Sunday, September 27, 2009

Xiguan

Xiguan in Chinese means to get used to or to be accustomed with. People often ask us if we xiguan food or life here in China. For the most part we have taken to life here with relative ease. This has been due to the great people, tasty food and the natural and cultural beauty of China. That being said there are still many things that we must xiguan but have not yet.

 

1.     Being called Mr. Mo.

2.     Squat Toilets

You would think I would get used to the idea

3.     The blaring morning announcements at 6:30 am Monday through Friday.

Better than my alarm some mornings

4.     The fact that you can step off the treadmill and smoke a cigarette right in the middle of the gym --> True Story

5.     Being so interesting that people stare at you.

I had a small group of children follow me home chanting "Hello, Hello!"

6.     Having most people be very nice to us. I have had street vendors and shopkeepers give me free food. I have no idea why.

7.     Seeing an Audi A6 followed by a donkey cart followed by a tractor down the street.

8.     Eating dinner for 50 cents.

 

I hope that these things do not come off sounding negative, because I am not complaining. These are just things that have caught me off guard or things that I find very interesting. One moment china can feel very western, only to feel culturally like a different planet the next moment. All in all we are enjoying learning about our new home and look forward to xiguan'ing more in the future.

 

kandm


PS. We can't get to our Wordpress blog right now so that is why we are again posting here. Feel free to pass the info on to interested parties.