Dating in China...

In honor of this week’s Qixi holiday (Chinese Valentines Day), I decided I would start my series of entries about dating in China. In all honesty, I didn’t come to China to find a boyfriend, foreign or Chinese. Of all the places to move to get a MRS degree, I think China would be the last place on earth a 22-year-old tall, blonde American girl would go. But all that aside, I might as well test the waters while I’m here.

Kicking off the first installment of the dating series (which needs a title... so I'm open to suggestions) I’m just going to give some first impressions of dating in China. Luckily, I have coworkers who speak English really well and they’re open to talking about dating. In fact it’s one of the first things I was asked when I was at lunch with some of them: “Do you have a boyfriend?” and “Do you want a Chinese boyfriend?” Whoa... Let’s take this one step at a time. And while I didn’t get into the nitty gritty or their personal lives my first day on the job, over the past few weeks I’ve had somewhat open discussions on their ideas of dating, marriage and everything in between. Ok not everything.

First of all, I know I’ve mentioned a big difference in maturity (usually take off about 3-4 years from their real age, and then that’s their maturity age compared to a foreigner). I think this is in large part due to their school system. High school in China is strictly academically focused. Students start their school day at 7:30 and are in class till about 5:30 (with a 2-hour lunch break). From there, they either go home to do their homework or stay at the school to take extra classes or go to study hall until about 10:00 at night. Sounds awful if you ask me.

A schedule like this leaves very little time for interaction with friends and members of the opposite sex. And a general consensus is that parents don’t allow their children to have relationships much more than friendships. Not only does it take away time from studying, but, as we all know, trying to figure out the opposite sex can be pretty distracting. So guys don’t really go through the whole awkward “how do I talk to girls” stage and girls haven’t really grasped the concept that their first boyfriend will not be their last until they’re about 19.

Not that I’ve had all that many, if any at all, boyfriends in my short 22 years of life, but first trying to figure out how to have relationships with members of the opposite sex when you’re 20? That really stunts your growth! And I think this is a common theme for foreign guys trying to date Chinese girls (and you hardly ever see a foreign girl dating a Chinese guy). I was talking with a new friend in Nanjing when asked him if he was or had dated a Chinese girl, and his response was pretty appropriate: “Well I’m not now, if that tells you anything.” While there’s definitely plenty of guys willing and wanting to date a Chinese girl, after a serious relationship or two, sometimes the cultural differences are just a little too different... but that is another dating series topic for another day.

I know this post doesn’t really answer a lot of questions or give you the not-so-juicy details of my non-existent dating life in China. Don’t worry, if anything exciting comes along for my dating life I won’t be blogging about it. Hopefully this new series will be insightful for not only me, but for you all, my readers, as well. Because no matter what culture you identify with, we’re all dying to know other’s ideas of dating, marriage and everything in between.

Let's Get Physical

Exercise in China is a relatively new concept. I mean, these people bike everywhere so it’s not like they need to be overly concerned with burning calories, although there’s a growing trend in scooters and motorized bikes taking over the old-fashioned pedal-pushing types. Still, there are lots of gyms and fitness clubs around Nanjing, maybe around China. Lucky for me, there’s a gym almost across the street from where I live.

I think it must be a chain, because the brochure the girl gave me when I signed up had all these different addresses... In Chinese, of course. And it’s not cheap (not like going to the DVD store and buying all four seasons of Lost, 30 Rock, and four movies for $10) and is about $30 a month. But considering all my other bills are getting cheaper and cheaper, I think I can afford it. It’s decent and better than the joke-of-gym at UF (how I miss those meatheads at Southwest). Best of all, this past week the gym upgraded to all brand new equipment! As you walk in, there are pictures of about 20 different trainers with their English names (King was my favorite). And there are probably 8 people at the reception desk to greet you... Got to love cheap labor in China.

