I know a lot of people have complained about the vagueness of my posts, as I'm and not delving into the trivial nature of my day to day life. Too much observational blather! I agree. So without further procrastination, here is it:
Shanghai is like any other big city like Toronto or New York, except that almost everyone is Chinese. Everything else has a western flavor (at least on the surface) with McDonalds and KFC always within walkable distances, and big brands like L’Oreal, Apple, and Adidas sold and signposted everywhere.
The funny thing about China, unlike Korea, is that westerners hate each other. In Korea, when you saw someone western, you would feel an instant kinship, and it's possible you might strike up a conversation based on mutual curiosity and loneliness. Not so in China. When you see a Laowai (foreigner) you feel inclined to glare at them, then look away pointedly. James calls it giving “evils”. It’s a strange phenomenon, and the people I've talked to don't really know where this animosity stems from. Everyone seems to feel a right to China, and that other westerners are invading their turf. Also, everyone IS but doesn't want to be, the stereotypical white expat. We glare at others because we either feel that either they are this stereotypical white expat (beer drinking, woman chasing, money hungry), or that they think we are.
So because of this, meeting people has been difficult. In terms of friends, you really only have your workmates, which is entirely luck of the draw. I've been fairly lucky as most people are interesting, and sane, but I've not found the same comradery that I enjoyed in Korea. Because Shanghai is much more western, and life is easier, those bonds you create with others from feeling utterly lost aren’t so common.
Other aspects of life are good. My apartment is pretty fantastic. Although, it is my first apartment, and I've always been easily pleased. Other than the fact that our apartment complex is surrounded by three or four whorehouses, and my neighbors have the occasional domestic, it feels like home. I've even got my own little dvd man selling right outside the apartment building, with all the new DVDs for the low low price of 4 kuai or 75 cents. Just picked up Fantastic Mr Fox the other day.
The ladies in the brothels seem rather... domestic. It must be an odd life living in a glass house. I walk by them every night to see them playing cards, doing each other’s nails, knitting, and eating noodles (not at the same time). Some of them get all gussied up, and some of them don't even bother, lounging around like fresh faced college girls in sweats and t-shirts. They don't seem to be getting a lot of business, and seem not unhappy, but bored.
James and I are fine. Better than fine, mostly we're happy. And comfortable. I've designated Sunday's to be his night to cook. A little insecure about his new responsibility he often waits for me to come home first before he starts, just incase things go awry. And for good reason. Once he made pasta, and while at work I texted him to make sure he used 'lots of onions'. I returned home to find him just about to pour a cup of garlic into the sauce. Cooking school 101- garlic is NOT onion. But now I have a cup of nicely chopped garlic in the fridge to use, so I’m not complaining.
So there you go, a real life update. It just feels like regular old life here. I recently watched a program that went on and on about the global superstar that is Shanghai with its 20 million people and exponential expansion. But really, it's just another place to hang my hat. And until China runs out of cheesecake, or chocolate, I think I’ll be just fine.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
The Stress Relief
There are certain customs in western culture that slow down the pace of life, and in general, prevent us from plowing over in each other in an attempt to get ahead. Basic human courtesies, like letting an elderly person take your seat on the tube, holding the door for the person behind you and apologizing for stomping on someone’s foot.
No such system of courtesy exists in Shanghai. In fact, entirely the opposite presides. YOU are the SINGLE most important person on the planet. YOU will get there first. YOU will knock down the elderly lady with the crutch to get through the subway doors in time. YOU will jump the line when the person in front of you checks their watch. Screw everyone else. You snooze…. You don’t belong in Shanghai.
This is a difficult thing for a Canadian to get used to, and at times the city feels like a big soul sucking vacuum, that leaves its residents devoid of their humanity. And so far, I’ve found only slight evidence to suggest otherwise.
But at times, breaking these ingrained faux pas can be quite good stress relief:
Next time, shove your way through a crowd without ever muttering a single ‘sorry’. In fact, give a stone cold glare at those you elbow out of your way (although the shanghaiese don’t even blink when pushed, their compact bodies resilient against all battering).
