I started writing down my thoughts last week about the lead up to the Olympics, but decided it best remained unpublished for now. It's sad to think that I've censored myself. Unfortunately, you do get the sense that "big brother" might be watching when you're living here.
Anyway, a more amusing aspect of the preparation leading up to the games has been teaching "manners" in Beijing. Throughout China, there isn't a second thought to hocking up a loggie in the middle of crowded street, sometimes even inside, too. The only expection is in Hong Kong where I never heard one person spit in public during an entire visit. (The Taiwanese also don't spit in public either.)
After taking the train from Hong Kong back to mainland China, I had one of those 'welcome back to China' moments at the Shenzhen train station. A lack of order as people chaotic hustled to the customs line followed by the endless sounds of people spitting right outside the terminal. At that point, I wanted to retreat back to Hong Kong for a few more days.
The concept of standing in line doesn't exist here. When I'm waiting for the subway in Shanghai, it's inevitable someone will jump in front of me as it arrives to get on first. I've taken to elbowing these people with a disgusted look on my face. (I guess, that's not good manners either. Oops! Some days you get too frustrated!)
Pushing even occurs when it's not necessary, which confuses me. Last week, I was perusing some sale racks at Uniqlo. Not too crowded. Just me in the aisle. This woman comes through and doesn't even try to go around me. She bullies me to move because I'm somehow in her way now. I finally moved over because she was relentless...and I felt ridiculous trying to hold my ground.
Apparently, efforts to improve manners, especially in Beijing, have gone on for a couple of years now (http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/11626341/site/21683474/). The China Daily reports some improvements (www.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/2008-02/08/content_6445702.htm). Can you believe this? The 11th of each month is officially considered "Queuing Day" as passengers are told to stand in line while waiting for buses. I can't imagine anyone remembering this day after pushing and shoving for the rest of the month.
At the end of day, an event like the Olympics - which will quickly come and go after all this prep work - is not enough to change the cultural habits of 1 billion people. It's telling that the government set out on a manners campaign though. Perhaps, can we say that foreigners have better manners than the Chinese?
Friday, August 8, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
You're looking fat...
There aren't any qualms here when it comes to critiquing your appearance. Just last week, a housekeeper pointed to a picture of me (and my husband) on our refrigerator. She asked if it was me in the picture. I confirmed that it was me. She then proceeded to puff up her cheeks like a chipmunk holding a mouthful of acorns and pointed at me in the picture. I'm not sure if I was supposed to take this as a complement, but she then pointed back at me signaling that I looked thin now. Phew, right?!
I've had one of my husband's coworkers tell me that I either looked more fat now or fat in my wedding photos. I didn't bother to ask her to clarify which ones I looked "fat" in. One of my friends said she's been greeted by a Chinese friend with a "you're looking fat today."
I'm not sure what accounts for the directness with issues of weight. I was listening to Chinese Pod (a daily Mandarin lesson podcast) about this issue. The Chinese host said they're more direct about these issues, while the American host said we probably treated it more delicately because obesity is a widespread problem for us.
Whatever the reason, it's unexpected to get these types of comments. I'm not sure what my take is on this frankness. I can say that it wouldn't be well received in the U.S...
I've had one of my husband's coworkers tell me that I either looked more fat now or fat in my wedding photos. I didn't bother to ask her to clarify which ones I looked "fat" in. One of my friends said she's been greeted by a Chinese friend with a "you're looking fat today."
I'm not sure what accounts for the directness with issues of weight. I was listening to Chinese Pod (a daily Mandarin lesson podcast) about this issue. The Chinese host said they're more direct about these issues, while the American host said we probably treated it more delicately because obesity is a widespread problem for us.
Whatever the reason, it's unexpected to get these types of comments. I'm not sure what my take is on this frankness. I can say that it wouldn't be well received in the U.S...
Friday, July 18, 2008
Not so safe?
