Man is it hard not to do this... So many times, things would happen that made NO SENSE, but there's no point in asking. There's no answer anyway.
For example...
A intersection has 4 stoplights, all pointing in different directions - pretty normal really. Except there is also a traffic cop in the middle of the intersection directing traffic.
or
China has the delicacy (which I use VERY loosely) called "stinky tofu", and seriously, they're not joking. Every time I caught even the slightest whiff of it, I would gag. I feel ok saying this (knowing that Chinese might read it as well) because they, too, can't stand the smell of it. And yet it's popular enough to have it near any large group of Chinese people (and, um...it's China. Large groups are the standard.)
or
The incessant need for prevention of diseases (face masks everywhere), and yet the creation of split pants. Children in China are not potty trained (more or less), so instead, they'll slit the back of their pants so when the kids need to go, they can squat and go in the streets. You NEVER leave anything on the ground and you certainly don't sit on it either. Everyone knows what's been there at one point or another.
or
The need for traffic signs. There are no traffic 'laws' in China; only suggestions. 60 kmph does not mean you cannot go 100 kmph in the middle of town. (next time you're in your car, check to see how fast 100 kmph is.) More on this later...
By the time Christmas rolled around, we were kind of Chinese food-ed out, and needed something American. That morning, Mike texted us: "Hey, wanna go somewhere fancy for lunch like TGIFridays or Papa Johns?" Amazing. And quite honestly, that is 'fancy' in China. We chose the former, and I had my first TGIFridays in China. :)
Early on, I learned a few Chinese words to help me get around. However, just because you say it confidently does NOT make it right... I went around telling Chinese people thank you in Chinese for their service saying "Shway shway". I got funny looks, but I didn't think too much about it. A few days later, someone corrected me: xue xue (she-a she-a). I had been telling everyone "sleep sleep" the previous few days!
Towards the end of the trip, I tried to learn more phrases (and probably annoyed a few teammates as I repeated them over and over again :)), and for some reason, thought it was a good idea to practice in the taxi. Never practice your Chinese in a taxi. He thought I spoke Chinese, and halfway through the trip, he started a conversation with me. I have no clue what he was saying, but he was quite persistent the rest of the way home. Yikes... All I could say was, "I am American, and I am awesome. This place, bread truck."
We had a ton of interesting taxi rides, and several reminded me of car chase scenes from action movies. Our final night in our town, we watched Bourne Ultimatum. The chase scene there was a yawn - we see that and participate every day in those thrill rides. And just because the Chinese streets are 2 lane doesn't mean that 3 cannot fit, though it is a squeeze. Just sayin'... At no point do motorbikes, bikes, or pedestrians have a right of way either. On several occasions, we had REALLY close calls with running people/bikes over. A few times, I was that person. (I swear, the taxis come out of nowhere!)
If you ever go to China, be ready to be stared at. You really feel like a celebrity; people will openly gawk at you and even take pictures. Those who are especially bold with ask to have their picture taken WITH you. We went to one campus and ate at their cafeteria. While our friends were ordering us dinner and we were sitting at the table, a group of 5 lunch ladies came and stood at our table, just looking at us and smiling. We laughed awkwardly at their own lack of self-awareness and Kimberly took out her camera to take a picture. As soon as she had the camera out, they all scattered VERY quickly!! How funny that they have no problem openly staring at us from less than 5 feet away, but heaven forbid we catch them in a photo!
There's more "ah, Chiner" stories, but I feel like this is enough to tie you over for now. Part 3, coming up next!
One day I was practicing my Japanese at the pool, specifically the words for "man" "woman" "female child" "male child" and a Japanese man came out of the locker rooms and asked if he needed me. I said no, he thought I was calling to him in Japanese. Ha!
ReplyDeleteJapan likes face-masks too, although sometimes if I'm talking to a student with a mask on, they will take off the mask to talk to me. Sometimes they wear masks to protect themselves against getting sick, sometimes its to prevent the spread of sickness. Also, Japan does potty train their children - everything is too tidy to have doody on the streets.