Hork up a big chunk of phlegm, and just spit it out on the floor- wherever, whenever- at the gym, supermarket or near someone’s shoe on the sidewalk. REMEMBER the louder the sound of the horking, the better. And if you practice, you can get some pretty good distance.
Smoke at a McDonalds, in line at the bank or in the hospital waiting room. If you are talking to someone while smoking, they like it a lot when you blow the smoke RIGHT between their eyes. In fact you’ve probably just saved them some money from having to buy themselves a pack.
Stare at strange people if they look different than you. It’s probably best if you nudge your neighbor, point and then whisper about how they look. Do they look funny? Have a laugh about it! They’re different than you, the weirdos! They deserve the attention!
Tell people the stuff they’re selling is crap. It’s really, utterly, and completely useless. I wouldn’t even use it to clean my shoe. But I’ll pay 10 Rmb for it. Ok, fine, I’ll pay 20 rmb for your useless crappyity, crap.
Pee. Pee anywhere. If you want to pee beside the fruit store, you should do it. Why shouldn’t you indulge in a completely natural human action when you feel the urge? It’s not like you should LOOK for a toilet, do you have any idea how long that might take? Minutes? Waste my bloody time.
Throw some trash over your shoulder. Don’t bother to walk those ten paces to the garbage can.
What do you think street cleaners are paid for? Twiddling their thumbs? Bird Watching?
Put your children in butt-less pants. People like to see naked baby butts, especially slightly soiled ones! They can always wipe them on the subway seats if they get too dirty. Baby cheeks are the cutest things, aren’t they? Think of how much money you’re going to save on diapers! If they need to do a doody, they can just have at ‘er!
My personal favorite- completely and totally ignore people. You are temporarily deaf. Even if they are right up under your nose, the best thing to do is to just look around at your surroundings, pretend you see something that interests you, and avoid eye contact. This is great when people chase you down the road to sell you something enormously useful like glowing roller wheels for your shoes, or a pen that makes shines a psychedelic green pattern of light.
No such system of courtesy exists in Shanghai. In fact, entirely the opposite presides. YOU are the SINGLE most important person on the planet. YOU will get there first. YOU will knock down the elderly lady with the crutch to get through the subway doors in time. YOU will jump the line when the person in front of you checks their watch. Screw everyone else. You snooze…. You don’t belong in Shanghai.
This is a difficult thing for a Canadian to get used to, and at times the city feels like a big soul sucking vacuum, that leaves its residents devoid of their humanity. And so far, I’ve found only slight evidence to suggest otherwise.
But at times, breaking these ingrained faux pas can be quite good stress relief:
Next time, shove your way through a crowd without ever muttering a single ‘sorry’. In fact, give a stone cold glare at those you elbow out of your way (although the shanghaiese don’t even blink when pushed, their compact bodies resilient against all battering).
Hork up a big chunk of phlegm, and just spit it out on the floor- wherever, whenever- at the gym, supermarket or near someone’s shoe on the sidewalk. REMEMBER the louder the sound of the horking, the better. And if you practice, you can get some pretty good distance.
Smoke at a McDonalds, in line at the bank or in the hospital waiting room. If you are talking to someone while smoking, they like it a lot when you blow the smoke RIGHT between their eyes. In fact you’ve probably just saved them some money from having to buy themselves a pack.
Stare at strange people if they look different than you. It’s probably best if you nudge your neighbor, point and then whisper about how they look. Do they look funny? Have a laugh about it! They’re different than you, the weirdos! They deserve the attention!
Tell people the stuff they’re selling is crap. It’s really, utterly, and completely useless. I wouldn’t even use it to clean my shoe. But I’ll pay 10 Rmb for it. Ok, fine, I’ll pay 20 rmb for your useless crappyity, crap.
Pee. Pee anywhere. If you want to pee beside the fruit store, you should do it. Why shouldn’t you indulge in a completely natural human action when you feel the urge? It’s not like you should LOOK for a toilet, do you have any idea how long that might take? Minutes? Waste my bloody time.