Most Asian cities are considered very safe compared to their American counterparts. It's been one of the great things about Shanghai. In general, violent crime is almost unheard of, and the worst that can happen is getting your purse snatched.
Living in Philly, it was the norm to see headlines about murders, shootings, etc. I also worked in North Philadelphia, one of the worst neighborhoods in the city. One time, my friend Alix and I got caught in the middle of police chase on the way to work. While at a stop sign, the suspect (we later found out that he was wanted for a stabbing) suddenly rolled across the hood of Alix's blue Toyota Echo. A few moments later, a couple of cops --who looked like that they had had too many doughnuts -- chased him down the street. I couldn't imagine something like that happening here.
With the lack of crime here, it only takes a couple of events to create a stir. Earlier this month, a man went on a stabbing spree in a local police station. Six officers died as a result. Reports said that Yang Jia, 28, carried a hammer, a dust mask and an unlit Molotov cocktail along with the knife into the building. He set eight beer bottles on fire outside the gate of the bureau's office as a diversionary tactic and stabbed an officer when he intervened. The motive? Revenge for being questioned by the police from the bureau last October for allegedly stealing bikes, according to the local newspaper.
Last week, an 18-year-old man killed a Canadian model in her high rise apartment after she tried to fight him off during a robbery (www.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-07-11-obrienmurder_N.htm). Diana O'Brien, 22, came to Shanghai with the hopes of expanding her modeling portfolio. Her death has resulted in the exposure of the city's unregulated modeling industry where models are asked to dance at bars or work at corporate parties.
One Shanghai casting call asked for models to strip to their underwear and jump on a trampoline while being filmed, said Jeremy Stockton Johnson, a fashion photographer who said he also has been asked if models are available to strip at parties. Worse cases include agencies that take away a model's passport or withhold payment until the end of a contract. (From USA Today via the Associated Press)
Needless to say, the expat community has been talking about these events. In my nine months here, this is most violent and disturbing news that has come along.
Closer to home and in no way comparable to the tragic events mentioned above are some recent muggings right outside my apartment complex. Two muggings in one week. There's a Hofbrauhaus, Starbucks, Papa John's and Julie's Cafe on this street, but it gets pretty quiet at night In one incident, a group of three people robbed someone. Then a resident from the complex was mugged in the other case. Someone sucker punched the 16-year-old as he rounded a corner near the Hofbrauhaus. Luckily, he wasn't seriously injuried from the incident. (He even got some punches in and drew blood.)
Getting to these restaurants is literally a 2 minute walk from our complex. It's unfortunate that I have to rethink going over there by myself now. Maybe I should have all along. While Shanghai is still a safe place, recent events serve as a reminder to always be more cautious than needed when it comes to your personal safety.
Living in Philly, it was the norm to see headlines about murders, shootings, etc. I also worked in North Philadelphia, one of the worst neighborhoods in the city. One time, my friend Alix and I got caught in the middle of police chase on the way to work. While at a stop sign, the suspect (we later found out that he was wanted for a stabbing) suddenly rolled across the hood of Alix's blue Toyota Echo. A few moments later, a couple of cops --who looked like that they had had too many doughnuts -- chased him down the street. I couldn't imagine something like that happening here.
With the lack of crime here, it only takes a couple of events to create a stir. Earlier this month, a man went on a stabbing spree in a local police station. Six officers died as a result. Reports said that Yang Jia, 28, carried a hammer, a dust mask and an unlit Molotov cocktail along with the knife into the building. He set eight beer bottles on fire outside the gate of the bureau's office as a diversionary tactic and stabbed an officer when he intervened. The motive? Revenge for being questioned by the police from the bureau last October for allegedly stealing bikes, according to the local newspaper.
Last week, an 18-year-old man killed a Canadian model in her high rise apartment after she tried to fight him off during a robbery (www.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-07-11-obrienmurder_N.htm). Diana O'Brien, 22, came to Shanghai with the hopes of expanding her modeling portfolio. Her death has resulted in the exposure of the city's unregulated modeling industry where models are asked to dance at bars or work at corporate parties.
