10 things I’ve come to realize in China

I’ll be posting momentarily about my adventures in Shanghai and the World Expo. But after being in China for several days, I’d like to share a few things I’ve noticed that’s different from the US:

1. Drivers here are absolutely terrifying. They change lanes constantly, even though it feels like they’re driving in the middle of the road for most of the time. They don’t seem to heed much attention to traffic lights and sometimes will freely drive on the opposite side of the road. If you’re not driving on the highway and in the city, pedestrians jaywalk as if it’s their job and you have to pay twice as much attention to motorcycles and bicycles. Is the stereotype that Asians are horrible drivers really embedded in our genes?
2. On the topic of cars/drivers: Chinese people seriously dislike seat belts. They have a special metal piece that mocks their seat belt to put in the buckle, because the car will beep otherwise. Do they not realize that the car manufacturers put that annoying “seat belt unbuckled alarm” feature there for their safety?
3. All the women here are obsessed about weight and height. Everywhere I go, the first comment is always about my weight (apparently I’ve lost some weight, which is their way of telling me I was super fat before) and my height (apparently I’ve gotten taller, but I’m pretty sure the older generation is just shrinking). My cousins talk about my weight all the time, pocking my waist and grabbing my chubbytummy fat.  The irony? Everyone here is so damn thin, I don’t think they can even get fat.
4. Everyone is weirded out by the fact that I don’t like to wear socks with my sandals. They keep asking me if I’m too cold.
5. Of the kitchens I’ve seen so far, it appears customary to put the fridge and freezer in a separate pantry room. This seems completely unintuitive to me. I open my fridge like 12 billion times when I’m cooking…
6. At dinner parties, which are all held in private rooms in restaurants, toasting is essential. Like vectors, direction matters: if couple A toast couple B, couple B must later in the party toast couple A. I am completely overwhelmed by all the toasting and all the nice words that people say to me. I have no idea how to respond with the exception of smiling and drinking lots of wine. I’m pretty sure they all think I’m rude, because I never say anything nice back.
7. I’ve always known this, but oh my god the food is so fucking good. Street food or fancy restaurant food. I haven’t experienced hunger since my plane landed.
8. Clothes, bags, and shoes, especially nice ones, are really not that much cheaper in China anymore.
9. Being with family is one of the best feelings in the world. I love them fully and dearly, even though I could never express it in Chinese. It makes me realize just how lonely it gets in the US.
10. This country is full of optimism, drive, and motivation. Everyone is working to make China the next world leader, and the energy among the people is infectious. Yes, there are tons of obstacles still: government corruption, air pollution, and media censorship. But the Chinese people are stronger and working harder than ever, and that in itself is something worth of my pride.

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