Throw some trash over your shoulder. Don’t bother to walk those ten paces to the garbage can.
What do you think street cleaners are paid for? Twiddling their thumbs? Bird Watching?
Put your children in butt-less pants. People like to see naked baby butts, especially slightly soiled ones! They can always wipe them on the subway seats if they get too dirty. Baby cheeks are the cutest things, aren’t they? Think of how much money you’re going to save on diapers! If they need to do a doody, they can just have at ‘er!
My personal favorite- completely and totally ignore people. You are temporarily deaf. Even if they are right up under your nose, the best thing to do is to just look around at your surroundings, pretend you see something that interests you, and avoid eye contact. This is great when people chase you down the road to sell you something enormously useful like glowing roller wheels for your shoes, or a pen that makes shines a psychedelic green pattern of light.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The Lawless Land
Some people refer to Shanghai as the “Wild Wild West” of Asia, or more aptly, “the Wild Wild East”.
I’m not entirely sure what kind of system exists to govern its people, if in fact one does. Shanghai has an air about it, that seems to say With 14 million people, so what if we lose a couple along the way? Shanghaiese people, with the amount of competition that exists in all factions of life, don’t have time to slow don’t, look both ways, queue up, or stop before stomping on their fellow man.
In the west, we are drowning in rules. How we put out the trash, clean up after our dogs, dispose of our waste, cross the street, act in public etc, etc, etc. In Shanghai, the same LAWS exist- those biggies like don’t murder, steal or run around naked- still hold true. However, it seems that by-laws- those itsy bitsy nitpicky ones- don’t exist.
If you feel like pouring today’s dinner down the grate in the road, by all means.
If you own a motorcycle and feel that you might prefer the challenge of weaving around pedestrians on the sidewalk, give it a go.
If you have nowhere to throw out your trash, any bit of ground will do.
The times Shanghai shocks me most, is when travelling around as a pedestrian. Shanghaiese people have the amazing ability to never slow down, no matter what is happening in front of them. Construction workers don’t bother putting up time consuming things such as boundaries, or warning signs, but will simply drill in the sidewalk as people walk within inches of their drill. Neither do they bother wearing such ridiculous clothing such as hardhats, safety goggles or gloves. It’s common to see someone drilling in a slacks and a t-shirt. I’ve gotten in the habit of shielding my eyes with my hands every time I pass one of these construction sites, as in my first week here a flying piece of cement struck me an inch from my eye. The pedestrian walkways are a veritable obstacle course- ten points for avoiding the broken sewer grate, twenty for jumping over the hobo, a whooping fifty to avoid the ten mopeds rushing toward you.
It feels like everyone is under some country-wide deadline. However, I wonder if this society could survive at all, if everyone did slow down. If 14 million people starting saying, “No, please, after you” I could only imagine the pedestrian gridlock that would ensue.
With 14 million people, we probably will lose a couple at long the way. To shoddy construction, rogue motorcycles, and flying pieces of concrete. But I’m sure going to do my damndest not to be one of them.
I’m not entirely sure what kind of system exists to govern its people, if in fact one does. Shanghai has an air about it, that seems to say With 14 million people, so what if we lose a couple along the way? Shanghaiese people, with the amount of competition that exists in all factions of life, don’t have time to slow don’t, look both ways, queue up, or stop before stomping on their fellow man.
In the west, we are drowning in rules. How we put out the trash, clean up after our dogs, dispose of our waste, cross the street, act in public etc, etc, etc. In Shanghai, the same LAWS exist- those biggies like don’t murder, steal or run around naked- still hold true. However, it seems that by-laws- those itsy bitsy nitpicky ones- don’t exist.
If you feel like pouring today’s dinner down the grate in the road, by all means.
If you own a motorcycle and feel that you might prefer the challenge of weaving around pedestrians on the sidewalk, give it a go.
If you have nowhere to throw out your trash, any bit of ground will do.
