ChinaTeacher

I have kept this blog for almost 6 years now, as a kind of non-stop “postcard”.  While I mainly focused on the goods things (just like a postcard), admittedly there are tons of small things that happen on a daily basis that have often driven me crazy!  And this year EVERYTHING seems to be driving me crazy which confirms to me that, yes, it’s time for me to move back home to Canada. 

Yet there are still some really great reasons to live in China!  I can ‘pamper’ myself here for so little money, it’s just wonderful!  For example, my weekly body/foot massages cost just $10.  I can stop by any hair salon to get my hair shampooed and blow-dried – the cost is only $2 including an upper body/scalp massage.  Taxis cost anywhere from $1.5 to $2 depending on one’s destination.  It’s going to be hard to give these luxuries up!  And as a teacher in a Chinese university, I don’t know how I’m going to handle working a regular Monday to Friday office job with only 3 weeks’ vacation time each year.  Here in China, I’ve done my calculations and realize that I’ve been getting about 4 months holiday time each year – how fantastic is that?!  Life has been very good indeed. 

But then there are things that really drive me crazy here… lining up for something in China is a joke – people keep butting in, and no one says, or does, anything about it, even in hospitals!  Shopping is a continual adventure (both good/bad).  One look at a foreign customer, and you’re often charged more than a local customer just ahead of you.  But white faces mean big $$$ to the Chinese!  The excessive, and ear-wrenching SPITTING is something I have never gotten used to.  People here cough up gobs of phlegm – I honestly don’t know why they have so much inside their bodies – I almost gag whenever I hear it and of course the most important thing is to keep out of their way – some people’s aim is not so good!  And then there are the road rules that are never obeyed.  Near-misses are a constant because people dart out of alleyways on foot, on bicyles, in cars and rarely look both ways.  It totally shocks me that so many seem oblivious of the dangers all around them.  I often find myself catching my breath as I see an old man pedal directly into oncoming traffic, or an entire family packed onto an e-bike as it roars out of a backlane and crosses 3 lanes of mainroad, causing drivers to jam on their brakes to avoid hitting them.  And then there are the drivers who are simply inching along; turns out – they’re text messaging and it’s interfering with their driving.  Or the driver who double parks on a major street, jumps out and goes shopping – and nobody does anything about it! AAAGH!

 Another area of increasing concern is the fact that so many internet sites are blocked here: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and who knows, maybe in future … GOOGLE.  I’m hoping I won’t be around to see that happen!

Just a few days ago, my former colleague and I were invited to a student’s new home for dinner.  When I arrived, while I noted the room was quite chilly, I gave the host my coat anyway.  However, I quickly realized we would not be moving to another, warmer room, so I had to ask for my coat back.  Less than five minutes later, I donned my gloves.  The student explained that she and her new husband really don’t  find Hangzhou cold enough to warrant heating (that particular night the temperature was -1 degrees Celsius!).  I couldn’t wait for my colleague to arrive and gauge his reaction – I know he keeps the heat on in his apartment 24 hrs. a day (at least I turn mine off when I’m not home!)  Sure enough, when he arrived, he kept his coat on the entire time.  Over dinner, he and I were huddled around the dining room table, glancing at each other and rolling our eyes.  We really couldn’t get warm.  We were just trying to figure out how quickly we could leave without offending our hosts!  We were freezing, despite the fact that we are both from Canada (he from Ottawa/me Vancouver)!  Strangely enough, it did seem warmer once we got outside!   

In the meantime, I sit back and fantasize about my future life in Vancouver.  My needs are simple now: an apartment with central heating, a comfortable sofa, and a television with unlimited English programming – that’s my new dream! When I return home, I will certainly be more thankful for the daily comforts we take for granted in the west.

Tags: 1

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 6:48 am and is filed under 1. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.