The relationships in china always start in an unexpected way. My favorite teacher, Mrs Li, came up to me in the office one day and said, “I think we will be friends.” and that was it! Anything I mentioned, she sprung into action and got it done. This is the same teacher that brought me to my first Chinese wedding and took me to the fashion factory. When it was just starting to get cold, she asked me one day when I was free to go to the factory again, because she thought I wasn't wearing enough clothes. A common phrase I was told by all of my co-workers who were shocked that I wore short-sleeves in 70 degree weather! This was around Christmas time, so I was very busy. “How many classes do you have this afternoon, let me see.” she said grabbing my schedule and walking away. When she came back a few minutes later she said, “OK now you have no classes, we go to the factory. This is Ms. Qian she has the car.”
And that was it. I grabbed my purse and we were out the door at 2 pm on a Monday! They both teach 7th grade with me but are not even English teachers. Ms Li had been practicing her English with me, but was still very limited and Ms Qian admitted she hadn't used her spoken English in 20 years! But it didn't matter, we all three looked through the beautiful clothes pointing out pieces to each other and giving the yes or no without any words. After I had tried on a few things and was making my purchase, Ms Qian pleads with me, “This boring, this fashion! Yes?” So obviously I had to buy both! The one I wanted and the one that made her smile, how do you say no to that?
Fast forward to present day, we just celebrated sweep day, which is a holiday where you go and sweep the graves to remember your ancestors. The odd part is the extremes, where you can buy paper money to burn for your ancestors along with a large variety of other things they might need in the after life. Paper shirt and tie, cell phones, shoes, anything you can think of! There was a whole store dedicated to sweep day supplies, upon future inspection I saw the English translation on the fake money read HELL NOTE! That being said, a 3 day weekend is a 3 day weekend and I will take it! Well, let’s clarify, a china 3 day weekend means that you work on Saturday to make up for the missed school day, and then have Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday as a 3-day weekend. Oh China!
The teachers all asked me what I would do on the time off, and I said I wanted to go to the beach. I wasn't asking anyone to spring into action, but Ms Li quickly produced Ms Qian and said she would “ride me to the beach” with her family! After awhile I understood that this was not the beach, but a lake and she would call with details. I was nervous about a day trip where I wouldn't be able to communicate but I had already committed, so I was excited to make the best of it. In Chinese grammar you ask a question and end it with “yes?” for good or “no?” for bad. So I hear the phrase often and understand they are asking yes or no. But I can rarely understand the rest of the sentence. After struggling to understand and nodding along the yes, or good response just comes out! Then you stop and think, what did I just agree to?! That is how I committed to this 8am lake trip.
It had been warm all week so I wore my swimsuit and a summer dress over top, however, in typical china fashion, once I walked outside it was freezing. Since I was running late, in typical Christy fashion, I told myself not to worry about going back to change and hopefully it would warm up. It didn't! Adding insult to injury, my teacher was determined that I should wear her extra jacket, size 2! She motioned for me to tie it over my shoulders or just use the arms. I felt like Chris McFarley in Tommy boy, “fat man in a little coat!” I wasn't that cold, except the occasional breeze. I was delighted that she brought along her husband, who spoke perfect English!, and 7th grade daughter who also had impressive English, and was overly excited to meet me and practice her English. The girl’s best friend came as well with her parents. It was such a perfect group, the wives seemed to be very close and the girls acted like sisters, both fathers giving equal attention to both.
The lake was in a city beside Shenzhen about 2hours away. I was thinking we would swim in the lake, but the inside was called, “flower city” and you walked the paths around the lake and took pictures with all the different flowers. Another reason I feel right at home in China is the picture obsession! Everywhere I go, I feel like it’s a photo shoot, and everyone else does the same thing. I quickly realized I was the only foreigner there, and by the shock on people's faces - maybe the first foreigner in this smaller city. Each patch of flowers, I would pose for a picture with the girls, and then another with the moms, and another with the whole group - of coarse with all 3 cameras! I didn't have anyone ask me for one-on-one pictures but whenever we posed for group shots everyone passing by took out their cameras as well. We went out to lunch as a family to the spiciest Chinese restaurant on earth, that seems to be everyone’s favorite. I need to stop saying I like any food and it doesn’t matter where we go, because I often end up with my mouth on fire. After grimacing during the first 2 dishes the father literally called the waiter over to change the order, apparently the spicy dishes were still to come! And I couldn't even take the mild dishes. But they were wonderfully accommodating even though I insisted I was fine and not hungry (lying).
