Sunday, May 13, 2012

Things That, Even After Two Years I Cannot Get Used To




Even as I sit here, reflecting on how bored I am, I have to ponder on those Chinese customs, traditions and doings that, even 2 years into this gig I simply cannot get used to. But first…

Why am I bored? I’ve got 5 weeks left to teach. Can’t believe how fast the school year went by! I have all my material planned for all the classes I have left. I’ve been pretty much everywhere in and around Wuhan and played all the badminton I want. I can still play more badminton. It is not for lack of players that I don’t play. Usually, if I’m not playing it is because of the weather. I could travel around a bit, go someplace I haven’t been yet, but I’m saving my pennies for my stateside summer adventures. And, there are still buses I haven’t ridden, restaurants I’d like to revisit, friends to go see one more time before I jet out of here.

I remember feeling this way about this time last year. Maybe not bored but… restless would be a better word. After I had bought my plane tickets I was ready to get going. I’m the type of person who, once a plan is in place or a decision has been made waits only for the execution of said plan/decision. Well, that’s actually a misnomer. I DON’T wait. That is in fact my problem. I am not a patient person. If I am called on to wait you will find one impatient, bored Krejados. And that is where I’m at today.

How better to cure boredom than to keep my mind active? In that spirit, let’s revisit some things that, even after all this time living here I simply cannot get used to.

The impromptu way people just drop in. I believe it is just a matter of being a part of the community, or how friendships work over here. I’ve seen it happen time and time again, and even while out with Gary or Ken, dropping in on some poor, unsuspecting friend is modus operandi. Dropping in is perfectly acceptable… to most people. To me, it is still an annoyance.

Dining Protocol: It took me a while to get used to specifics of dining. While dining at a friend’s house one mustn’t finish all the food for fear of showing the hostess to be inhospitable. If there are no leftovers it means the hostess did not provide enough food for her guests. Bad hostess! On the other hand, if you go out to eat you are expected to finish all the food you order, or you request a take-out box. The difference is that you paid for the food in a restaurant and were invited to your friends’ home. Your friend should be compelled to over-serve.

Another interesting take on dining protocol: now that I am familiar with my standard group of friends, like Gary or Sam, dining protocol has changed just slightly. Last time I was at Sam’s house, he and his mother in law cooked a sumptuous dinner. What seemed like midway through it, he got up and went in the living room. And he didn’t come back. Bad enough he was wearing his jammy shirt at the table – something I’m completely unused to, Sam-wise, but leaving the table while Penny, her sister, his sister, brother in law and I are eating?

Later he explained that I am now more than revered guest. I am friend, almost family so he did as he normally would when around his family: he said: “You eat slowly” and got up. I did hear him say that, I just didn’t expect him to get up from the table and leave me at the mercy of his family members, conversing in their regional dialect that I don’t understand.

Chicken heads and feet: No matter how often I encounter it, I simply cannot get used to seeing chicken heads and feet swimming around in my soup. Maybe in time I could make my peace with the feet but the heads, complete with beak and comb are just too much for me to take. I think they will always freak me out. Ditto with buying an uncooked chicken from the market with everything still attached.

Kitchen protocol: People who come to my house wonder if I ever cook anything because my kitchen is clean. By that I mean grease free. Of course I cook. I just clean everything as best I can once the meal is over. I have to season my wok regularly, otherwise it will rust. Because I scrub it, with steel wool if necessary, until no food residue remains. Chinese people do not have to season their wok because it stays oiled from the last meal or dish they cooked. Their method of cleaning a wok is to run it under cold water, swish the spatula around, scrape off remaining bits of food and start cooking again. Cutting boards, cleavers, plates… all receive the same treatment. Dishes are rinsed under cold water before and after use, and are put away wet. I try not to think of this when I enjoy a meal at a friend’s house.

House cleaning: No matter how hard I try, I cannot keep my house clean or dust free. If I dust the table, the cabinet will need to be dusted. If I dust in the living room, all the dust migrates into the dining room. If I dust mop at 9AM, by 10AM it looks like I’ve done nothing. If I’m not dealing with dust I’m dealing with moisture. All winter dust was a problem. Now that spring/summer is here, with its storms and humidity, I have to be careful of excess moisture. My kitchen floor was literally wet the other morning, when I woke up. Unfortunately I had not swept up all the dust the night before. Now my kitchen floor has muddy footprints all over it, and I’ve tracked moisture all over the house. I give up. People who come to my house are just going to have to deal with either dust or moisture. Otherwise, keeping up with it is a full-time, never-ending job.

Fluorescent lights: I am very happy that the Chinese are so environment-conscious. I have an on/off switch for my hot water heater: if I need hot water, I turn the switch on and wait 30 minutes after which I have a whole fifty-four liters of hot water at my disposal. What I can’t get used to is that creepy, bluish fluorescent lighting that lends a stark, daylight realism to everything. All of my overhead lighting is fluorescent and the two lamps I bought also have such light bars. I looked for incandescent lamps, but they are very hard to find. When I look in the mirror (hung at Chinese height), I look like some sort of monster because of that terrible overhead lighting, coupled with the fact that I have to scrunch down to see myself. Wonder if I could get them to rehang the mirror to ‘foreigner height’?           

Being unable to shop: It seems like every day a new shopping center is springing open around town, each one more glitzy than the last. I have a lot of fun discovering these new shopping ventures and then surprising my friends by taking them to places they’ve never been before. What I can’t get used to is not being able to buy anything. Not for lack of money but for lack of things that will fit this giant frame of mine. Giant, by Chinese standards. Here is a good example: hiking boots.

My old hiking boots, bought in the States last summer, are completely sprung. I wonder how many kilometers one has to walk in order to completely wear down the sole of a pair of hiking boots? I thought I would try to replace my hiking boots over here because such stores – outdoor outfitters like camp gear and extreme sports equipment, new passions for the Chinese – are now open almost everywhere. Chinese people are getting larger. Therefore it stands to reason that there might be larger sizes available. No such luck. Where are all the larger Chinese buying their things? Or are they still not as large as I am?

Being stared at: Last year I was (bottle) blond and even uber-blond, and I got stared at A LOT. Carrie Ann told me that, if I went darker, i.e., not blond I probably would not get the attention my blond tresses were garnering. I took her advice to heart. All year I’ve been reddish-brown, and… I STILL get stared at! True: I have explored the Over-the-Wall community and they are all curious about this fearless foreigner who tromps through their neighborhood with impunity, and I have gone other places I’ve never been before, even places where other foreigners frequent. Maybe I just have a complex.

I ponder these things, being as my trip stateside is imminent. Next, maybe I should write about things that, after 2 years I cannot seem to live without? What do you think?   

      


No comments:

Post a Comment