Monday, February 23, 2009

what goes on.

oh my. where to start.
china is so fun. and so exhausting.

so. to start off, i have been thinking.
at the end of every day when i am laying on my piece of plywood, i think about how lucky i have been throughout my life. i have been blessed with so many wonderful things throughout my life and most of those things came from the hard work of my parents. they have worked so hard for what they have, and i guess i never realized it before now, but i have taken them for granted for so long. living is hard work. and trying to live your own life and raise seven children is even harder.
so thank you mom and dad for working so hard. thank you for your examples of hard work and instilling in us the knowledge that even though life isn't always easy. it is always worth it.

oh hey! there have been a few more things that i have noticed about my friends, the chinese. let me share them with you:
1. if they don't have change at the store, too bad. you get candy instead. or if they are out of candy--no change at all. i guess it all balances out eventually, but i want to know if i can bring the candy back in exchange for change. it is a mystery that will remain unsolved.
2. the chinese put out cherry tomatoes like they are strawberries. they are NOT strawberries, they are tomatoes, and should not be served with a bowl of oranges. it just isn't nice to make me think that they are strawberries.
3. there is no such thing as waiting in line. if you are in a line, you are going to be in that line all day. i have begun to learn how to push and shove my way through china. i feel really rude doing it, but if everyone else is pushin me, i'm gonna push back. sorry!
4. the chinese people sell american money as if it were a long lost treasure. a package of two, 1 dollar bills, cost 40 yuan. or about 6 american dollars. no thank you. 1 dollar is worth 1 dollar.
5. if you are at dinner with someone and they give you a roll of toilet paper, it isn't for you to take to the bathroom. it's for you to wipe your hands on. i guess they've never heard of a napkin.
6. if you are in the bathroom and need some toilet paper. instead of a roll of toilet paper, they will hand you a box of kleenex tissues. i think they've got their tissues a little mixed up.
7. when eating something, don't ask questions about what it is you are eating. sometimes it is better not to know. i found this out last night when i ate what i thought was the inside lining of a pig intestine mixed with peppers. it turned out to be worse.
8. there are few chinese people who know english and the ones that do, probably don't know what they are saying. we went into a store the other day, around 8pm, and were greeted with a friendly "good morning!" from all the employees. it was pretty funny.
9. because it is still the winter season, every one still dresses in long pants and long sleeve shirts. even though it is about 80 degrees outside. the worst is when the little kids at school are dressed in 3 or 4 layers of long sleeve shirts and you have to peel them off one layer at a time. they are sweating as soon as they get to school. eek.
10. the chinese have no sense of when they should stop doing construction. there are two buildings being built right next to our apartment, and the construction never stops. it starts up at about 4 in the morning and gets quieter around 1am, but if you are really listening you can hear the clink, clink, clink of the hammers going at it.

all is well in chinatown. life is good. and china is so smelly. it is getting hotter and hotter. and more and more humid as the days go on. my hair loves it.

until next time.
peace and love from the chiner.

2 comments:

tifsong said...

dear linds. i LOVE reading your chiner updates. and seeing your glorious pictures. sincerely. you're a gem.

Chelsey said...

Lindsey! I am so glad you are loving China. We love you. Have you had your wedding dress made yet.