Stuff I’ve Learned

1. Any food you eat in bed tastes exponentially better.

2. It’s okay to admit you hate camping. When I was younger, I sort of made myself believe I liked the outdoors because most of the guys I was interested in were mountain men on the side. The truth is, I like hot showers and seafood buffets and soft hotel beds, so sue me!  On the plus side, when you admit that out loud, you find the people who feel the same way. Amazing.

3. Something more expensive that will last over time is a much better deal than cheaper and easily broken. This is especially true of shoes and appliances.

4. The question is not “Are you single?” The question should be: “Are there any girls who you know think they’re your girlfriend?”

5. Sometimes what is holding us back is the fear of our own success, either because we don’t think we deserve it, or we don’t want the responsibility that comes with it.

6. A guy who wants to help you carry your bags or pay for things doesn’t necessarily think you’re incompetent or needy; it’s sometimes just how he learned to show he’s interested in you. It’s okay to accept these things graciously. And to give back. 

7. A man who makes you laugh is 90% of the way to smoochville.

8. We don’t always know what people have been through in their lives. It’s okay to feel forgiveness and compassion when they’ve let their past influence them to be someone who hurts you.  It’s also okay, if the situation warrants, to not let them have access to hurt you again.

9. First Class? Very often, worth the extra money.

10. Cheese is really, really, really, really good and eating it while you ponder can help you solve a lot of problems.

Shell Shock, Eyeballs, and the Shopping Cart Conundrum

1. I made it back to the U.S. with no problems or delays, all luggage in hand. It is miraculous we can fly halfway around the world in less then two days. I am really grateful for my smooth sailing trip.

2. Being home...has been an adjustment. I feel a little shell-shocked by everything around me. It'll pass, but I've spent some time trying to absorb this lifestyle again. I'm really critical of some of the things I see around me, and I didn't expect that. I'll talk more about this later.

3. I've already experienced some fish-out-of-water moments: I accidentally spoke to someone in Chinese at the Los Angeles airport. I went to the grocery store in the middle of the night (hello, jetlag!) and when I was done checking out, I couldn't remember what to do with my cart. Do I return it to the front of the store? Leave it at the cashier's station? I honestly could not remember. And there was no one else around for me to look at as an example. I took it back to the front of the store, just in case. (In China, you leave them at the cashier's station, because it is someone's assigned job to collect the carts.)

4. I wore my contacts on the plane. I didn't think it would be a big deal, and I took them out overnight, but on the last leg of my flight my eyes had had enough. I underestimated how dry airplane air is and when I took out the contact from my right eye, it pulled a little bit off skin with it. My vision is really blurry now in this eye, and it's getting a little better everyday, but slower recovery than I am comfortable with. So I am breaking down and calling our doctor about it. I hope it's just temporary and the eye will heal itself. If not, there are always contacts and glasses, no biggie. But I'm never wearing contacts on an airplane again! So I have been staying off the computer in order to give my eyes some rest.

I'm doing better on the jetlag, but I caught a cold. All these strange germs! So it's been hard to stay awake these past few days.  But I am in fact very happy to be with my family and friends, and I leave soon to visit my grandma. I'm really looking forward to seeing my extended family.

You'd Think This Would Be An Easy Thing To Remember...

The tour guide who led me around JinSha Relic Site gave me a mic to wear so we could keep in touch while I checked things out close up. Related: I think he had been trained how to conduct tours for Westerners because he stood really far away from me at all times. I couldn't figure out if he were standing unnaturally far away, or if I have just become so accustomed to having no personal space it seemed super far away but was actually normal Western spacing. I think this means I'm totally going to embarrass myself in America by standing 6 inches from someone in line at Target.* But I digress....

So he and I were both wearing mics, and mid-way through the tour I needed to use the bathroom. I went on my way and it wasn't until I was washing my hands that I realized my mic was still on. OOPS. I was mortified! I hope that either A: we were far enough out of range of each other that he couldn't hear me or B: he turned his mic off.

Note to self: when peeing, turn off all transmission equipment.

*I'm pretty much planning on going to SuperTarget everyday I'm home. It's my happy place.

Ci Qi Kou Pictures

There's a restored neighborhood/tourist trap in Chongqing called Ci Qi Kou (pronounced 'sih chee ko'). This past week was my first trip there since I moved to CQ last year. I took these pictures more toward the outskirts of the neighborhood, where the shops end and the homes begins; this part is not as restored, but I thought it was more interesting. As always, click to enlarge!

Ci Qi Kou hillside view:

Little boys playing hide and seek in an alleyway:

I covet this chest!

My friends:

Dragon decorations:

Please don't ask me what this means, I have no idea!:

Btw, Chongqing is pronounced 'chong ching', so whenever I read about people imitating the Chinese language by saying, 'Ching Chong China' I always think, 'No, but there is Chongqing, China!'

Daily Life Part I: Makin' Copies, Makin' Friends

I thought maybe a little glimpse into the daily life of China might be interesting. These posts will involve lots of pictures. The idea is to let you "see" what it is like to live in my part of China. If it isn't interesting, no worries, I won't keep it going. (Click pictures to enlarge.)

First, the local copy shop. When I need anything xeroxed or printed, this is where I go. You can make 70 copies or 35 printed pages for the equivalent of $1.00 USD. The lady who always helps me wasn't there today, and she is ALWAYS there, so now I am worried about here. I'll go back tomorrow to check on her. She doesn't speak Mandarin, she only speaks the local dialect, so I have a hard time talking with her, but she is very nice and we are friendly with each other. This is the front door of the shop.

Inside view. They might have Kinko's-style copy places in the East, but not out here. It's empty right now because most students are done with classes. During the school year it gets quite crowded in there!

This lady sells fried veggie dumplings and potatoes everyday on the sidewalk outside my gate, and is also someone I am friendly with. (She was shy about having her picture taken.) She prefers speaking the local dialect, but she understands Mandarin. We always smile and say hello when I walk by, even when I am not buying anything. One thing about being a foreigner, everyone remembers you! The carts of fruit you see next to her usually sell some seasonal fruits, so their product changes all year round. In the background is a small shop selling school supplies.

This little fruit stand is just outside the gate of my school. They also recognize me and know I always buy three bananas and three apples, which are available year round. It's good to buy from the same sellers because they get to know you and it helps their business if you shop there. (Locals want to shop where foreigners shop.) On the corner you can see a little stand selling bottled drinks and cigarettes. These little stands/stalls are located about every hundred feet. There is no excuse for going thirsty or smokeless in China!