Now what Chinese people actually do at the gym varies. They all LOVE swimming, especially the women. In fact, the majority of the women in the locker room are all either getting ready to go swimming or have just finished. My membership doesn’t include use of the pool, but if I wanted to use the pool, it would only cost me about $2 for the day. I don’t think I’m that brave yet... I’ll just stick to dry activities. My favorite is the ping pong tables. Yes, the Chinese do consider ping pong a work out, and they get really into it. There’s also an aerobics studio, hot yoga room (women are also big on yoga) and a spinning room. Of all the exercise fads out there, I think Chinese have the hardest time grasping the idea of “spinning.” They probably came to the gym riding their bike, so why are they going to sit on a bike for the next 45 minutes? And the “spin” classes in China are a far cry from the intense and challenging workouts back home. After every song, there’s like a 3-minute recovery period, so any increased heart rate lasts a short 2 - 4 minutes. But I don’t think the Chinese are into intense workouts anyway.

When I go to the gym, I usually stick to cardio. I keep telling myself that I’m going to try out a class, but I’m a little scared. I think the instructor would probably be scared too with the laowai who probably looks incredibly clueless trying to keep up in her class. So for now, I’m ok sticking to the basics.

There are somethings about the gym that really bother me. For instance, they are perfectly content to keep the gym temperature at a cool 80 degrees. I guess Chinese people don’t really sweat or get hot, but for someone who already “glistens” more than the average person, I leave the gym smelly and gross (maybe this is why the Chinese avoid intense work outs). And most women shower at the gym before they leave, and I guess I don’t blame them for not wanting to look unpresentable when leaving the gym. But until I see the love of my life on my 5-minute walk back to my apartment where I can shower in the comfort of my own home, I’m not about to spend any more time than I have to in the locker room.

Oh the ladies locker room. There was a scarring and defining moment in my childhood when I was having lunch at Coca Cola with my dad and we went to go see the new gym at his offices. I walked in the ladies locker room to use the bathroom or something, and there, in front of my 9-year-old eyes, was some 50-something woman completely naked. It was embarrassing and awful. Now, times that by about 30, and this is the scene in the ladies locker room at my Chinese gym. Women of all ages and sizes are walking around stark naked and are completely unbothered by it. And it’s not like they’re in any rush to put clothes on. They sit in the sauna naked, dry their hair naked, chat on the phone naked and practically just hang out in the locker room completely naked. I guess I envy their confidence in their bodies and that they’re comfortable with walking around clothe-less in front of complete strangers, but I’m not about to join them in their naked freedom. As if I don’t already get enough stares, I don’t know how these women would react to the laowai walking around naked in the locker room. Maybe that would be the encouragement they need to put some clothes on in there.

It’s nice to have a place to go keep in shape. And despite how hot I get in there and how weird they think I am for running on a treadmill for 45 minutes at a time, it’s a great release from work (not that my job is all that stressful) and a good time for me to feel better about me. And maybe one day of joining the naked women in the locker room would make me feel even better about myself. Doubtful.

Neighbors and Roommates

Every time I sit down to write a post I always have too many things to write about than I can think of. So today will be a mishmash of current events in Nanjing.

First of all, and probably most important, I have found a roommate. It happened really fast and kind of unexpectedly, but she’s really nice. It’s funny how things just fall together in life.

Long story short, Eva, my new roommate, called me around 10 Tuesday night inquiring about the room. I thought it a little odd someone would call so late, but then again... This is China. She was kind of worried on the phone and said she wanted to move in tomorrow. What? Tomorrow? Oh I don’t know... I was reluctant to agree to let some stranger just move right in to the apartment, but I also had been realizing and lamenting the negatives to living alone. Nonetheless, I told her it was OK to come, and we would talk about it. I had no idea what I was in for.

Much to my surprise a very sweet Chinese girl was knocking on my door about 15 minutes later. She apologized it was so late and it seemed she’d been crying. So I gave her a brief tour of the apartment and showed her the room. It was alright with her and she was very appreciative. And then she spilled her stressful situation. After a few tears and her story of her landlady kicking her out so that she could move to America to marry her boyfriend, there was no way I could tell Eva “no.” She’s a really pleasant girl, and considering the only other bite I had was some Indian guy in med school, I thought this was a much better match (not that I have anything against Indian guys in med school, I just didn’t want a guy roommate from a country I know little about). Best of all she’s teaches yoga on the side, so I’ve got my own personal yoga instructor (Ashley, I know your jealous of that!). So now I pay a whooping $220 a month for rent. Life is good.