One Shanghai casting call asked for models to strip to their underwear and jump on a trampoline while being filmed, said Jeremy Stockton Johnson, a fashion photographer who said he also has been asked if models are available to strip at parties. Worse cases include agencies that take away a model's passport or withhold payment until the end of a contract. (From USA Today via the Associated Press)
Needless to say, the expat community has been talking about these events. In my nine months here, this is most violent and disturbing news that has come along.
Closer to home and in no way comparable to the tragic events mentioned above are some recent muggings right outside my apartment complex. Two muggings in one week. There's a Hofbrauhaus, Starbucks, Papa John's and Julie's Cafe on this street, but it gets pretty quiet at night In one incident, a group of three people robbed someone. Then a resident from the complex was mugged in the other case. Someone sucker punched the 16-year-old as he rounded a corner near the Hofbrauhaus. Luckily, he wasn't seriously injuried from the incident. (He even got some punches in and drew blood.)
Getting to these restaurants is literally a 2 minute walk from our complex. It's unfortunate that I have to rethink going over there by myself now. Maybe I should have all along. While Shanghai is still a safe place, recent events serve as a reminder to always be more cautious than needed when it comes to your personal safety.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Not enough green leverage...
I was disappointed to find out today that Carrefour will only be charging less than 1 yuan (7 yuan makes up one U.S. dollar for now) for per a plastic bag to customers that don't bring their own. Unfortunately, I don't think this "financial burden" will convince anyone to make a concerted effort to bring cloth bags to the grocery stores.
This is somewhat similar to the situation in the U.S. with gas prices. It's only $4 a gallon gas that will convince someone to use public transportation, buy a more fuel efficient vehicle, and rethink their habits. (My husband, Josh, has been saying this for awhile and here's an excellent Thomas Friedman column on the topic, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/opinion/28friedman.html?em&ex=1212206400&en=6acc7e173e4e0dc8&ei=5087%0A.)
Some people need to lose green before they decide to go green. The consequences are immediate and personal. I guess, that's the incentive for change that works the best.
This is somewhat similar to the situation in the U.S. with gas prices. It's only $4 a gallon gas that will convince someone to use public transportation, buy a more fuel efficient vehicle, and rethink their habits. (My husband, Josh, has been saying this for awhile and here's an excellent Thomas Friedman column on the topic, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/opinion/28friedman.html?em&ex=1212206400&en=6acc7e173e4e0dc8&ei=5087%0A.)
Some people need to lose green before they decide to go green. The consequences are immediate and personal. I guess, that's the incentive for change that works the best.
Monday, May 26, 2008
The Highs/Lows of Expat Life
It's hard to believe that 6 months have past living in Shanghai. There have been "bad China days" (as many expats would say) and days where I'm amazed by what I've experienced in this rapidly developing country.
Here's a quick rundown of what I've seen so far:
Lows
-Censorship: Blocked Web sites have included..wikipedia, philly.com, some Taiwan sites, occasional Web links on the news Web sites such at the New York Times and CNN
-Polution: Can I look directly at the sun most days through the haze? Yes!
-Grocery shopping: A one hour grocery trip now takes about 3 hours or more. I need to check out 4 grocery stores to find the more Western items. Things that are hard to find at times include, sour cream, cream cheese, canned black beans, and chicken sausage. I cannot get red pepper flakes, buttermilk (I miss buttermilk pancakes!), cheese curds, or hot italian sausage.
-Mold: There isn't any installation in my apartment. Most new high rise apartments are built using concrete for their exterior walls. The warm heat inside and cool, humid air outside created the perfect conditions for mold to take over our walls this past winter. To make it worse, our property managment kept scaping off the mold off our damp walls and it kept coming back for 2 months. Mold isn't a health concern here so they didn't take us very seriously until...we got my husband's company involved to help us find a more permanent solution to the problem.