We went to another “flower pool” after lunch but when we got there, the entrance was backed up. Another difference in China, they turn the car off and walk up to yell at the cars blocking the way. Apparently there was a small accident and the police where on their way. In the meanwhile all the drivers had formed a mob and forced the 2 drivers in an accident to move out of the way. They even stood and directed them as the police arrived, with nothing to do! The driver of our car runs back to the driver’s seat of our car and says, “we fixed it.” and that was it! No problem. Another example of how Chinese people just do whatever they want! I love it!
After a little while at the park, we make our way back home and the friend’s parents invite us all to dinner, this time at a crazy sweet restaurant! Most likely chosen to please my wimpy palate after the spicy lunch! It was just so fun and I was the honored guest the whole time. When they dropped me off they said next time hot springs! I said “thank you” and “yes yes” to everything they asked me. Thinking is was like the US, “we should do this again sometime.” meaning that was fun. No. In China it means the next free moment you have, we will go! So last night it was hot springs spa night! The teacher came up to me at school and grabbed a piece of paper. I was shocked that she could write me a note in English, even though we had never spoken in English. Well, she spoke to me in Chinese and I answered in English, with a few Chinese words thrown in! So she invited me and a friend to come to dinner and the spa with the only instructions, to bring a swimsuit.
When me and Anne, the American teacher near her daughters school/ my new best friend, come to her house, it was just us and the teacher. I was very excited to be the one with the best Chinese/ overwhelmed and frustrated. That didn't keep her from giving us a tour of her home and all the beautiful paintings from all her travels. She is as good at the gestures and facial expressions as I am! So we had an almost wordless conversation for about an hour! And surprisingly it was very entertaining, notice I said wordless but definitely not silent!
As soon as her daughter and husband came home, she ran to get them to translate everything we had been trying to say. Some of the stories where a lot funnier in the version we had put together in our heads, and I was sad to be corrected. But we all had a good laugh about it. She said her husband goes somewhere once a week, and we assumed it was he travels. So I said “good he goes to make that money.” And she said “what I understand as she likes him but she likes the money better.” And we all did the money money money dance and hugged! The real story is that he plays poker with his friends and he lost all his money. We all pouted for a moment and then I told him we thought he was out making money and broke into the money money money dance again with the wife! I wonder what they must think of this crazy, laughing, dancing foreigner? But everyone smiled and hugged me, so I kept dancing!
And that was it. I grabbed my purse and we were out the door at 2 pm on a Monday! They both teach 7th grade with me but are not even English teachers. Ms Li had been practicing her English with me, but was still very limited and Ms Qian admitted she hadn't used her spoken English in 20 years! But it didn't matter, we all three looked through the beautiful clothes pointing out pieces to each other and giving the yes or no without any words. After I had tried on a few things and was making my purchase, Ms Qian pleads with me, “This boring, this fashion! Yes?” So obviously I had to buy both! The one I wanted and the one that made her smile, how do you say no to that?
Fast forward to present day, we just celebrated sweep day, which is a holiday where you go and sweep the graves to remember your ancestors. The odd part is the extremes, where you can buy paper money to burn for your ancestors along with a large variety of other things they might need in the after life. Paper shirt and tie, cell phones, shoes, anything you can think of! There was a whole store dedicated to sweep day supplies, upon future inspection I saw the English translation on the fake money read HELL NOTE! That being said, a 3 day weekend is a 3 day weekend and I will take it! Well, let’s clarify, a china 3 day weekend means that you work on Saturday to make up for the missed school day, and then have Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday as a 3-day weekend. Oh China!
The teachers all asked me what I would do on the time off, and I said I wanted to go to the beach. I wasn't asking anyone to spring into action, but Ms Li quickly produced Ms Qian and said she would “ride me to the beach” with her family! After awhile I understood that this was not the beach, but a lake and she would call with details. I was nervous about a day trip where I wouldn't be able to communicate but I had already committed, so I was excited to make the best of it. In Chinese grammar you ask a question and end it with “yes?” for good or “no?” for bad. So I hear the phrase often and understand they are asking yes or no. But I can rarely understand the rest of the sentence. After struggling to understand and nodding along the yes, or good response just comes out! Then you stop and think, what did I just agree to?! That is how I committed to this 8am lake trip.