Along the lines of home life in China, I had some very sweet surprises this weekend. I’ve mentioned that everyone in my complex is very friendly and now I have a Chinese family to call my own (sort of). When I got back after the trip to Confucius Temple, there was a cute little note waiting for me from my neighbor, Ellen (all these E names are really going to mess me up!). She wrote that she was excited that an American was living next door and wanted to practice her English. So long story short she came over Sunday night with a bag of fruit her mom bought for me and invited me to dinner at their home Monday night. I was so appreciative!

So Monday night came and I was excited to be dinning with my new friend and her family. Ellen, who is 17 and getting ready to start her 2nd year of high school (Typically HS is three years and Chinese people typically add an extra year to their age. Technically they are 1 when they come out of the womb), speaks decent English, but she’s young and smart. Ellen was thrilled when I came over and I was excited to help her practice a little bit of English and pick up some Chinese. Her dad teaches calligraphy writing and her mom is the “engineer of the home”... I’ll have to remember that one. I think my confidence in speaking Chinese improved in that one night as I learned new words (food words, go figure) and told Ellen’s family about my family, job and why I decided to move to China. It was so nice spending an evening with a very typical family. And while I couldn’t understand everything, they were entertaining to watch as they joked around and tried to communicate with me, the foreigner. It was a perfect way to start the week.

It’s incredibly reassuring to feel so at comfortable in my new home. Today I was proofing an article for one of our Web sties that covers the differences in Chinese and Western cultures. The article talks about that while sometimes China’s culture is often time seen as somewhat abrasive, Chinese take pride in their community and are exceptional hosts. I couldn’t agree more. And it’s a satisfying feeling knowing that my new friends have accepted me into their community.

Confucius Confusion.

So all my posts thus far have been pretty positive. The transition to life in China has been incredibly smooth, and I feel very blessed to have support from friends both back home and here in China to help along the way. Now for the big but.

This week I’ve read a few different articles about China on the progress the country has made in terms of business culture triumphing political motivations and the struggle to overcome a consumption economy and all that trash. I even remember reading articles back in 2007 about legally defined terms of sexual harassment and its repercussions in the workplace, a then-new concept that demonstrated modernized progression in the workplace. I’d even say China is making progressive steps every day. I’ve seen much less spitting and hardly any children using the sidewalk as their toilet (I’m not joking when I say this was a common occurrence in Shanghai). And then it all went to the wayside when I went to a “famous” tourist spot this weekend.

I went to the Confucious Temple with Cheryl and some of her friends. It was a very kind gesture to take me there as I know Nanjing natives try to stay away from those traps. As we were walking through the different alleys and marketplaces I enjoyed looking at all the different “goods” for sale: your typical Chinese trinkets. That was until we got to the “pet market.”

Being an animal lover, I was excited to see the fish and birds, but as we got further along the walkway my heart sank to see all kinds of animals, rabbits, cats and (worst of all for me) puppies, shoved into small cages. I wondered if the dogs that were lively enough to wag their tails for the passerby's had been properly fed, bathed, dewormed or had even walked on solid ground in the last week. Probably not. It broke my heart. Among the shocking conditions where these animals were being stored, I saw a cage of little kittens that seemed to have at least 25 all lying on top of each other. In all honesty, I didn’t know if they were alive. It was gut-wrenching and appalling.

And I couldn’t really say what I really felt for fear of offending my new friends who were kind enough to take me on a little tour of the city. Cheryl could tell it bothered me. We’ve had conversations about pets and she knows that I would love a little dog for a companion (something I probably won’t be able to handle or afford for a while). A little bit later, I asked my new friends about the pet market. Even they said that everyone knows that if you want to buy a pet that is not the place to go. And as they shared this, I could see they knew these conditions were wrong and the animals weren’t being cared for properly. Or maybe that’s just what I hoped they were thinking. I couldn’t help but wonder how long those dogs, cats, bunnies, etc. will be there until the inevitable.

