Sorry-- Just realized I haven't written in awhile. Most things around here are pretty calm. Us, students, are back to our school-groove, dedicating time to homework (and play....mostly this for a majority of students). This past weekend I was up late working on homework and attending an electronic concert with my classmate! The concert was awesoooomeee~~ I danced the night away, as some might say.....
Among other things, my Canadia-land friend, Jessica Yau, was touring around China and came to Shanghai!!!!! So I hung around her for a day and had a good time walking around YuYuan and chatting. AND, to make things even more awesome, she's coming back!!!!! wooohoooo!!!
While I was talking with Jessica, I realized that I've gotten used to things that are not so quite normal back in the West......here are some things we found:
1) toddlers usually wear pants with wide slits (enough to see those fatty butt cheeks).....both for the purpose of cooling off in the heat, but also so when they have to go....they can just go.....anywhere....
2) Chinese people, while they are waiting for something and can't find someplace to sit, will instead squat....
3) workers, while working, are entitled to watch TV, sleep, play games, run around...etc....
4) dormitories always provide a hot water thermos for the residing students
5) most people eat yogurt at night -- and with a straw (the literal translation of yogurt to chinese is "sour milk" 酸奶)
6) it's not rude to ask what your income is, where exactly you live, and how old you are
7) taxi drivers sometimes will not know where you are going and also not tell you that they don't know until the last second.....（so they will drop you off near, but not exactly at, your stop)
8) street food is safer than one would think...in fact, my friends have had worse incidents at KFC than on the street....you kind of have to have an iron stomach all the time
9) if you ask for a glass of water in a restaurant, they might come back with hot water and a glass of ice (even at KFC)
10) honking your horn (on bike, car, motorcycle, etc) is not rude and is used as a form of politely saying "I'm here, please move before I run you over" --- even if they are telling a pedestrian
hope this has enlightened your eyes to china a little bit more.....
~fran
