The uniqueness of China

As much as we have complained about wanting to leave China, we actually have really enjoyed China. Before we made this trip, we questioned why we really needed to travel. Now we know why. We have a respect for our daughter's birth country and a completely different view of it and the people here.

This trip has not been very culture-shocking (not like traveling to Guatemala or India), but there are so many differences we've noticed. Here are a few:

*There is no respect for personal space. In Beijing, I almost got trampled by some elderly women while I waited for the bathroom. You definitely fight for yourself...there is no, "hey...I was here 1st!" If you push yourself to the front, then you were their 1st:)

*Women. Women do not come 1st. In the US, if there is a woman on the elevator, men will usually let her exit 1st. Not in China. I was shocked when I was riding in an elevator with 8 men and they pushed me out of the way to exit first. It is quite humorous.

*Men. The men are very respectful here (minus pushing you out of the way:) We never have seen a man look a woman up and down here. There surely is no cat calling by groups of guys. That actually impressed the Rockstar Nurse a lot.

*The driving. Just like most other countries, the driving here could be considered an Olympic sport. Actually, it's amazing how people cross the street here! They just walk on out and the cars just keep on driving. No one seems to care. They often drive in no lane. On a 4 lane highway, you will see several cars just driving down the middle. The other comedic thing are the horns. They beep at everything...and no one gets mad!! We had our driver in Beijing laughing because we told him that if beeped in America like that he'd get beat up! He even beeped at a police car! Really, they have the better concept. We beep in the States because we are ticked off. In China they beep, just to say, "hey...there is a car right beside of you."

*Weddings. They are a huge deal here. We have seen so many bride and grooms. The tradition is that you get your wedding pictures taken before your wedding day. They often rent their gowns. And they are just phenomenally gorgeous. Their poses and photos are incredibly unique. Our guide in Beijing said they spend a small fortune on weddings here. The only difference between the States and here is that the groom's family pays for everything!

*One child policy. That's true too. However, there are some weird exceptions to the rule. Certain minority groups can have more than 1 child. And if you are an only child, then you can have 2 children, but if you have a sibling than you can only have 1. There are other wierd rules involved. If you want more than 1 child, you would have to pay a fine. The fines are pretty much an entire year's salary. And speaking of having children, we have only seen 2 pregnant women here!! 2 of them!!! It is also very rare to see a tiny baby. It's kind of eerie to be honest.

*The bathrooms. Typically they have "squatties" which is a toilet built into the floor. In hotels and sometimes restaurants they have western style toilets. They also do not supply toilet paper in public so you must carry tissues with you.

*Diet and exercise. We have not seen one overweight Chinese person...not one!! They have an amazing diet here. Lot's of veggies and very low fat. They also enjoy exercising. You often can see older people in the park doing mild forms of exercising...Tai'chi, badmitton, hackey sack. I really enjoy that part of their culture. Not that I enjoy exercise, but I enjoy their appreciation of it:)

*The food. Of course the food is different here. In each region it is different too. By far, Beijing had the best food. And it is spicy!! We had no idea real Chinese food was so spicy. We ordered KFC chicken one night and almost burnt our tongues the regular batter chicken was that spicy (and we like some kick to our food).

*They really do eat everything with chopsticks. Right now, I am eating my dinner with some. impressed aren't you? Perhaps we will give paid lessons on our return.

*The menu. I heard rumors of the wierd things on the menu here during the olympics. Let me tell you that it's all true. We have gone several times to a Thai and Chinese restaurant here that we love. There were pages of food....kangaroo kidneys, fried intestines, some kind of feet. And when you order chicken or fish, the whole thing comes on out....eyes, heads. Here is a picture of something yummy on the menu....roasted guinea pig. I kid you not.

*English. It completely amazes me how much English is in China. We have been to 3 airports and they have all been well marked with English. The street signs (especially in Beijing) were all English. There were no other languages...just Chinese and English. I don't think we realize what an honor it is to speak English...it is so universal.

*The beds. Yep, they really are super hard. No springs here. I actually feel like my hip bones are black and blue from sleeping on my side. won't miss that

*The style. I have never felt so dowdy in my life. We are floored by how well the people dress. I can almost go as far as to say (not quite, but almost) that all of the women look like they stepped out of a fashion magazine. The young men are super stylish too. Many have Rockstar Nurse hair. We really would love to have done some more clothing shopping here. And holy cow are the clothes sized small!

*The children. I do not think the children cry here. When I am walking down the street with my screaming daughter, the Chinese women will gather around. They want to talk to her and comfort her. When I explain to her that she is 3 and she's just mad, they look at me like I am an insane mama. Our guide in Beijing said that children are very spoiled here (because of the 1 child rule). I'm starting to believe her...is it possible for a society to have non crying children? :)

*The children's dress. They dress the kids like they are going into the depths of Antartica. Seriously, it is a 65 degree day and the children are bundled in snow suits and several layers of clothing. At the orphanage the caretakers told me that YaoYao will get sick because she isn't dressed warm enough. Good grief...she was dressed appropriate!

*Finally, our absolute favorite Chinese tradition are the split pants for children. They potty train children very young here. They wear these split pants on them where their whole bum is hanging out. The point of it is for the kiddos to just be able to squat and do their "training" wherever. I know you might not believe me so here is a picture.....I followed this kid around the park to get some shots...

I can hear several of you laughing out loud right now! Seriously, where is the sanitation??? YaoYao slid down the same slide as the split pants girl!

And they are reprimanding me for dressing my baby to cool?? These poor kids have their rear end hanging out even in winter! LOL. Regardless, I should pick up a pair of these for Lil'Rocker...perhaps this would be a helpful training technique:)

So there are some of our observations of the unique qualities of China. I'm sure I'm forgetting some. I will miss China, however I'm ready to think about it from my own bed:)