I don’t want to come across as naive because I know that these kinds of conditions are common even in the US. “Puppy mills” are still a problem fought with little recognition back home. Animal rights activists are often seen as bleeding heart liberals and aren’t taken that seriously. And it is just the nature of a developing nation that issues along the lines of human rights, environmental issues, business practices and even animal rights are handled one at a time. For a country where adoption is still quite common, I guess you can’t expect that animals (seen as a source of food in some areas) would be treated much better than what I saw in the “pet market.” And at least locals recognize that these animals are not healthy or in good conditions. But still, nothing is really done about it. I don’t know what, if anything, I could do to fight this problem, and I’m not going to open my apartment to 3209439043590 pets. That’s almost just as bad.

I guess I am writing this post to add a little bit of the negatives with the positives. If I wrote every entry about how happy I am and nothing bothers me, it wouldn’t give an accurate representation of life over here. And while the news on China’s economic growth (well maybe not currently... Even Chinese people know the words “global recession” and “economic crisis”) and the progress toward a more legitimate democracy is true, there’s still a long way to go. Quoting one of the articles I mentioned earlier in this post, “great leaps forward are followed by equally great retreats.” So very true.

Ancient Chinese Medicine?

I survived my first experience with Chinese medical facilities and, hopefully, that will be my last. In order to get a work visa, foreigners must have a “medical examination.” This “examination” asks for blood test, chest X-ray, EKG test, sight test (good thing I wear glasses now) and an array of other things that leave you thinking, “Huh?” I’ll be honest and admit that I had this physical done back in the US thinking my doctor at home could sign off on the form. But no, an official with the Chinese government would have to check me out. Going through all these procedures it the first time was a little strange, and the medical staff (all Americans) checking it all off thought so too. Oh China.

So when the nice girl in HR, Uma, told me I would have to have it done again here in China, I was less than thrilled. But then realized what a great topic for my blog! So Uma and I left Tuesday morning from the office in the company’s car (it’s a Ford by the way) and set off for the “laowai clinic.”. Luckily it’s still early in the expat arrival season, so the lines weren’t that long. I don’t think I could have handled being there for much longer than I already was. Spending any lengthy period of time there probably would have been enough for me to just say, “Screw it, I’m going back to the land of decent healthcare” (please refrain from any political comments referencing healthcare).

In all seriousness, it wasn’t that bad. I’ll say it was “adequate.” I wasn’t fearing for my life or worried I would catch some obscure disease. And knowing what I was in for helped qualm any major fears I had when I realized I would be checking out Chinese healthcare far sooner than I wanted to. It started with a blood sample, which was probably the scariest part. From the first look, I was worried. When I imagined this place on the car ride there (that seemed to take forever as I cringed at what would lie ahead), I pictured a dingy place with cracks in the wall where you’d come fine and healthy and leave with some incurable ailment. After a quickly checking it all out, I realized it was going to be more sterile than I thought. The lady taking my blood knew what she was doing, and it was even less painful than the first go around. The rest was all downhill.

Reading the form, I saw that the government wants to know some pretty strange things about my health. Items like skin, stomach and spine were all listed with blanks... Do they want to make sure I have these things? Is there a certain size or color they’re looking for? I have no idea. And while the whole experience was not the most comfortable thing in the world, it wasn’t scarring. The machine for the EKG was archaic, the eye test was kind of a joke and I have no idea why they would need a chest xray or an ultrasound... But then again this is China and a lot of things don’t make sense here.

So now that the government knows that I do indeed have a stomach, spine and all 20 fingers and toes. So hopefully they’ll let me stay a while. That is until they realize who exactly is writing this blog and then they’ll probably kick me out.

Let's talk language.

I know many of you were hoping for pictures along with the blog. With the depressingly slow connection using proxy servers to work around China’s block on sites like Facebook, Twitter and blogspot, attempts to upload pictures to notyouraveragefortunecookie have been defeated. You can check out my facebook page for pictures though.

I’ll be honest and say that my making “white friends” here has been slow coming. Teacher season needs to start soon so I can meet some of my own kind. For now, I’ve made a few friends at work and have a really sweet language partner, the topic of today’s blog posting. I didn’t tell her so don’t let her know.

