This past week I passed the three month mark in China. Here's a short summary of what I've learned, what I love, what I hate, and what surprises me about living in the Middle Kingdom.
What I love: The food. It's by far some of the best food I've ever had.
The classes. They are interesting, if not a bit disorganized. I'm learning a lot.
My bike: It may be a piece of junk, but it's the best way around the city. I think mountain biking is in my future...
Making friends at CSL class.
The food. I know I said it before, but it's so incredibly good! It makes life in Chengdu worth living.
What I hate: Riding a bicycle/on the floor loogie spitters. The Chinese spit like no other people on earth. Most of the time this doesn't bother me, except for those two exceptions above.
The general disorganization of everything.
The foreigner tax.
General dishonesty.
Racism.
Chinese organized tours. They really suck.
What surprises me: The lack of hills in Chengdu. I've been riding my bike around the city for three months and have not encountered a hill yet. Not even a small one.
The awesome apartment I live in. I wasn't really expecting anything this nice, but we really lucked out.
Meeting another American who knows Chinese Sign Language.
The driving. Insane. Mad. Crazy.
What I've learned: The phrase "I don't eat innards, head or feet."
That you might not always get what you ask for when buying things. People take the liberty to give you more than you want, thus charging more(rounding up, of course!).
It's good to always back everything up with an email or three.
Flashing lights means: "MOVE!!!" Horns mean: "Don't make any sudden moves!"
Ignoring the crossing guards is perfectly acceptable.
Pretending that you don't speak Chinese can be very useful. It helps you get away with things you otherwise couldn't.
The clerks at Trustmart will under no circumstances give you the discount card. They won't even tell you how to get one.
People with sticks sell the cheapest fruit.
Anything sold on the street is good.
That's just a short summary. I'll be updating again at the six month mark.
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