25 Random Ramblings

We have made it 25 days!!!  Only 125 more to go...not that I am counting! {wink} So many things catch my eye that I must do a little brain dump here to clear up some room in my central processor for all the new things that are going to happen! Here are some interesting things about life here in Wuhan, China:

1. All Chinese men carry purses or a "man bag" as I like to call them. Some have straps. Some are more like a clutch. Mr. Song has a strapless little man bag that looks like a fake Fendi and I adore it.

Wuhan Style

2. Men in Wuhan like to roll their shirts up over their bellies to beat the heat. It is really, really unflattering to look at. 

3. There are the MOST annoying plastic door flaps to control the air conditioning at all entrances to groceries, stores, shopping malls... you name it. They drive me crazy. Both kids have obviously been jacked in the face by them a time or two. Most of the time when we get near the entrance of a store Tucker just covers his face and walks at a snail's pace.

4. Our building does not have a 4th floor because it is bad luck. The number four is extremely unlucky here (kind of like the number 13 in the US). The word for four "si" uses fourth tone. If you say it with third tone, it means "death."  

Our elevator is made by Otis of Bloomington, IN.

5. Traffic patterns are controlled based on your license plate number. You can not cross bridges or use certain tunnels or roads if your license plate is odd on even days and vise versa.

6. You wear certain shoes in certain seasons. Right now (July-August) is sandal season. Everyone wears them. I have YET to see an adult Chinese woman in tennis shoes. 

I have even been asked why I put the kids in tennis shoes when it is so hot. It is their conventional wisdom that kids should be in sandals too.

7. Internal heat is of great concern to Chinese people. Foods like lotus seeds because they "cool you internally." Interestingly though, they don't drink cold water. My friend works at a medical office and says this issue comes up all the time. 

8. The smells that attack you within one city block: garbage, sewage, delicious food, disgusting food, body odor, construction dust, diesel exhaust, rotting fish, rotting fruit, ripe fruit, poop...

Live eels for eatin' for sale at the vegetable market

9. In effort to get you to come inside and eat in most restaurants, they put their aquariums of their proteins in/near the front windows. Frequently the fish/turtle/snake/frogs are not all ... still with us. Nothing says "yum" like a couple floating fish.

10. Our apartment came with slippers. One size fits most. I thought is was cute. They also have slippers in dressing rooms at stores in the mall. 

11. Moths the size of your head. Or at least the size of small birds back home. 

For real.

12. The driving is INSANE. Obviously I could write an entire book about the insanity of traffic here, but one thing that blows my mind is that I have yet to see an accident. (Josh has seen the aftermath of one.) You literally do not know whether the car in front of you is going to STOP in the middle of the road, do a U-turn, or go straight. I have seen a bus do a U-turn on a 4 lane road. 

13. I went shopping alone last Sunday. They do not seem to stock large clothes. For example, I found NONE in H&M. I found one store that had larges and extra larges and I could not get my shoulders into the shirt. 

I went into an Aerosoles store looking for shoes (I only brought 4 pairs of shoes total: flip flops, Toms, tennis shoes, and black dress sandals.) They did not carry larger than size 39 (US size 8.5). I was actually laughed at by the store salespeople and they said something repeatedly in Chinese which I assume meant "Get out of here, Giant Footed Woman."

14. Sad shopping experiences. You finally find familiar packaging of a product you know and love and the flavor choices are absolutely disgusting.  "Fermented soy bean prawn flavor" Lays Potato Chips is Josh's favorite find so far. I found "Oxtail" Campbell's Soup and "Seaweed flavor" Pringles. Crackers are extremely rare.  

Not as bad as some.

15. In effort to keep their skin creamy white, women wear armbands (think lightweight legwarmers for your arms), huge visors (think welding mask), and carry umbrellas (think Hello Kitty).

Just your local KFC delivery driver.

16. Western Restaurants I have seen: Dairy Queen, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Starbucks. We have not been to them all yet. We have went to Pizza Hut. Their menu is 25 pages long. Appetizers include escargot, mashed potatoes, and calamari. McDonald's fries taste the. exact. same. Their drinks do NOT. We have not had anything else there because of the Shanghai beef/chicken scandal. They only are serving fish right now.

17. Construction happens anywhere, everywhere, and without caution. Walking through an active construction site happens all the time. Josh rode under a moving crane coming home from work this week. I can not believe the lack of barricades. The boys think it is super awesome to get so close to the equipment, but it is really stressful because it is not just sitting idle; they are operating it.

18. There are no dryers here. Those who have them say that they don't work. This means that if you hang out at your girl friend's apartment, you will see her husband's underwear drying on her balcony or bathroom. (Funny because it is true.) My washing machine is in my kitchen. Right where I wish my dishwasher was.

19. All the things that I thought were "dated" at home or companies that I thought were "failing" are big here. Tom & Jerry have a toy line. The IGA logo is on some supermarkets. And so on.

20. People push and shove like it is their job. It is so stinking annoying. Most of the time when I am waiting for my street food to be cooked or packaged, a Chinese person will come up and stand in front of me in a space not adequate for a person (regardless of their size). My favorite food vendors will continue to be those who recognize the line jumper and berate them in Chinese as they hand me my dinner.

I love this stretch on our walk to church.

21. The sidewalks are never stretch of concrete, rather they are individual pavers of stone, concrete, marble, terrazzo, or the like. They are FREQUENTLY broken and wobble when you walk. Sturdy footing is rare. Some of this has to be due to the heavy traffic of scooters and cars that use them. However, when you can find a stretch that is not broken, they can be really beautiful.

22. Manhole covers are optional. And moveable. And sometimes have big holes in them. If I don't have an ulcer when I leave here from just walking around, it will be a miracle.

23. Pirated movies rock. Yep, we have bought four DVDs off the streets. Three kid movies and Shawshank Redemption. Total investment: 40 RMB (or less than $7). Sorry, Hollywood. We gotta survive here.

24. Stores disappear overnight. Roads are rerouted overnight. Change is constant. When I think about the changes I have seen in just 25 days, it is mind-boggling.

Don't get too close to the backside, Hudson.

25. Beware of little butts. Split pants continue to make me do a double take. I still don't understand how little babies like the 5-6-7 (?) month olds communicate that they have to go. But their little bums are always peeking at me.