I’ve discovered a small piece of heaven (home) in Nanjing in the form of a sandwich and pastry shop called Skyways. I was there the other weekend looking at a little board of postings when a sweet Chinese girl approached me about being language partners. I was getting ready to shell out 50 RMB (about $7.50) a week for a tutor, but I thought “hey free is always good.” And now I have a Nanjing native to show me around the city! So Emma, that’s her English name, and I would start a friendship learning the other’s native language.

Emma’s English is pretty good, although she insists it’s really bad. I find it funny when she mutters “oh my. god, oh my god” as I try to explain different uses of words in the English language. Sometimes I feel the same way...with Chinese and English. She’s only 18 (which compared to the maturity of US teens means she’s really like 15). She’s getting ready to take an ESOL-type test so that she’ll have the opportunity to get her undergraduate degree abroad (she wants to go to Australia). I won’t be sharing all the eye-brow raising shenanigans of my college career, and I’m just going to think of her as a “mei mei” (little sister).

There seems to be a growing number of youth in China all wanting to study abroad, and not just for a year. They want to go 4+ years for their undergrad degrees in Western education institutions. The basic function of the organization I work for connects “Chinese elite students” (great name, right?) with the best schools around the world. I think it’s pretty remarkable these students are wanting and capable of earning undergraduate degrees in their second language. As if college admissions weren’t hard enough back home, now they’re competing with Chinese kids.

Anyway, Emma and I decided we would meet on Sunday for Sushi. She seemed about as excited of the idea of sushi as I was (I love sushi), and I figured this was a safe bet compared to going to a local restaurant and trying the Nanjing specialty of salted duck soup with dried blood clots (no, I’m not joking...believe me, that’ll get a posting all of it’s own if I’m ever brave enough to try it). I was so looking forward to just some nice plain rice and a little bit of raw salmon and tuna, maybe a little mexican roll action and some seaweed salad; I just wanted to play it safe. Nope. Emma had been to this restaurant before and had all these specialties she wanted me to try. Oh no. It wasn’t too bad though. A little squid (no, not calamari style), “cherry blossom sushi roll,” seafood “porridge” and fried fish balls made it down without an apparent gag reflex. It was a little more adventurous than I was feeling that day, but as she said, “when in Rome...” Wait, has she seen Anchorman?

After our sushi adventure I wanted to check out the Carrefour (think Euro version of Wal-Mart). I’ve developed this fascination with grocery stores in case you can’t tell. After a while, Emma said the “air” was getting to her. Chinese are really weird about their health and safety, despite the facilities available to them are enough to make you want to just stay at home and suffer. More details on that observation when I divulge the details of my “health examination.” I’m still recovering from the trauma so I just can’t rehash it just yet.

From there, we went on to the Nanjing library. Being a lover of writing and books, I was really excited to check it out. I was disappointed that checking out books would cost a small fortune: 100RMB ($15)for 3-4 Chinese books and and whooping 400 RMB ($58) for the same number of foreign books. Guess they don’t want the Chinese getting any crazy foreign ideas. After checking out what was in stock (think rows of trashy beach novels by Danielle Steele with the Fabio-fit dude with the lady in a flowing dress), I was somewhat relieved knowing my money wouldn’t be wasted on these “books.” But then I thought, “I hope Chinese people realize these are not the American classics.” And then I saw a Bible. Wait, do they know that’s there? I’m pretty sure you need a foreign passport to attend most religious services, although Christianity is growing in China (yet another blog topic). I decided I wouldn’t tell them the Bible was there.

So I think this partnership will turn out alright. I need to spend a little more time reviewing my Chinese, but it helps I can ask her questions. I’m also hoping to see more of the city that is now my home. And if you ask a Chinese person about any “landmark,” big or small, they all say it’s “very famous” so you know there will never be a dull moment. But then again, when you’re a “laowai” living in China there’s never really a dull moment.

