Molly on China

I've been drafting these long posts on China, different experiences here, and my impressions. None of these have been written up.

Needless to say, we are in China. Or were. Or are. Sort of. We're currently in the Inner Mongolian Autonomus Reigon. It's generally very Chinese, from my brief experiences in China and my learning experiences about Mongolia.

There are several things that have quickly become part of my understanding and day-to-day life.

1) Water is hot.

Water is hot. It never comes with ice. Room temperature water is a blessing and more refereshing than I ever could have expected it to be. Water is either bottled or boiled before drinking. Most bottled water isn't even refrigerated--or at least not nearly to the extent we're used to. However, our showers have also been hot. This is glorious. Also, we are given the chance to try many new drinks (see tea below), because we're not buying water as much when we go out.

2) Toilets are holes in the ground.

Some of these holes in the ground are very nice. Some have things like marble floors and hand holds, but some are simply holes in the ground. You bring your own toilet paper everywhere. You don't always have water or soap to wash your hands. As a result, lots of places give you wet wipes for your hands.

3) Smog.

Cities here are smoggy. Rural areas are dusty. People wear gloves and face masks all the time. When we went to the Summer Palace, Melissa and I climed all the way to the top (somewhat unintentionally). We began to walk up and just didn't stop untill we ran out of up to walk. We looked out across the lake into downtown Beijing. When the Palace had been built you could have looked out and seen for miles, I'd bet. I imagine seeing the sky over taking the ground as the curve of the Earth faded it away from sight. Now, if I move my eyes in the right ways I can make out the outlines of the new sky scrapers. The smog is prodigious. It's like no smog I've ever seen before. Hohhot (Huhhot?) also is fairly smog filled and I'm told UB isn't much better.

4) Tea is everywhere.

In America, we get free water in resturants. Here, we get free tea. I love this. I love this so much. I drink tea the way grad students and over worked office workers drink coffee. Normally I have to pay for a cup of tea and then pay for refills as well. Here I just get tea!

5) Everyone wants to say 'hello!'

People say 'Hello!' to us. People wave. When we smile, wave, and send a salutatory greeting back, they smile as well. Allison told us that we would be a novelty, that many people would stare, but it is a lot less awkward than I expected it to be. I enjoy this small connection we're being given to the places we've visited.

6) Eating 'family style' is just how it's done.

I'm used to ordering my own food at resturants and then occasionally sharing a bite or two with a close friend. Here, every meal is served with standard American sized portions, but instead of having them to yourself, we're sharing. Dishes go on a lazy susan in the center and we're given the chance to try everything. We have these great meal time conversations, discussing what we're eating and what we like about it, being admonished for our awful chopstick skills, and navigating the surprisingly hard act of spinning a lazy susan with eleven hungry people at a table. It makes dinner a lot more interesting.

I'm really enjoying the trip so far. It's just been great. China has been fantastic.