-Smoking: A nice relaxing brunch on Saturday or Sunday morning interupted with smoke being blown in your face. In general, many more people smoke here than in the U.S. They may not have a obesity problem, but they've got a smoking one.
-Spitting : This is no regular spitting. Before someone spits here, they make sure that they've completely cleared out their throat in the loudest way possible. People spit inside grocery stores, constantly into garbage cans everywhere, and out of cars onto the sidewalk without a second thought.
-Pushing: You can't leave any space in line or you'll risk someone getting in front of you. I've even had to throw an elbow here and there. With both the spitting and pushing, I constantly remind myself that this is the norm here.
-Food poisoning: Luckily, Josh and I haven't had serious food poisoning...yet. Josh had it the worst one time after eating food at a cafeteria. He had stomach cramps for several days and a fever for one day. I got the shivers and felt nausous for a day after eating at a microbrewery for lunch.
Enough complaining, I know. Overall, this has been a great experience and I look forward to the next couple of years. To counter the lows, here are my highlights:
Highs
-Navigating a new environment : It's always fascinating to walk the streets and observe daily life in the city.
-Learning a new language: I would consider this both a high and a low. I've quickly learned that picking up Mandarin will not be easy. Weekly lessons with a tutor have been fun and frustrating at times. I'll definitely keep practicing and taking the lessons though!
-Travel: I've really enjoyed trips in the region (Taiwan, Malaysia), within China (Qingdao, Guilin/Yangshuo) and near Shanghai (Hangzhou, Suzhou). It's gotten me more interested in photography with all the things that we've seen -- whether if it's kids having fun at the park, breathtaking landscapes, or capturing what I perceive to be funny poses by the Chinese for photos.
-Restaurants: While grocery shopping can be tough, there is no shortage of selection when it comes to restaurants. Some of my favorite places are Din Tai Feng for the best broth filled pork dumplings, and Paul, a French bakery with mouthwatering macaroons.
-Meeting fellow expats and local friends: We've met expats from the U.S., Australia, Europe, Brazil, etc. to join us in our exploring and they've continuously offered us support when we needed it. Our Chinese friends have helped us learn more about the culture and not to get ripped off when we go bargin.
-Shopping: There appears to be an endless amount of stores here. I'll just say you can find all sorts of boutiques and department stores. Getting custom made clothes at reasonable prices is a plus, too. Josh can't get enough of his fitted dress shirts.
Most striking
-The abundance of labor: I've never seen so many people working in hotels, restaurants, and retail stores. No excuse for bad service! (I think the excess of labor keeps some processes from becoming more efficient, but that's a whole other subject for another post.)
-The rapidly changing landscape: Neighborhoods disappear and high rises seem to go up at a constant pace.
-The gap between the poor and the more affluent: Many people here in the city still live in terrible conditions with luxury hotels/highrises just next door.
Unexpected
-People freely going through your items at IKEA or at the grocery store. If you're not looking, they may even take something out. Be watchful!
-Chinese people don't exercise the same way people do in the U.S. Parks are filled with people strolling around with some women in uncomfortable high heels. There are hardly any runners. I've even seen women wear high heels on a hike before.
Well...this is a brief glipse into my life here at this point. It'll be interesting to see how my perspective changes in time. I look forward to learning more of the language to increase my freelance opportunties with local publications and to send stories back to the U.S.
Here's a quick rundown of what I've seen so far:
Lows
-Censorship: Blocked Web sites have included..wikipedia, philly.com, some Taiwan sites, occasional Web links on the news Web sites such at the New York Times and CNN
-Polution: Can I look directly at the sun most days through the haze? Yes!
-Grocery shopping: A one hour grocery trip now takes about 3 hours or more. I need to check out 4 grocery stores to find the more Western items. Things that are hard to find at times include, sour cream, cream cheese, canned black beans, and chicken sausage. I cannot get red pepper flakes, buttermilk (I miss buttermilk pancakes!), cheese curds, or hot italian sausage.