我爱我家

For those of you who can't read Chinese, the title of this post is "wo ai wo jia," or "I love my home." Ironically, this is the name of the apartment agency I used to find my new place. Coincidence? And I’ve decided that my posts should have a little more focus to them. Rather than “Today I blah blah blah,” I’m going to take the time to go into a little more detail of life my life in China. I’m going to start out with where I’m living. Many of you may be wondering what my new home actually looks like, so I took some pictures to accompany the post and

First of all, the area, called Long Jiang, is a really family-friendly area. It’s somewhat removed from downtown Nanjing and is always bustling with families. One of the many differences in China is that families many times all live together. Mom, dad, child (usually only one son or daughter) and even grandparents all live together in apartments. So I see people of all ages around here. It’s also not uncommon to see grandma and grandchild out to dinner together or at the grocery store together. Honestly, it is refreshing to see all generations of family interacting together. I always felt lucky to have grandparents that I actually liked and wanted to visit and spend time with, so it’s encouraging to see the same feelings here too.

I’m really enjoying my apartment as well. While it is a little more than I wanted to pay (still holding out for a roommate to help with the cost), I’m so happy here and it is worth the few extra kaui a month. Like the rest of the surrounding area, there’s a lot of families here. Everyone is surprisingly friendly, a welcomed change from life in Shanghai. A lot of times, I felt almost unwanted by the locals when I was living in Shanghai. Maybe they were tired of “laowais” invading their neighborhoods. Not here. I mean, I get the frequent stares, but with a polite smile and a nod the starer usually smiles back. Best of all, there’s a really friendly guard who is always quick to say hi to me. I feel like he’s looking out for me. He works the afternoon/night shift, so when I get home from work he always greets me with an enthusiastic “Ni hao” and a wave. He sits there at his post and chats with the other residents. I occasionally here him telling his latest companion that I’m American and working in Nanjing, and then they go on with their conversation. While I really have no idea what they’re saying, I’m starting to feel like a part of this community.

This afternoon, I ventured off to check out this park that is along the river between my apartment and work. It’s actually really pretty and so peaceful. There are all these willow trees planted along the sidewalk that keep it nice and shaded (this was especially nice considering the heat index was about 97 degrees). The park is really well maintained and will be a great place to go on long walks or runs. I passed a few people out while I was on my walk, but across the river there were a lot of families picnicking. I could hear little kids laughing, running around and enjoying their Saturday. It reminded me of going by the parks by the Chattahoochee River at home or Lake Alice in Gainesville and seeing all the families taking their kids out for the afternoon. In some ways, China is not all that different after all.

This is not the fast-paced, crowded life I knew back in Shanghai. And that’s really OK. It’s a much slower pace and, honestly, it’s much more pleasant. I think I will be really happy here for the next year or so. Once I get my Chinese skills going, I know I’ll really be able to call this home (at least my home far away from home!).

One week down...

After finishing my first week as a paid, working member of society, I thought I would just say that it has gone very well! My lack of posting this week is partly due to the cold I came down with this week. But two weeks after being in China, I think my body is all adjusted.

Everything has gone really well, and I’m glad to have a “day job.” Well... Maybe not glad to have a day job, but glad that I like my day job. Everyone at the office is really nice and very happy to have a blond American girl at the office. I’m pretty popular...not to be modest or anything. I get along well with my boss, and my colleague, Cheryl, is super sweet. Granted it has only been week one, but I’m excited to put all my superb (ha!) skills to use. I was really excited when some of the students of one of the schools where Ameson's programs are implemented wanted me to give them English names. One girl already had "Viki" picked out and just wanted approval. The other girl asked me if I knew any names that started with the letter "X"....yes...X. I thought for a minute and told her there wouldn't be a good name with X (unless she maybe wanted to be the next X-tina...nope). So I threw out some suggestions of names that have a similar sound to to her Chinese name. Xia. She settled on Charlotte.

Over the week, I’ve ventured out with my Chinese colleagues and enjoyed some of the local restaurants for lunch. I’ve certainly had my fill of lunches averaging about $1... I love cheap China... Although I’ll be honest and say I’m really not sure entirely what I’m eating when it comes to the meat. I’m told it is pork and it tastes like pork, but I still don’t know how much I trust the "pork." I think I’m going to go veggie to be on the safe side.

The weekend is looking really low-key. My one American friend is busy with orientation for teachers at the school where she works. Apparently the majority of Nanjing’s expats are teachers, and most of them are gone for the summer but should be returning and arriving in the next few weeks. Hopefully this will be the last weekend I just hang out at home because I don’t really know anyone else. And I’m still holding out for a roommate in my apartment.

