Early days in China

August 20, 2018

Early days in China

Nĭ hăo! The fact that I'm writing this blog post 32 stories up on a humid Hangzhou evening while listening to Irish trad music, drinking Yorkshire Tea, and waiting for my Greek-Australian wife to come home from work is not lost on me. Globalisation, eh?! We're two weeks into our next adventure. However, I must correct myself, we mustn't think of the next move as just another country on our travel bucket list or another adventure. No, this is the real deal. It's an experience. We're going to be living in this place for two years at least, maybe more. We're here because my wife got another job in an international school and I have returned to my previous role as travelling spouse, non-working spouse, or 'baggage/luggage.'

I never thought that I would be living in China. Yes, I thought one day I might visit (just to see the Great Wall/The Terracotta Army or to see Shanghai or Beijing) but never to live. I mean how could I? All those people, all that bustle, the strange food, the strange language. That's how China is spun to us in the west, but so far we've encountered a city and people at odds with (most of) the general stereotypes.

Early observations of a Lowai:

I've seen dogs on leashes, aka as pets, not on plates.
E-bikes are a silent, and sometimes, deadly nemesis.
The Chinese people are very friendly.
Seeing kids' faces when they clock you as something different is special.
You get the odd photo taken of you (without consent).
People do push/brag past in crowded situations but nothing out of the ordinary from any other big city in the world.
The food can be delicious. You just have to know what you're looking at (which is nigh on impossible without some basic Mandarin and knowledge of Chinese symbols. This knowledge we simply do not possess at the moment. So that makes for some interesting meals in the neighbourhood restaurants.
The Chinese are very modern with their usage of apps. They use them to order food, to pay bills, to pay in restaurants and shops etc. They are well on their way to becoming a cashless society.
Mandarin is an extremely hard language to learn. Anyone that says the opposite is a liar.
Impromptu yoga/dance/music/Ta-chi rehearsals in parks first thing in the morning is a commonplace occurrence.
Older men love to hock up a good chunk of phlegm in public.
The pace at which buildings are constructed is unbelievable.
The Chinese seem very family-orientated.
They (the Chinese) also like statutes of animals. I've seen statues of frogs, storks, tigers and horses so far.
They enjoy urban gardening and make use of any available green space.
Noodles can be eaten at any time of the day.
You'll always know if make a wrong move on a footpath or a road because you'll be met with a round of horn toots.
Frustratingly, cyclists and E-bike riders sometimes ride on footpaths while the actual cycle paths to the side of the footpaths remain annoyingly unused.
Chinese supermarkets can be a real assault on the senses.
Men of a certain age going around with the tops pulled up and bellies out to cool down is a thing over here. And I, for one, quite like the idea!
Driving an E-bike one-handed while texting/browsing your phone is also a thing over here.
Nĭ hăo (hello) and Xièxiè (thank you) are the Mandarin phrases we nailed so far. I'm attempting to end the week on a high with my first full Chinese phrase: Wǒ shì nán rén (I am a man).