the fact that there is no Mexican food anywhere
-the fact that I have to import my clothes, because let’s face it, I have thighs...when I find pants to fit my thighs, they're way large at the waist
-the fact that you can’t drink the tap water…you’ll get really sick if you do, boiling it is the only way you can drink it or cook with it
-the always funky street smells, maybe garbage, maybe poo, maybe a little musty-shoe, no one really knows but the funk is always around
All in all, the good and bad don’t outweigh each other but that’s true of anything really. The country’s not bad, it’s just entirely different. As I’ve called it before, it’s opposite world. Some things that I’ve come to accept (kinda) and others I never expected and just can’t really try to understand:
-I’m a celebrity here, (aka the staring!) people want to take my photo all the time
and I have no idea what they’ll do with it
-Most of the food is better than you can think (although there is that occasional, holy crap my stomach is killing me feeling!)
-I have to answer a lot of questions (Do all Americans have tattoos? When will you get married? Why don’t you have a boyfriend? Is that why you came to China? Don’t you want to have children? Why do you have such a big family?)
-I’m basically an old maid here…seriously, if you’re not married or getting ready to get married by the time you’re 24-25 it’s a serious issue, thus all the questions about it
-My lungs hate me every day; it’s like smoking a pack or two of cigarettes every day
-I just cannot accept their standards of cleanliness. For example: I was getting ready to leave school and one of my student’s parents took their child’s clothes off in the middle of the hallway and he peed all over the floor, right in front of the elevator. There was no rush
to the bathroom which is just a few steps away and no one even looked twice. The cleaning lady took the mop that she uses to clean the floor and cleaned it up. I’m sure that we’re still using that same mop to clean the hallways...a little pee all over the place. I know it’s quite gross!
-Some things just don’t make sense. Why don’t they refrigerate milk? Why don’t babies wear diapers? If Chinese babies don’t wear diapers, how do parents keep from getting surprise pooped on every day? Surprise…a tootsie roll! Or is that creamed peas...
months.
China-likes
+it's different
+most of the food is good
+the traffic, there aren’t any rules…red is just a ‘suggestion’ here…so you get to places faster
+the historical places are cool, just think of all the people that have visited
+the country scenery is amazing, the YanDang Mountain was stunning and millions of years old…that’s pretty remarkable!
+the fact that I could just walk to the front of the line because everyone else does it and no one will really say anything to me because I'm a foreigner, and if they did say something I wouldn't understand them
+everything is really cheap, I mean seriously cheap, a t-shirt can be purchased for less than $1 USD…only at the thrift store or a yard sale could you get it that cheap
+I don't have to pay rent
+I'm a ‘Foreign Expert' here...haha, I even have a certificate that says so! :)
+the fact that if I wanted to teach for a long time, I could save a lot of money
+the fact that if I wanted to go to the Great Wall during holiday, I can just take a short flight and walk where millions of people have walked…it’s the only man-made item that you can see from space…amazing!
+the fact that I can take a 5 hour train or a 1 hour flight to Shanghai and hangout for a couple of
days
+the new friends that I have made, Mrin, Noni, Sharon, Greg, they’ll be missed when I leave
China-dislikes
-it's different
-some of the food is gross to even disgusting…chicken feet for example!
-the traffic, they drive on the sidewalk and then have the nerve to honk at you for walking on it…I mean common! It’s the sidewalk!
-the fact that people cut in line, because the fact is I don't...I'm civilized for goodness sakes
-the fact that as much as I've been listening to the language CDs I still only remember a couple of phrases, damn hard language, and then when I say them my assistants laugh at me because I said it with the wrong intonation thus saying it completely wrong...I probably said something bad
-the fact that my assistants laugh at me, even when I'm being completely serious
-the staring, even when you look back at them they still stare...no, you aren’t wearing your invisible cloak, I can see you…
-the spitting and hocking of boogies in the streets
-the public urination or pooping (I saw a little kid doing that!)
-the kid that peed in the hallway at school (this should count for about 5 dislikes)
-the fact that there is no Mexican food anywhere
-the fact that I have to import my clothes, because let’s face it, I have thighs...when I find pants to fit my thighs, they're way large at the waist
-the fact that you can’t drink the tap water…you’ll get really sick if you do, boiling it is the only way you can drink it or cook with it
-the always funky street smells, maybe garbage, maybe poo, maybe a little musty-shoe, no one really knows but the funk is always around
All in all, the good and bad don’t outweigh each other but that’s true of anything really. The country’s not bad, it’s just entirely different. As I’ve called it before, it’s opposite world. Some things that I’ve come to accept (kinda) and others I never expected and just can’t really try to understand:
-I’m a celebrity here, (aka the staring!) people want to take my photo all the time
and I have no idea what they’ll do with it
-Most of the food is better than you can think (although there is that occasional, holy crap my stomach is killing me feeling!)
-I have to answer a lot of questions (Do all Americans have tattoos? When will you get married? Why don’t you have a boyfriend? Is that why you came to China? Don’t you want to have children? Why do you have such a big family?)
-I’m basically an old maid here…seriously, if you’re not married or getting ready to get married by the time you’re 24-25 it’s a serious issue, thus all the questions about it
-My lungs hate me every day; it’s like smoking a pack or two of cigarettes every day
-I just cannot accept their standards of cleanliness. For example: I was getting ready to leave school and one of my student’s parents took their child’s clothes off in the middle of the hallway and he peed all over the floor, right in front of the elevator. There was no rush
to the bathroom which is just a few steps away and no one even looked twice. The cleaning lady took the mop that she uses to clean the floor and cleaned it up. I’m sure that we’re still using that same mop to clean the hallways...a little pee all over the place. I know it’s quite gross!
-Some things just don’t make sense. Why don’t they refrigerate milk? Why don’t babies wear diapers? If Chinese babies don’t wear diapers, how do parents keep from getting surprise pooped on every day? Surprise…a tootsie roll! Or is that creamed peas...