First and foremost, if you consider China to be a first world country, think again. (This was cause of great yellow team debate - which the girls won with the help of google.) China is a third world, developing country and very much closed to any form of free press. Government controls what one is allowed to read, hear or watch. This means, among other things, that google searches aren’t as easy as in South Africa. Certain websites are blocked and therefore this is not a history or geography lesson. Count your lucky stars… See this as cultural studies 101.
Chinese people eat a lot of noodles and most of them quite hot. If your fifth grade teacher told you that China’s famous for their rice, I hate to inform you but she was wrong. And please don’t let your Chinese take away friend fool you – there’s no such thing as sweet sour pork! (This was quite the disappointment.)
People in China drive like crazy monkeys. Really they do! We had a taxi driver going up the wrong side of the road, dodging busses, cars, bicycles and people to avoid slower moving traffic! They rarely stop at traffic lights and instead of indicating to change lanes to pass the vehicle in front, they hoot until the poor person – usually someone on a tricycle, moves out of the way. To warn oncoming traffic, pedestrians, or just anyone in a hearing distance of about 5miles they hoot as they approach a corner. Crossing the road is always a risk, we’re all busy with a practical “walk of faith” and as for public transport - I’d take a taxi driver in Johannesburg city centre any day…
Hygiene must have 5 different definitions in their dictionary. If people themselves are really clean and well presented, you expect their homes and towns to look the same, wouldn’t you? Well, they don’t! I can give them credit in that they try. More than once have I seen a lady sweeping even the roads – but to no avail. Around every corner, in every alley, where you turn chances are there you’ll find something resembling what we at home call a rubbish dump.
The strangest thing of China and apparently the whole of Asia are there toilets. How can you be one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world and still through your toilet paper into a bin next to the loo? Has no one figured out proper sanitary devices work? While we’re on the bathroom topic… Kids do not wear diapers. Chinese people like it easy. Toddlers wear pants with a kind of split in front and at the back, this means that parents merely have to pull open the split for the little kid to go to the bathroom. What concerns me is how cold their poor little bottoms have to be…
People in China smoke. A lot. Now there’s various explanations for this. One might be that smoking could be healthier than actually breathing the polluted air, another that at 15 yaun a carton smoking is cheaper than eating. Whatever it is, fact stays. Chinese smoke a lot! Interestingly enough I’ve only seen one woman smoke or spit. That brings me to my next slightly disturbing observation. People spit everywhere. I think it might have something to do with the polluted air… Maybe?
Everything might be made in China but that does not mean that it’s all that much cheaper. If it is, chances are it is fake. Still, if you ever want to travel China, come with nothing and buy everything here! They have beautiful clothes! Just diet beforehand because anything bigger than a size 32 is a concept they do not grasp. Vegetables are really cheap! We cooked a vegetable pasta for 4 people with 8.5 yuan. Fruit on the other hand is really expensive. The best thing about China has to be the 1 yuan ice cream and for an extra 50cents you can have THE BEST ICE CREAM IN THE WORLD – Oatmeal Ice Cream Bar! It might sound strange but trust me it tastes like a slice of heaven… This is also the easiest way to have real chocolate!
China and the Chinese people might have some weird customs but that they are friendly! We were taken into their homes and fed more than once. They want to learn, they want to know more! They are so welcoming and so open… We were put to shame to think that these people are more hospitable than we could ever be!
China was such a blessing! As yellow team we got to know and love so many people. Our hearts go out to those so kind and so ‘good’ yet so lost. Please keep on praying for our friends, the ones who blessed us and loved us. Pray with us that the light we lit might keep on shining that they’ll hunger to know more and more about the God we praise!
Until next time yellow says to have a slice of custard crumble cake and how many teaspoons of sunshine do you take??????