15 Guidelines For Chinese Tourists Traveling Abroad

Upon arrival in China, I immediately knew the Chinese were different from Westerners. After a few weeks, I learned that many of the Chinese have no idea that their habits are very different from other nations (like most of us, we think what we do is "normal.") And after a few months, I began wondering what it would be like for a Chinese person to visit a Western country and not know that their habits are so very different. So I had an idea, wouldn’t it be clever (and kind of funny) to write a list of tips for Chinese people should they ever travel abroad?

I ran this idea past a couple of colleagues who told me, not only is this a great idea, but someone has already beaten me to it. Who you ask? Who could have already thought that the Chinese might need a little travel advice? Well, none other than... THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT themselves!

About 2 years ago, in an article entitled, “The Uncivilized Behavior of Chinese Tourists Abroad Shocks the Upper Levels of Government," the Chinese Central Government's Civilization Bureau published 15 suggestions on how to improve the behavior of Chinese tourists venturing abroad. I’ve included the list below.

1. Do not spit in public
2. Do not litter in public places
3. Line up, don’t jump to the front of the queues at public venues
4. Do not take pictures when a sign says “no pictures”
5. Do not talk in loud voices
6. Do not polish your shoes with bed linens or the hotel towels
7. Do not smoke in non-smoking areas
8. Wear proper clothes
9. Do not strip down to your waist (for men) when it’s hot
10. Do not wear pajamas in supermarkets or on the street
11. Do not remove shoes and socks when walking around airport terminals
12. Men, observe the “ladies first” rule
13. Flush after using the toilet
14. Do not block other pedestrians by walking side by side by side on sidewalks
15. Do not force Westerners to pose for pictures

A few notes:
#1: Chinese people (mainly men) spit everywhere (both indoors (including on the floor of the J&J offices) and out).

#3: Lines don’t mean a thing here. People cut, people push, people crowd the front… if you want something, you’ve gotta get right in there: cut, push, and crowd right back. Its hard to feel comfortable with this at first, but I caught on surprisingly quickly.

#5: Oooooh man, the Chinese people can be so loud sometimes! Out of nowhere, it’s like a grenade dropping – BOOM!! Mr. Gu, are you angry? No, I just tell my wife that I be home for dinner at 7.

#9: Its summer now, so it’s hot. Very hot. Hot like I’m standing behind a running bus, hot. And when its hot, the men strip. Men are walking all around (indoors and out) with their shirts off, their shirts lifted up and around their shoulders, their shirts folded up. The women keep their clothes on, they just shadow themselves with umbrellas. Maybe the umbrella idea is too dainty for these men. But when I’m walking around the supermarket, I think I’d prefer for the men to try the umbrella idea and to put their shirt back on. On the plus side, however, not too much body hair on these men…

#10: I was told it is a sign of leisure to wear your pajamas. It indicates that you have a day off of work or that you are on vacation. So, typically on these days, you will see Chinese people, in all types of venues (shops, streets, etc.) wearing their pajamas. And I’m talking the big, patterned print, long pants/button up shirt pajamas.

#11: Seems like the whole take your shoes off through security and put them back on afterwards concept, hasn’t quite caught on here. When waiting for an airplane, it’s common for Chinese people to take off their shoes and socks. Why? I haven't found out the answer yet…

The rest, I think, are self-explanatory.

As for the order these are written in, I don’t know if they are prioritized. I sure hope not, because I think #13 should move a little closer to the top. But hey, that’s just one Westerner’s opinion.

I am the "International Office Lady"

I've been keeping this story to myself for over 3 months... but now it is official: I am the International Office Lady.

So, what exactly is the International Office Lady?

Rayli: Her Style is a Chinese Women's Fashion Magazine that is considered the China Vogue or China Elle. In 2006, they reported 9 million subscribers, and in 2007, they began offering a mobile device media delivery subscription, and they now have over 1.2 million subscribers receiving articles & fashion tips via their China Mobile. See more at: http://www.rayli.com.cn/. Even though the website is in Chinese, its a fun and interesting site to visit.

Every month, Rayli: Her Style publishes a one page profile on an international lady who is currently working in China. And... I was selected to be the August Lady! (I keep using the word "lady" because they always used the word "lady" with me and I found it very funny.)

The picture attached is what the page layout will look like. The magazine won't hit newsstands until August 5. Click on the photo to see the enlarged photo and article.