The times Shanghai shocks me most, is when travelling around as a pedestrian. Shanghaiese people have the amazing ability to never slow down, no matter what is happening in front of them. Construction workers don’t bother putting up time consuming things such as boundaries, or warning signs, but will simply drill in the sidewalk as people walk within inches of their drill. Neither do they bother wearing such ridiculous clothing such as hardhats, safety goggles or gloves. It’s common to see someone drilling in a slacks and a t-shirt. I’ve gotten in the habit of shielding my eyes with my hands every time I pass one of these construction sites, as in my first week here a flying piece of cement struck me an inch from my eye. The pedestrian walkways are a veritable obstacle course- ten points for avoiding the broken sewer grate, twenty for jumping over the hobo, a whooping fifty to avoid the ten mopeds rushing toward you.
It feels like everyone is under some country-wide deadline. However, I wonder if this society could survive at all, if everyone did slow down. If 14 million people starting saying, “No, please, after you” I could only imagine the pedestrian gridlock that would ensue.
With 14 million people, we probably will lose a couple at long the way. To shoddy construction, rogue motorcycles, and flying pieces of concrete. But I’m sure going to do my damndest not to be one of them.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
The Culture Shock
When I lived in Korea, as the initial numbness wore away, but it was replaced with something else. A deep and restless depression. Simply ignoring all the little problems that would normal irk me, they began to collect in my self-conscious like a massive rubbish heap of anxiety. Eventually this pile became too big to ignore, and I felt ill at ease shifting through the masses of social ineptitude, and cultural misunderstandings.
Knowing what was coming, I was better prepared for it this time. It’s surprising how small accomplishments feel like giant triumphs when you’re feeling your way out of the fog. The first time taking the Subway. Finding a gocerery store, and buying a familiar food. Walking your way to work without getting lost. Ordering local food on your own. Finding an apartment. Each little personal triumph widens your safety net, as your local knowledge starts to spider web before you. And the safer you start to feel, the more that is truly familiar (a home slept in, a food eaten, a street navigated) the more willing you are to take small but necessary risks to open yourself to your new country. Learning new words, trying new foods, feeling less fearful when you make small, but unavoidable cultural faux pas.
Once the basics of food, shelter, and comfort are taken care of- once you feel like you can take care of yourself, each risk taken, and triumph made lifts the fog further, until you feel ready to look around with virgin eyes at your alien planet.
I’ve heard that human experience is like hanging coats on a coat hanger. The coat represents a single unique moment of experience. The coat hanger is prior experience that allows you to understand new experiences in context, to organize them neatly in your mind.
When you have no coat hanger- no prior, similar experience to which you can relate what is happening around you, the coats simply fall and collect in a heap on the floor. Much more difficult to sort though.
Eventually you do sort through it. It just takes a heck of a lot longer. Maybe you get a set of drawers? Mind drawers- I like the sound of that..
That analogy sounded much better the first time I heard it…
Knowing what was coming, I was better prepared for it this time. It’s surprising how small accomplishments feel like giant triumphs when you’re feeling your way out of the fog. The first time taking the Subway. Finding a gocerery store, and buying a familiar food. Walking your way to work without getting lost. Ordering local food on your own. Finding an apartment. Each little personal triumph widens your safety net, as your local knowledge starts to spider web before you. And the safer you start to feel, the more that is truly familiar (a home slept in, a food eaten, a street navigated) the more willing you are to take small but necessary risks to open yourself to your new country. Learning new words, trying new foods, feeling less fearful when you make small, but unavoidable cultural faux pas.
Once the basics of food, shelter, and comfort are taken care of- once you feel like you can take care of yourself, each risk taken, and triumph made lifts the fog further, until you feel ready to look around with virgin eyes at your alien planet.
I’ve heard that human experience is like hanging coats on a coat hanger. The coat represents a single unique moment of experience. The coat hanger is prior experience that allows you to understand new experiences in context, to organize them neatly in your mind.
When you have no coat hanger- no prior, similar experience to which you can relate what is happening around you, the coats simply fall and collect in a heap on the floor. Much more difficult to sort though.
Eventually you do sort through it. It just takes a heck of a lot longer. Maybe you get a set of drawers? Mind drawers- I like the sound of that..
That analogy sounded much better the first time I heard it…
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