An American Girl in a Chinese World

Ever gone around digging plastic and cardboard out of peoples trash? Me either. Here, its a daily thing. People from the neighborhood will collect it, keep it, and then take a large load to a recycle center. Then that center, takes a larger load somewhere else. See below: When people ask if Chinese recycle, I don't know how to respond. As individuals, they don't separate their trash, but others will go through it. So its kind of a yes/no. Jeremy and I separate our plastic and cardboard until we have a large amount, then dump it next to our outdoor can. We run inside to watch and count how long it will take the neighborhood ladies to come and fight over it. Watching someone dig through mine and others trash was hard to deal with and odd at first. However, now I see it as a good hobby for those who are retired. They are helping save the environment and earning a little extra money.

Talk about two totally different ideas of beauty. I was surprised when I first got to Nanjing when someone came up to me, rubbed my arm, and explained that she wished her skin was as white as mine. I didn't know if I should be offended, are you calling me pale? I then proceeded to ask about why she would like to have white skin? She said that the whiter the skin the prettier. After learning that, these things started to make more sense: Whitening lotion, face wash and make-up Using umbrellas...when its not raining sun shades for your hands when driving the scooter Coming from a culture where you actually lay in beds that make you darker, this was a different way of seeing beauty.

Have you ever been walking down the fresh vegetable aisle looking through the produce and out of the corner of your eye you see some movement? No, not a cart or a fruit fly,  but a free crab roaming the store! Yes, it does make you jump and sometimes scream. China grocery stores were/ and still are one of the hardest cultural things to get used to. Mainly their fresh water foods. Its not like they are in their own area, but right next to the fruit. I am not a creature type person, so they move... and I am grossed out. One of the cool things that I have come to appreciate is that most grocery stores are 2-3 levels. I love having a designated floor for certain items. It is also nice to not have so many people all on one floor. They have escalators with grooves in them, specifically designed for the cart wheels to lock into place. Pretty nifty!

I still find it funny to have boxes delivered to our house on scooters! Its amazing how many boxes the Chinese can pile on a bike or a scooter and travel the roads without tipping over! Here is a picture of a traveling shoe salesmen's bike! 

I heard before coming here that  China was a gift giving culture. I wasn't sure what that meant exactly. The people were just extra generous? They had more holidays? It wasn't until last semester that I began to get a bigger picture of the meaning. Every time students come over, they come with fruit to give us. When our neighbors had a baby, they gave everyone in our stairwell a gift box announcing the birth of their child. I caught on to those traditions and did the same if I went to someones house. However, this past Christmas I got deeper into the gift-giving saga,  more than I was ready for. I took our fruit lady a bottle of wine and a scarf. To me it meant, "Merry Christmas, this is what we do in America" To her it meant " We are friends and now I owe you a gift." I had no idea they felt obligated to give something back. The next day as I went to buy my apples, she had a bag of gifts ready to give me. Lucy got a "cool" hat and some goodies.

It has been forever since blogging and I think it is time to start it up again. What better a way to kick off my blog, than to do a post a day for a month?! I am going to try to give you a look into our lives here in Nanjing. The differences, similarities, and unique experiences we have everyday. I hope you enjoy!  Day One: My Electric bike! This beauty is how Lucy and I get around. Grocery shopping here requires a different technique than in the states. You can't buy a lot all at once, you can only buy what you can take home. So this is a picture of how much I was able to bring home from the vegetable market, egg lady, and fruit stand.