Pattistory: China: Day 13: July 17, 2010 Saturday

The entire group was in agreement. Today needed to be a “day off!” And it was. We slept rather late, and then all left for adventures. Jenny and I joined a group of about 14 of us who were going into downtown Shenzhen to go shopping. We decided to go to Dongmen. This entailed taking a bus and then a subway line into the city. It was a little confusing as to how all of these places fit together, so I was thrilled when the Chinese woman next to me asked (in English) where we were going and if she could help. Her name was Sherry and she used to be an English teacher. Her English was excellent although she apologized several times for how poor her speaking was. She was able to give us a lot of information and then helped Shepard the large group of us to the correct subway stop.

We exchanged email addresses and she sent me copies of some beautiful embroidery patterns. I had admired her shirt and she offered to give it to me. You have to be careful when you admire something here. People are so generous, but you don’t want to literally take the shirt off the woman’s back!

Once we got to Dongmen, we separated into smaller groups. Then we were let lose into a maze of shops and booths and stores and bargains to be had. Jenny, Sudan and I spent a lovely and highly successful day shopping our way through the city.

It was very fun and we found some great bargains as well as some VERY lovely and stylish clothing.

We had a great AIR CONDITONED late lunch in a noodle shop, and then it was time to attempt to find our way back to the Metro stop. Easier said then done. Although I had a small map, it was fairly useless. The streets are all in Chinese characters and none of them run in any type a grid pattern. At one point, we stopped and were peering the book looking at the map when a nice Chinese couple stopped us and asked if we needed help. Their English was excellent (and we must have looked pretty pathetic!) Once they ascertained that we were not very close to the subway, the woman wrote on a piece of paper (in Chinese) “Please give me directions to the subway.” Very kind, as we have found nearly all Chinese people.

Luckily, we ended up not needing to use the note, because we found a sign that actually was helpful to us. One of the only ones we have seen in China so far. It had the symbol for the subway with arrows. We followed and followed these signs and then tadah! The subway. We found our way back to the hotel, quite please with ourselves and very tired!

This may be a good time to add in some random findings about China.

Very often, there are no actual toilets and toilet seats in the stalls, only squatters….places that you squat over to do your business. It is also very rare to find toilet paper. Everyone carries with them small packets of tissues. Occasionally, you will find in a really nice bathroom either western style toilets, or at least one, but most often not. We do have a western style bathroom in our hotel. (Which we appreciate).

We almost always get our rice served at the very end of the meal (right before the watermelon dessert.) When we ask to have it served along with the veggies or stir-fry, the servers appear puzzled and slightly offended.

Chinese also serve pizza with Tabasco sauce, black pepper and ketchup.

Chinese love to play badminton and many people play it highly competitively. Here is one of our teachers, Chris, having borrowed the hotel’s badminton set to go off to a match.

The Chinese can pile a LOT on a bike or a tricycle. Wow! Sometimes you have a do a double take when you see everything on a bike.

Chinese babies also do not wear diapers, at least in the daytime. They wear pants with slits down the back in the butt. The kids who are walking around just go squat down in the grass or on a toilet. Babies are soon trained to cry or let mom know that they need to go to the bathroom, and then mom holds it over the toilet or by a tree outside. A woman told me that they do this because it is too hot.

I told her that American babies sometimes run around with just a diaper on. She said that Chinese babies would never go without a shirt, only with their butts hanging out. Go figure!

Chinese groups don't drink out of paper cups. They use the fancy tea cups with lids and then put their name in Chinese characters on them with tape.

China uses 119 instead of 911 for their emergency numbers.

The Chinese sell a lot of merchandize with English writing on it. Sometimes it takes some work to try to decode what it is that they are trying to say. Here are a couple T-shirts that I bought. Pretty interesting and a testimony to why they need more English teachers here.: