Living It China-style

To give you a better sense of where I’m at and what I’m doing, the following list is a compilation of tasks and events that have become a big part of my life. I forewarn you that some may be shocking but I swear that it IS the lifestyle here and there is no way to avoid such things.

- Getting stuffed in a bus. Sometimes, you’d pay the fare at the front of the bus and enter from the back door because it’s just too packed at the front. One time, I had someone's hair in my face and smelt three different odours at once. In that same situation, I was standing at an angle and I would have fallen down if it weren't for the five people around me who were standing right against me, holding my body up.

- Eating meats that are beyond the Western menu, such as frog, dog and other animals that are good enough to be cooked...which is pretty much all of them.

- Enjoying squat holes, instead of toilets. (Secret: It comes out easier that way for girls...)

- Riding a bike through red lights or in the opposite direction. (The key is to ride in a crowd so you have less chances of getting hit.)

- Deciding on daily meals by always asking myself with the first question, ‘Do I want noodles, rice or dumplings?’ and then go from there.

- Spitting. (I know – it’s gross but it’s convenient when no one around you cares. Also, at this time of the year, there is constantly a mild cold bugging me so it’s nice to get the phlegm out. Haha, gross - in Toronto!)

- Not minding the tacky TV ads on the bus. There are too many, I’m not sure which one to share with you! One of my favourites: A boyfriend dumps a girl and leaves the room while the girl pouts. Then, he re-enters the room and the girl lightens up but he turns off the light instead. The moral to the story is that you should not waste electricity.

- Eating sheng1 jian1 baos1 but always being squirted on by its juice because it’s just so crunchy on the outside that you bite fast and the juice comes out unexpectedly in different directions.


[Yummy sheng1 jian1 baos1! Crispy at the top, juicy in the middle!]


[This sign does not help with the issue.]

- Pushing and shoving in a crowd in order to get onto the subway. I do it the nice way – walking into people with my bag in the front so I’m not really using my hands.

- Getting used to slow service, with the exception of food. People will guarantee you that they will arrive within a time range and then they’d come late – about an hour after the proposed time range.

- Doing peace signs in every photo taken (because it’s just the cool thing to do.)


[Karoake night with coworkers]

- Bargaining for products, services, anything!!! (unless it’s an international company, like McDonalds).

- Purchasing cheap massages (and I mean, CHEAP! $5 CDN can get you an hour foot massage).

- Understanding that when it rains, no matter what you do, the water will still leak into your rain jacket, making it useless, so you're literally swimming on land.

- Watching my step ALL the time because there is either spit or broken tiles, which, when stepped on, will splash dirty water all over my pants. I learned this the hard way.


The following are things I’ve yet to experience but eventually will because it’s just part of the culture here.

- Walk out publicly in flannel pyjamas and fuzzy slippers to go to the grocery store and run other errands. I sometimes feel like I’m at a pyjama party at the supermarket because everyone’s doing it.

- Become good at Mah-jong and play somewhere randomly at a park where there’s tons of tournaments.

- Argue like a madman in public. I’m not sure if I’ll ever experience this but it happens so frequently among citizens that I might burst one time.

- The most obvious: speak fluent Mandarin. This is what I hope for the most. :)

I think I have ESP...

At one point tonight, I felt like I had no idea what to do and I stared at my wall because I had no motivation to do anything, since I didn't know what to do in the first place. I think I sat there for a good few minutes and I was planning to head to the shower to cry everything out, whatever was bugging me (which I still have no clue what was truly bugging me. I know - it sounds strange.)

I didn't end up crying in the shower for some reason. It's as if my mind and body refused me to because everything will be A-okay. And they were right. I opened up my e-mail account and I instantly received messages from people telling me how much they loved and missed me.

I didn't mind the tears coming down at that moment.

It's a phenomenon. It seems I have this extrasensory perception that gave my friends a warning that I wasn't going to be able to hold myself together tonight. Is this how Life is telling me how everything is interconnected and when one is feeling emptiness, the glass is quickly filled again so there should be nothing to worry about?

Hm, if only I could remember this with my forgetful mind...

So You're Canadian, Eh?

In Nanjing, I am often the token Canadian whenever I’m out with other people. When everyone hears that I am Canadian, the stereotypical jokes start firing at me. “Ohhh, so you’re from Baby America ...Did you just say, ‘Eh?’ ...Ew, baseball. Who likes baseball? ...I can’t believe you guys add that extra ‘u’ in some words. And what’s with the weird pronunciation? ABOOT time we mentioned that!”

I’d struggle to defend my country and describe how wonderful Canada is but for some reason, the message never really gets across and the conversation would always end with a rupture of laughter. These several experiences have made me reflect on my Canadian identity but as I searched more, I realized I may not be as Canadian as people expect me to be. Apart from the obvious fact that I don’t live in an igloo, I am not a hockey fan, nor do I watch lacrosse games – two sports that are very much Canadian. I don’t drink Canadian beer and I’ve grown fond of American football, which is a big no-no for Canadians apparently.

However, I am a huge Blue Jays fan and I still like to watch their games, even though they tend to go downhill later in the season. Tim Hortons is a Canadian favourite that I like to gush about and it is the only thing I wish for in China. (Convenient, good and cheap coffee is so hard to find here.) And I actually tend to say, ‘eh’, at the end of my sentences. (I have no idea what the origin of that word is but I can’t recall any of my friends saying it so I think it’s just a part of my personality.)

When I hear other people talk about why they’re proud of their country, there’s a lot of history references and mentions of big name corporations that have marketed famous products internationally. Another hot topic is the country’s sports teams and how one’s team is the best in the world.

I believe the true question of pride is: what has your country done for you? I find it irrelevant for people to say that their country saved so-and-so’s country and how they should take credit for winning numerous wars. There is no pride in war. If there was anything to be proud of, it'd be the peace treaties their country has accomplished or how post-war developments have benefited the citizens of the country and the world. More importantly, one must be proud of the brave souls who were under the unfortunate circumstances to endure such atrocities. Lest we forget.

As a Canadian, I think the reason why we don’t seem to be as patriotic as others is because we are humble of our pride. We already know we belong to a country of greatness and we don’t feel the need to rub it in. We have practical achievements for the majority of Canadians – free health care, freedom of speech, multicultural cities, peace...

It’s like the smart quiet kid in class. Everyone makes fun of him because he’s a nerd and doesn’t say much. In reality, everyone is jealous of this individual because of his intelligence and mindset, which makes him ahead of the game. Everyone else pokes fun at him to make themselves better. It’s purely an ego boost and as a conscious Canadian, I do not take those jokes personally.

I believe it is the experiential aspect of being a Canadian that makes me proud to be a Canadian. Without Canada, I wouldn’t have had the chance to obtain a university degree, to be able to express my thoughts, to meet people from various backgrounds (ethnicity, education, sexual orientation), to have lived through various seasons and weather, to travel internationally, to enjoy foods from different cultures (which makes eating incredibly fun in Toronto). I wouldn’t be living in peace. Most importantly, without Canada, I wouldn’t have met some of the greatest people in the world – my friends. Thanks, Canada.

A good friend showed me photos of her recent trip across Canada and I almost forgot how magnificent Canada was and how much beauty there was in such a grand country. I am embarrassed to not have fully appreciated my own country so it has now become one of my top places to travel. I strongly encourage everyone – Canadians and non-Canadians - to experience all areas of Canada.

November 11th. Remembrance Day. Let’s all remember the history that has shaped our country and also remind ourselves that we are proud to be Canadian.