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| You can buy beer in a bag... Just stick a straw in the side and you are mobile! No open container laws is one thing that China has going for it... |
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| Bizarre, random gifts that the school tries to give you... This is still sitting on the shelf in our kitchen a year and a half later. |
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| Every Thursday is community movie night! |
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| Wait until you see it... Yeah, I've seen cups, Tshirts, and paintings with him on them. |
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| Flavors that are way more exciting than just "Classic American." |
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| Yes, those are duck heads... and yes, they sell these EVERYWHERE. |
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| BABY BUTTS! Kids go to the bathroom everywhere (the street, garbage bins, train station floors) and the slit in the pants allows for an easier exit. |
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| There are TONS of communist Obama things--I bought my dad an Oba-Mao T-shirt last year! |
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| Writing on T-shirts is what gets me through the day sometimes... Just the other day, at the campus grocery store, there was a girl wearing a dress that said, "Kiss my tips." |
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| Random people dressed up... Random... |
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| Because a construction worker should always be dressed in her best! |
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| I guess I can understand what they were going for... |
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| Little kids will sit and watch men butcher a pig in the middle of the road... Cheap entertainment? |
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| The horrors you see on a crowded bus... |
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| This is what we call "Chinese air conditioning" and it is always found on old men. |
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| English names like Jungle, Brother Two, Cookie, Rainbow, and Zephyr are one of the joys of being a teacher. |
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| You can actually buy lucky crickets... Yes, just like in Mulan... |
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| Every city has a "food street" where you can find some hardcore delicacies that will make anyone squeamish. |
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| And yes, bugs are a common part of meals.. |
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| You can hold a tiger at the zoo! |
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| There are actually TWO Central Perk cafes here in Hangzhou! |
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| For 100元 you can feed live chickens to the lions at the zoo. |
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| This is what your average beach looks like... Good luck finding a nice spot all to yourself! |
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| Not in a fancy hotel? No Western toilet. Not in a big city? No squatty potty. In the rural towns, you get a trough... and a wall to squat behind if you're lucky. The trick is to just not think about it! |
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| Yes, there is dog over here. No, not everyone eats it (most of my students were upset with me actually). |
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| Inconsideration runs rampant over here... They can't even be bothered to put their trash IN the garbage, they can only be brought to put it ON the garbage... |
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| There are no driers. You hang your shirts, pants, and delicates out to dry outside in the rain, snow, and pollution for everyone to see. |
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| Sometimes, the pollution and fog can look like this outside (there is supposed to be a bus station, a construction site, tall buildings, and mountains in this photo). |
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| To see a blue sky (and a blue sky with clouds) is very rare... on these days you photograph the sky because you don't know when you will see it next. |
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| Street food is the most delicious thing to eat in this country and a sign that God wants us to be happy. |
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
All in all, China drives me crazy but somehow it has burrowed it's way into my heart. The meandering, obliviousness, pushing, shouting, spitting, and all around insanity does test my patience (and sometimes I fail to keep a poker face). However, so many things that drive me crazy about China are also the things that I laugh at the most. I think it's helpful to be able to laugh off the things that bother you--you're more guaranteed to maintain a positive disposition and create happier memories. To those of you who have been to China--hopefully these photos and this list made you laugh at the good, the bad, and the ugly that is China. To those who have not been here--COME ON OVER! You cannot fully understand any culture--especially the Chinese culture--without experiencing it yourself... this post was just to give you a taste of the cooky things you might encounter in this country. And the best thing about living and experiencing a culture so different (and at times, so confusing) from our own, is that you have this insanely strong bond with the people around you; the friends that I have made while living in China understand and can relate to different aspects of the Chinese culture and my frustration with them... and that is a bond and a connection that we will always share.
All that is left to say is what we expats say as we look at each other, exasperated and annoyed after something ridiculous or frustrating happens to us:
Until Next Time,
Amanda
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