Be sure to check back this weekend for more posts and the pictures I keep promising. I haven’t really felt like sprucing up the apt or doing much exploring around the neighborhood due to this stupid cold that took all my energy this week. That’s on tap for Saturday, after waking up as late as possible, of course.

Cleaning house

It’s so encouraging that my friends and family at home are reading my blog! Please send any suggestions about what you want to know about my China adventure and I’ll give you all the details I can!

I’d like to dedicate this post to the million of brain cells I lost while cleaning my apartment this weekend. Moving into a new place in China has been no easy task, and now my body is paying the price. First it was actually getting the apartment, lately it has been getting it beautified... Next it’ll be finding a roommate... But I digress.

I’m sure the very nice guard who sits and always waves at me as I come and go from the building must think I’m crazy. Here is the only “laowai” (Chinese slang word for foreigners, literally means old foreign person) in the entire complex who, over the last four days, has done nothing but come and go with copious amounts of suitcases, juggle armfuls of shopping bags and even a had delivery from Ikea (yes, Ikea had to deliver my “mattress pad,” which I’m pretty sure is meant to just be a mattress by itself but has saved from the the wooden box with springs that is the “bed” that came with the apartment.). But after about five trips to the “grocery store,” think of a Super Wal-Mart in a shopping mall setting, and two trips to Ikea I think I’m settled.

But don’t think shopping has been the only thing I’ve been doing. I know my old roommates will appreciate this when I say that the old digs at 1118 had nothing on how much cleaning I had to endure this weekend. I’m not exaggerating when I say I don’t think the apartment had seen a cleaning rag in at least a year. I’ll spare most of the details and just share this: the kitchen alone took about 5 hours of cleaning and used up an entire bottle of “Mr. Clean” (China’s version of 409, which I’m sure is pure bleach in a bottle).

Nonetheless, Sunday night I collapsed on the couch, my arms sore from walking the 10 minutes back to my apartment with about 20 pounds worth of goods five different times over the weekend. I cooked my first meal in China, some frozen dumplings, with my new Ikea cookware and sat down to enjoy a movie (a very foreigner thing to do in China) only to realize my TV’s color toning is completely messed up and the remote for the DVD player doesn’t work. The first issue to take up with my landlady... It’s always something, right?

Wal-Mart Adventure

I’m really excited about this posting. This is one of my first real “blog” entries where I can put experiences, opinions and and drawing conclusions to use. Although it may just come out as garbage...

It’s always interesting to go to foreign “institutions” in China. You know, like the Best Buys, Carrefours and even Dairy Queens. So you can imagine my excitement when Mom and I decided to check out the Wal-Mart. I had a morning to myself (in the middle of these apartment negotiations) so we set off to compare, contrast and see what this Wal-Mart had in store.

I’m not joking that when we first walked into the Wal-Mart (which is a part of the mall and not a stand alone building) the first thing we saw was display of what I’ll call “camping chairs.” You know, the fold out ones perfect for tailgating, camping, etc.. Among the blue and green chairs was a stand alone bright red chair with an oh-to-familiar “G” painted on the seat. I don’t think there are any UGA fans in Nanjing so who knows how long that chair will sit there.

In all honesty, when I think of Wal-Mart back in the states, my memories are of a huge place with usually dirty floors, sales people who clearly love their job, where people of all walks of life come to get a good deal and an corporation that moves into small towns and puts locals stores out of business and then... Ok I’ll stop. But Wal-Mart in Nanjing, and more specifically China, is a mecca of the middle class. While it has it’s bargains and low-cost shopping, shopping in Wal-Mart seems exciting. It’s a place where new technology is available, where Western culture is encapsulated and where one can feel proud of what their money can buy... Capitalism at its finest?

Luckily for me, I have a grocery store just across the street from my apartment complex (or compound as they refer to it in China). So my trips to Wal-Mart will be few and far between. But anytime I make a little trip to one of these places (and IKEA has become like a second home for me... Sorry Dad), I will say that it excites me to see this emerging middle class. China has come a long way.