1st Month Down

First let me apologize for not posting weekly, sorry Eduardo. I have been feeling a little under the weather in the last few weeks, more details if you really want to know, but I think most will understand…Lower GI. Anywho, on we go.

Admittedly I am a weird guy. I feel that most engineers have to be (especially since they are naturally nerdy) in order to be even capable at their jobs. But I don’t think that holds a candle against some of the differences I have seen between the Chinese and most Western cultures. I understand the different cultures, but just not used to it:

- Armpit hair, way more than I will ever have…
- Squatting instead of sitting always, bus stop SQUATING, talking to each other SQUATING, playing cards SQUATING.
- Eating a lunch in less than 5min. I mean they fly through their food. They are in such a rush they don’t speak to each other, they don’t drink while they eat lunch, all they are focused on is finishing the meal as soon as possible so they can have almost the full hour and a half that they take for sleep. Right at the desk, or wherever they find 12-1330 you will see them sleeping.
- Washing their hands after the restroom is a big if, especially since the soap dispenser rarely has soap.

Now those were a few of the bad things, but at the same time they have some really neat things that I feel we can learn from, such as:

- Watermelon/fruit after any meal. Their watermelons are much much smaller then those in the US, but they are pure deliciousness. They are incredibly naturally sweet. Simply awesome.
- Drink water all the time. I mean all of the time. I drink a lot, but even compared to them, I’m parched. In combo with this, they have a sign in the bathroom that has urine colors on it. It is to show you if you are dehydrated based off the color (which I knew already). Just interesting to see. Mind you in English, the three levels say, “Not Dehydrated – Keep Drinking Water, Dehydrated – Drinking Water, Extremely Dehydrated – Drink Water Immediately”. (the grammatical mistake is on purpose)
- Fewer confrontations if someone is upset. What I mean by this, is that if someone is truly upset and yelling at another, the other simply sits there (or stand or most likely squat) and just take it. Let the person yell or whatever, then they both walk away.

In other news, I have finally received my residence and work permit for China. That process was an awesome bureaucratic experience that was interesting to see. The things I needed to accomplish, 8 passport pictures, handwritten note to the police station (seriously, can’t be typed with a signature) that must be written a certain way, presence required at a different police station, additional photos taken because the ones taken 2 weeks prior don’t show what I truly look like, and removal of my passport for 1.5 weeks total. But now that I have the permits, I get to travel again! So here is the current schedule:

- August 6th-8th – Shanghai
- August 20th-22nd – Seoul, South Korea to see one of my friends
- August 27th-29th – Qingdao, China for the Tsing Tao Beer Festival
- October 1-7th – Either Singapore or Vietnam (good options for both sides)

I think this will quench my thirst for travel for the short foreseeable future. Also my plan is when I get back stateside for the holidays, that I will be able to buy some scuba gear, and start going on excursions nearby.

Well I’m out for now, I will let everyone know how my 2nd weekend in Shanghai goes…