Day 2: Culture Shock?
Our apartment is located about an hour away from downtown Beijing which I am so excited to explore! We can't flush anything down the toilet including toilet paper because the sewer system is too weak to handle it. Also we can't drink water from the faucet because it contains too much metal. These little adjustments are minor compared to the language barrier. Most of the people in the area that we are in don't speak English. Surprisingly though, most of the packages and the signs have a couple of words in English, an accommodation that I'm so thankful for. Living in Eugene, Oregon was a privilege. I had the opportunity and the ability to eat raw and organic food and to know exactly where my products were coming from. In America we don't accommodate for China, everything is written in English and every once in a while, in Spanish. But travel outside the US and I guarantee you English will be available.
The bathroom was the strangest thing I had ever seen. The shower is right next to the toilet with no wall or curtain to separate the two. All of the water goes down the drain, eventually. Every time I shower, the water floods and it takes about 10 minutes for everything to drain. It's an interesting experience to be in the same room as where you use the restroom and where you shower. Many of the public restrooms are squatty potties, meaning that you have to squat in order to use the restroom. It's hard to explain, but maybe a picture will help.
Today was an exhausting day. We woke up at 6 again, I think this is becoming a regular routine until we get curtains. My roommate let me borrow another shirt from her... China is looking out for me by placing me with her because she has been a saint to me. She's been so open and kind to me, offering everything that she has.
My friends and I were taking pictures of ourselves in front of the hotels and a couple of Chinese men started to take pictures of us. Out of everyone, my roommate asked if she could take a picture with them. Before long, more Chinese people joined. It was so funny to watch how curious and in awe they were at the girls. Their white complexion and different styles stood out like a needle in a hay stack. For once, I didn't feel like a minority. Even though I'm brown and Americanized, I share the stories and understanding of coming from an Asian background.
At 9 this morning we all got in a van and drove to Ikea where we got more Yuan currency. We made our way to a mall where I finally got some underwear from Gap. As much as I dislike that store, I didn't have a lot of choices. The longest stop was trying to get our new phones set up so that we could all communicate with one another. Our cab driver took off with 8 of us still in the car while the rest of them were trying to get sims card. We had no idea where he was taking us or what he was doing. We waited while he went inside of a building for over 30 minutes. At first I was really worried because we were stranded in a place we didn't know without our translator and no way to contact anyone. But before long he came out and took us back.
The bathroom was the strangest thing I had ever seen. The shower is right next to the toilet with no wall or curtain to separate the two. All of the water goes down the drain, eventually. Every time I shower, the water floods and it takes about 10 minutes for everything to drain. It's an interesting experience to be in the same room as where you use the restroom and where you shower. Many of the public restrooms are squatty potties, meaning that you have to squat in order to use the restroom. It's hard to explain, but maybe a picture will help.
Today was an exhausting day. We woke up at 6 again, I think this is becoming a regular routine until we get curtains. My roommate let me borrow another shirt from her... China is looking out for me by placing me with her because she has been a saint to me. She's been so open and kind to me, offering everything that she has.
My friends and I were taking pictures of ourselves in front of the hotels and a couple of Chinese men started to take pictures of us. Out of everyone, my roommate asked if she could take a picture with them. Before long, more Chinese people joined. It was so funny to watch how curious and in awe they were at the girls. Their white complexion and different styles stood out like a needle in a hay stack. For once, I didn't feel like a minority. Even though I'm brown and Americanized, I share the stories and understanding of coming from an Asian background.
At 9 this morning we all got in a van and drove to Ikea where we got more Yuan currency. We made our way to a mall where I finally got some underwear from Gap. As much as I dislike that store, I didn't have a lot of choices. The longest stop was trying to get our new phones set up so that we could all communicate with one another. Our cab driver took off with 8 of us still in the car while the rest of them were trying to get sims card. We had no idea where he was taking us or what he was doing. We waited while he went inside of a building for over 30 minutes. At first I was really worried because we were stranded in a place we didn't know without our translator and no way to contact anyone. But before long he came out and took us back.
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