Settling In

You know before you leave for a trip to somewhere you've never been and you have these ideas in your head of how it's going to be?  And then you get there and you pretty much forget everything you had envisioned because it's nothing like that at all?  Yeah, that's pretty much how it's been.

When I think about September 6th, I still feel like it is light years away.  But, when I think about how I've been here for over 3 weeks, it feels like a blur.  I noticed late last week changes in my behavior that suggest things are becoming comfortable.  For example, I no longer watch the map in the subway in fear of missing my stop and whether it's a good thing or not, I no longer fear the drinking water that's given to me at restaurants.  I'm getting into a routine, which is great because I'm like a dog and thrive on routine.  I'm understanding weather patterns and while I love the feel of the sun on my face, I know now when I wake up to blue skies and sun that it will be exceptionally hot and I'll likely be sweating non-stop.  I also now know that if I wake up and it's raining, it will rain intermittently on and off all morning and if I leave I better have an umbrella (learned that one the hard way).   I got a vocabulary lesson from some of the girls I sit by at work so I can ask basic things that require a yes or no answer from the person I'm asking.  For example "Chicken?" "Pork?" "No spicy" "To-go".  Oddly enough I have already figured out how to signal for more beer…no Mandarin necessary. And, probably the best thing, the morning staff at the breakfast buffet now recognize me and I no longer have to ask for a to-go box and my coffee is made for my by the time I'm done filling my container.  I prefer to eat in my room so I can multitask or talk on the phone.

Ironically, if you read my last post, my coworker asked me as we walked back from lunch last week "In the US, if someone just walks in front of you, like we do here, is that considered rude?", to which I smiled and said yes.  I also learned from another coworker who is Chinese, but raised in Indonesia that she is admittedly more direct than Chinese who were raised here and she said she is often perceived as rude.  And while many of my coworkers speak amazing English, they get very nervous in US restaurants due to lack of pictures on the menus and, what to them are, elaborate descriptions of the food.  One also told me she stood in a crosswalk and waited for a car to pass that honked at her, and it took her a minute to realize he was honking so she could walk, not the other way around as it is here.  A group of us had a good laugh the other night talking about different customs and how many things are opposite between here and the US.

Well, week 4 is off to a great start, and even though I'm living and working through the same days per week as all of you, I still feel like time is going by faster, especially when I'm thinking about Tuesday as everyone in the US is just starting their Mondays.  I bought some Chinese Herbal Tea from the Chinese Medicine store today, with the help of my coworkers.  I'm set on learning as much as possible about traditional Chinese herbal medicine and remedies as possible.  

I hope everyone had a great 4th!  I went over to Hong Kong and spent it with some friends.  One American friend from college, a Brit and 2 Aussies.  They all dressed in red, white and blue in honor of our holiday and we ended up having dinner at a Southern BBQ place owned and operated by a dude from North Carolina.  The BBQ was ridic and the sauces were heavenly.  It was a great time!

Cheers!