-Mold: There isn't any installation in my apartment. Most new high rise apartments are built using concrete for their exterior walls. The warm heat inside and cool, humid air outside created the perfect conditions for mold to take over our walls this past winter. To make it worse, our property managment kept scaping off the mold off our damp walls and it kept coming back for 2 months. Mold isn't a health concern here so they didn't take us very seriously until...we got my husband's company involved to help us find a more permanent solution to the problem.
-Smoking: A nice relaxing brunch on Saturday or Sunday morning interupted with smoke being blown in your face. In general, many more people smoke here than in the U.S. They may not have a obesity problem, but they've got a smoking one.
-Spitting : This is no regular spitting. Before someone spits here, they make sure that they've completely cleared out their throat in the loudest way possible. People spit inside grocery stores, constantly into garbage cans everywhere, and out of cars onto the sidewalk without a second thought.
-Pushing: You can't leave any space in line or you'll risk someone getting in front of you. I've even had to throw an elbow here and there. With both the spitting and pushing, I constantly remind myself that this is the norm here.
-Food poisoning: Luckily, Josh and I haven't had serious food poisoning...yet. Josh had it the worst one time after eating food at a cafeteria. He had stomach cramps for several days and a fever for one day. I got the shivers and felt nausous for a day after eating at a microbrewery for lunch.
Enough complaining, I know. Overall, this has been a great experience and I look forward to the next couple of years. To counter the lows, here are my highlights:
Highs
-Navigating a new environment : It's always fascinating to walk the streets and observe daily life in the city.
-Learning a new language: I would consider this both a high and a low. I've quickly learned that picking up Mandarin will not be easy. Weekly lessons with a tutor have been fun and frustrating at times. I'll definitely keep practicing and taking the lessons though!
-Travel: I've really enjoyed trips in the region (Taiwan, Malaysia), within China (Qingdao, Guilin/Yangshuo) and near Shanghai (Hangzhou, Suzhou). It's gotten me more interested in photography with all the things that we've seen -- whether if it's kids having fun at the park, breathtaking landscapes, or capturing what I perceive to be funny poses by the Chinese for photos.
-Restaurants: While grocery shopping can be tough, there is no shortage of selection when it comes to restaurants. Some of my favorite places are Din Tai Feng for the best broth filled pork dumplings, and Paul, a French bakery with mouthwatering macaroons.
-Meeting fellow expats and local friends: We've met expats from the U.S., Australia, Europe, Brazil, etc. to join us in our exploring and they've continuously offered us support when we needed it. Our Chinese friends have helped us learn more about the culture and not to get ripped off when we go bargin.
-Shopping: There appears to be an endless amount of stores here. I'll just say you can find all sorts of boutiques and department stores. Getting custom made clothes at reasonable prices is a plus, too. Josh can't get enough of his fitted dress shirts.
Most striking
-The abundance of labor: I've never seen so many people working in hotels, restaurants, and retail stores. No excuse for bad service! (I think the excess of labor keeps some processes from becoming more efficient, but that's a whole other subject for another post.)
-The rapidly changing landscape: Neighborhoods disappear and high rises seem to go up at a constant pace.
-The gap between the poor and the more affluent: Many people here in the city still live in terrible conditions with luxury hotels/highrises just next door.
Unexpected
-People freely going through your items at IKEA or at the grocery store. If you're not looking, they may even take something out. Be watchful!
-Chinese people don't exercise the same way people do in the U.S. Parks are filled with people strolling around with some women in uncomfortable high heels. There are hardly any runners. I've even seen women wear high heels on a hike before.
Well...this is a brief glipse into my life here at this point. It'll be interesting to see how my perspective changes in time. I look forward to learning more of the language to increase my freelance opportunties with local publications and to send stories back to the U.S.
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