It’s 3 am and Something Important Is Happening Somewhere in the World

Posted by admin - 24/04/07 at 03:04:40 am


It’s 3 am and Something Important Is Happening Somewhere in the World

Originally uploaded by Sister72.


Don’t Freak Out in China When…

Posted by admin - 12/04/07 at 03:04:38 pm

Ha! I’ve been going through some of my old papers, journal entries and emails from my three years spent in North East China. I came across this list of gems and I thought I’d share with you as it makes for some entertaining reading. It would take ages to explain everything to you, so if you’re not sure or feeling inquisitive about any, please feel free to comment. The following is a list of things I experienced on a daily basis in Changchun between 2003-2005.

Don’t freak out when…

  • - you wash your clothes for the first time and your rinse water is black
  • - you blow your nose and your snot is black (coal is used in Changchun and the air is full of smoke)
  • - your water is turned off
  • - you can’t flush your toilet
  • - someone of the same gender holds your hand or asks you to dance ( these are signs of friendship)
  • - people in crowds get up close and personal (Our sense of space is different from theirs)
  • - everyone cuts in front of you in line or you get pushed out of the way
  • - people rummage through your grocery cart while you are shopping
  • - people randomly shout out, “Hallo!” and then giggle
  • - cars, buses, bikes and mule carts do not wait for you to cross the street. Pedestrians do not have the right of way here.
  • - you end up driving with a taxi driver who seems to have a death wish
  • - people put food on your plate
  • - your empty or near empty glass is refilled to the brim
  • - someone wants to touch your hair or the hair on your arms and legs
  • - people call you fat to your face
  • - people stare
  • - someone asks you how much money you make
  • - someone raises your sweater or shirt to see if you are wearing enough warm clothes
  • - you are greeted at the door by family members in long underwear
  • - you get on the train and realize everyone is in their long underwear
  • - people smoke in the hospitals
  • - you visit a doctor in the hospital and your examination room is full of strangers and other medical people
  • - the doctors ask you to lie on the table, pull your shirt up, pull your pants down and give a stool sample with 20-30 people watching you
  • - the person in front of you spits a big wad of phlegm on the ground
  • - someone farts or burps in public
  • - you are staying in a nice hotel and in the middle of the night, you get a phone call asking if you need anything special like a massage or a glass of water
  • - you experience overt corruption like bribes to police officers or ticket sellers
  • - you take the train and everyone uses the bottom bunks, sometimes yours, as the common sitting area
  • - the stairway leading up to your apartment is filled with bicycles, trash, vegetables and other assorted pieces of junk