Organic Food Lovers...come to China!

While bicycling out to a historical site, I came across a place where you can pick your own produce! So, I picked some fresh strawberries. Definitely organic...perhaps too much so, as I saw a family let their child pee on some strawberries (I didn't pick any near them).

A Chinese Bicycle Excursion!

I spent my Saturday bicycling to a prehistoric site outside of our city (33 km outside the city!).

It was an adventure for me and my puny muscles, and for my Chinese street bike (I have almost decided that it's time to invest in a mountain bike). While my last bicycle excursion ended in injury, this one was relatively uneventful, and enjoyable (if exhausting).

Things I was reminded of during my bike excursion:

• That I live in a desert environment (my lips were so chapped). Also, that wind is not my friend.
  


• That it is possible to sunburn your hands



• That visiting villages in China is like stepping back in time. Really.
  


• That the local dialect is almost impossible for me to understand (SO different from standard Mandarin)
  


• How much I love the countryside of China (bathrooms excluded)

While there wasn't a lot to see at the prehistoric site (they are in the process of building a museum, but it is doubtful that they will have the ability to prove that anything they have found in the area is in fact prehistoric), the village itself is OLD. The ground was littered with old grinding and mill stones, and the houses were charmingly quaint (and falling apart). These areas are water to my adventure-thirsting soul! :-)



While at the end of the day, my muscles prompted me to swear I would never do 40 miles of biking in one day again (especially with wind against me), I think I will return when the museum out there opens next year. In spite of the sunburns and aches, being outdoors and out of the craziness of a larger Chinese city was good for my spirit!

Losing My Dignity?

Sometimes, if you're going to be stared at anyway...you might as well give people an added reason to stare. And a smile too. On a side note, it's nice to have local friends that I feel comfortable doing this with. :-)

Things That Don't Transition

I've talked about a few of the ways that I have adapted to my life in China...but there are a few things I haven't mentioned....most of these are things that won't transition well back into life in America. Awareness is a good step for me, I suppose, since I will be spending a few weeks in the States this summer. Some of the ways I've adapted "too much" to the culture:

• Pushing people out of the way in line. We don't form lines here. We shove. Old people, children...everyone is equal in this regard. Because many of those old people are stronger than me.



• Yelling for the waiter when I want something. That doesn't go over well in America. Neither does not leaving a tip (we don't tip here).



• Giving unsolicited opinions/advice constantly. Or even just remarking on things in an annoying fashion. I used to hate it when people did things like that...now I do it all the time. Case in point, last night: "Did you eat enough? Are you really full?" "Oh, 你吃很小! (You eat so little!) Eat more!" "Are you still sick? Are you taking medicine?" Yep....all things that I said last night. Just call me Grandma.

All that to say, I beg advance forgiveness from those people that I may annoy with nagging, or shove, while I am at home this summer.

For any other expats out there, in what ways have you noticed you're adapted to the culture in what might be perceived as negative by your fellow countrymen?

Changing Society

I am not entirely sure if this sign is a joke or not, but it does indicate some of the changes happening in Chinese society. It reads:

:

"Friends wanted. Me, boy, senior 3. Want nothing but a elegant-style friend. Men's only. Maybe I'm homosexual, but I ain't sure. If you're the one, contact me."

Smiles

I have a 人人网 account (the Chinese version of facebook...in fact it is almost exactly the same...just in Mandarin of course). Anyhow, I recently left a comment on a friend's photo saying "真好看啊” (rough translation: it looks pretty) and that she and her boyfriend looked like models. She responded with this comment: "Thank you~~You always behave like a gentle princess, and you are the model for me." Oh man....seriously, my friends here know how to bestow a compliment.

A Great Moment for Progress

China is an interesting country. It is said that visiting Shanghai is like seeing the future, visiting Beijing is being in the present, modern age....and everywhere else is like stepping back in time. That's definitely accurate to my area....we're a few years behind on, well, almost everything. But, I was very excited to discover that frozen yogurt is no longer something that I am missing out on here. Another exciting addition to this fact is that the frozen yogurt is even more like frozen yogurt than it is in the states....less sweet, more sour....still delicious (and more friendly to those of us that don't eat sugar!). This will definitely become a post-class tradition....