It had been warm all week so I wore my swimsuit and a summer dress over top, however, in typical china fashion, once I walked outside it was freezing. Since I was running late, in typical Christy fashion, I told myself not to worry about going back to change and hopefully it would warm up. It didn't! Adding insult to injury, my teacher was determined that I should wear her extra jacket, size 2! She motioned for me to tie it over my shoulders or just use the arms. I felt like Chris McFarley in Tommy boy, “fat man in a little coat!” I wasn't that cold, except the occasional breeze. I was delighted that she brought along her husband, who spoke perfect English!, and 7th grade daughter who also had impressive English, and was overly excited to meet me and practice her English. The girl’s best friend came as well with her parents. It was such a perfect group, the wives seemed to be very close and the girls acted like sisters, both fathers giving equal attention to both.
The lake was in a city beside Shenzhen about 2hours away. I was thinking we would swim in the lake, but the inside was called, “flower city” and you walked the paths around the lake and took pictures with all the different flowers. Another reason I feel right at home in China is the picture obsession! Everywhere I go, I feel like it’s a photo shoot, and everyone else does the same thing. I quickly realized I was the only foreigner there, and by the shock on people's faces - maybe the first foreigner in this smaller city. Each patch of flowers, I would pose for a picture with the girls, and then another with the moms, and another with the whole group - of coarse with all 3 cameras! I didn't have anyone ask me for one-on-one pictures but whenever we posed for group shots everyone passing by took out their cameras as well. We went out to lunch as a family to the spiciest Chinese restaurant on earth, that seems to be everyone’s favorite. I need to stop saying I like any food and it doesn’t matter where we go, because I often end up with my mouth on fire. After grimacing during the first 2 dishes the father literally called the waiter over to change the order, apparently the spicy dishes were still to come! And I couldn't even take the mild dishes. But they were wonderfully accommodating even though I insisted I was fine and not hungry (lying).
We went to another “flower pool” after lunch but when we got there, the entrance was backed up. Another difference in China, they turn the car off and walk up to yell at the cars blocking the way. Apparently there was a small accident and the police where on their way. In the meanwhile all the drivers had formed a mob and forced the 2 drivers in an accident to move out of the way. They even stood and directed them as the police arrived, with nothing to do! The driver of our car runs back to the driver’s seat of our car and says, “we fixed it.” and that was it! No problem. Another example of how Chinese people just do whatever they want! I love it!
After a little while at the park, we make our way back home and the friend’s parents invite us all to dinner, this time at a crazy sweet restaurant! Most likely chosen to please my wimpy palate after the spicy lunch! It was just so fun and I was the honored guest the whole time. When they dropped me off they said next time hot springs! I said “thank you” and “yes yes” to everything they asked me. Thinking is was like the US, “we should do this again sometime.” meaning that was fun. No. In China it means the next free moment you have, we will go! So last night it was hot springs spa night! The teacher came up to me at school and grabbed a piece of paper. I was shocked that she could write me a note in English, even though we had never spoken in English. Well, she spoke to me in Chinese and I answered in English, with a few Chinese words thrown in! So she invited me and a friend to come to dinner and the spa with the only instructions, to bring a swimsuit.
When me and Anne, the American teacher near her daughters school/ my new best friend, come to her house, it was just us and the teacher. I was very excited to be the one with the best Chinese/ overwhelmed and frustrated. That didn't keep her from giving us a tour of her home and all the beautiful paintings from all her travels. She is as good at the gestures and facial expressions as I am! So we had an almost wordless conversation for about an hour! And surprisingly it was very entertaining, notice I said wordless but definitely not silent!
As soon as her daughter and husband came home, she ran to get them to translate everything we had been trying to say. Some of the stories where a lot funnier in the version we had put together in our heads, and I was sad to be corrected. But we all had a good laugh about it. She said her husband goes somewhere once a week, and we assumed it was he travels. So I said “good he goes to make that money.” And she said “what I understand as she likes him but she likes the money better.” And we all did the money money money dance and hugged! The real story is that he plays poker with his friends and he lost all his money. We all pouted for a moment and then I told him we thought he was out making money and broke into the money money money dance again with the wife! I wonder what they must think of this crazy, laughing, dancing foreigner? But everyone smiled and hugged me, so I kept dancing!
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