Week 3: Expat Exploits

Note: When I say "exploits" in my title, let it be clear that I mean "a striking or notable deed" and not "to utilize, especially for profit" or "to advance or further through exploitation."

The first week of my internship is in the books, much less productive and busy than I anticipated. My daily routine consists of a sweaty one-hour commute (bus-subway-transfer subway-short walk on the way there, one-hour bus ride on the way back) each way, lunch with various company employees where I ask and answer the same set of basic questions, and a whole lot of sitting at my desk trying to stay busy. Ocassionally I’ll have a proofreading/editing assignment thrown my way, but most of the time I’m reading various documents and guides for my personal knowledge. Almost all of the top lawyers in the office are out of the country on business, so hopefully when they come back next week there will be more to do. In another exciting development, I may have a few English language tutoring gigs coming up, helping people study for the Gao Kao (big entry test for college, equivalent to the SAT but more important) or TOEFL.

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Due to rave reviews from my bolded list format previously as well as several questions about my adjustment to life in China, I’ve decided to come back with another list and accompanying bolded sentences. Cheers to breaking up long paragraphs.

Things I miss about the US of A

1. Ease of Commuting: In San Diego, a 25 minute drive to work was a tiresome task, traffic-induced driving speeds below 50 mph were frustrating, and avoiding a few fixies and/or were the extent of my hassles on the road. Here, anything above 25 mph is seen as solid movement, an hour commute is bearable (my first attempted route took two hours, with traffic getting so bad that the bus driver turned off his engine numerous times), and I am constantly scared to cross the street due to cars that do not yield to pedestrians, mopeds which honk rather than slow down, and bicyclists which waffle around treacherously.

1a. Personal Space: Getting on to the subway (and certain bus routes) during busy times goes something like this: edge forward in a giant mob, getting pushed from behind which forces involuntary pushing of whoever’s in front of you, protecting your belongings by wearing you backpack on your stomach, all while navigating to hopefully avoid standing next to people who smell funky. Ultimately, if you are able to get on without getting smushed by the closing door, it's a good day.

2. Community: This one is the obvious one and probably the most difficult to deal with on a daily basis. I miss seeing my friends (probably you, if you're taking the time to read this blog right now) on a routine basis, chatting about whatever is going on and just spending quality time with everyone’s beautiful faces. Now, I feel like most chats are a frantic endeavor due to limited internet time or time difference or an overwhelming feeling of too-much-to-catch-up-on. However, I am working to creating a local community. I found an international church (hopefully more on this in a future post) that offers small groups which I hope to get plugged into, and I've also been connected with a Peking University student who seems extremely friendly and helpful. Don’t want anyone to think that I’m miserable or depressed over here, in case these few things accidentally hint at such.

3. Trusting what you buy: Everytime I make a purchase, eat out, or get in a cab, I have a slightly nervous feeling that I’m getting jipped, getting poisoned, or getting charged an extra fee because I am American. I’m usually pretty good at blending in and not revealing my identity as a foreigner (Read: keeping dialog to a minimum), but it’s still slightly taxing compared to everyday life in the states. All these rumors about using Di Gou oil in restaurants (from what I understand, re-using dirty cooking oil that is collected from ditches in order to save money on cooking costs), fake eggs, recycled leather shoes mixed in with stuff, and who knows what else results in a near-constant paranoia. Luckily, I’ve avoided any cases of explosive diarrhea… thus far.

4. Live Sports: This one is a minor quibble given my relatively short time here, but I miss being able to watch baseball and basketball games live and/or on TV. The CBA isn’t even in session, so I can’t even go see washed up-NBAers Stephon Marbury (who inexplicably just had his own statue erected in Beijing after the Ducks won the championship this year) and Bonzi Wells light up Chinese players.

5. A Certain Someone: It’s rather difficult going so long without seeing someone you’re used to spending time with on a semi-weekly basis, especially given the lack of available web cam technology at my disposal. For now, I just have to make-do with old fashioned telephone conversations while inquisitive relatives ask for more details, banking on the eventual reunion which should rox in a box, or something to that effect.

Next time, I shall recap some of my favorite things about China, so as not to come off as a whiny American hating on China. I apologize if this post comes off as such. I'll also try to post some photos, both notable and unnotable deeds included.