How did this happen?
My second weekend in Shanghai (mid-April), I went to an authentic Japanese Tea Ceremony at a friend of a friend's house. At first I thought it was an eclectic group of people, but then I realized that mostly everyone there was connected to the media in some way... writers for newspapers, magazines, etc. (The friend who invited me is a freelance writer). Turns out that the owner of the house owns a Japanese restaurant in one of the trendy areas of Shanghai (Taikang Lu) and was building his Guanxi (In Chinese that means "relationships") with the media to boost the popularity of his restaurant. Aside: I ate some of the most delicious sushi that night.

While there, I was approached by Faye, a young woman who is a writer for Rayli. She asked me if I would be interested in having an article written about my experience working in China (including a photo) in one of Rayli's summer issues. Looking back, she was quite articulate about her request. But I was in such disbelief that she would be asking me to pose in a magazine that I assumed I misunderstood her.

We exchanged business cards and the next week she emailed me to set up a date for my photo shoot.

What was it like?
We did the photo shoot in the J&J offices. It was scheduled for Aaron's 3rd day in Shanghai which was very fun because he was able to come and watch. There were 6 people who came from the magazine. A make-up artist (despite him speaking no English, I knew he was the first gay Chinese man I'd met). A hair-stylist (you'll see from the photo, he's no Herve). Faye. Her Editor. The Photographer (who they said is some famous guy). And a photographer's assistant.

Picture this: The J&J Offices are pretty formal. Corporate. Shiny. New. Chinese employees everywhere, especially because there was some Finance conference happening on the main floor. The J&J employees at work at more serious than not. Then, I show up with 6 people (An International Office Lady must have her entourage!) & my husband and we take over an entire conference room with curling irons, hair spray, a large suitcase of make-up, mirrors, lights, cameras, one of those shiny umbrellas that are used to reflect light, etc. And there I am, trying on different outfits and posing for "my people". This necklace? These shoes?


"Wait, who's that white girl in our office? Is she even supposed to be here? And what are all of those people doing with her? This can't be right... but let's all stare at her anyway. "


The photo shoot took about an hour and the interview took about 30 minutes. I wanted to be very careful with what I said during the interview as I knew that I was not only representing J&J, but also the USA. They asked me questions that were difficult to answer in a PC manner such as, Have you ever had a conflict with a Chinese colleague? How are Chinese people different from Americans? How is China different from the USA? (I know these questions seem like they aren't difficult, but as you've read from my previous blogs, I have some strong opinions about how China is different than the US and I wanted to be careful not to portray the US as better or worse, or portray China negatively. You'll see from the translation of the article below how they interpreted my responses. )

What does the article actually say? (some of the responses are more or less what I actually said, other responses got lost somewhere in translation... either at the time of the interview they misunderstood what I said, or the Chinese friend of mine who translated it for me missed the mark... )

1, Your profile, Your title; Your responsibilities:
To find out talents, make career plan for them, make them work happily.

2, The most difficult thing when you just came to Shanghai:
Miss your husband and family, but your colleague is very nice, who will tell you where to rent the house, and took you to Xintiandi and TaiKang Rd.

3, How do you feel about Shanghai?
Shanghai is very like NewYork, where people can eat food from all over the world. But the competition here is more fierce, people is more pressured. meanwhile they develop faster.

4, Is there any difference of working way between China and US?
In US, people are more independent. Here there is more team work, which let you make more and more friends.

5, Any similarity?
Many. J&J emphasize on care and love, which Chinese colleague and US share with. And company cares much about employees.

6, How about your lunch here?
Go out for lunch with my colleague, there are many nice restaurants near the company.

7, How did you communicate with your colleague in US?
In US, we will talk or send email. In shanghai, people won't be that direct, they will ask for other's suggestion first, then talk with me.

So now what?

So now, I'm trying to find a balance between signing autographs, working out my modeling schedule with my agent, and continuing my success at J&J as THE International Office Lady (at least for August).

china : usa

I have learned quite a bit about China since my stay here. My US-media-driven perception on big-bad China isn't as much of a reality as I expected, though there are certainly very significant political and cultural differences. The most obvious immediate perception is in the capitalistic nature of China and the opportunity for growth, simply based on the numbers. I was inspired to seek data on some of the stats on China and the USA. If you're into data like I am, here are some noteworthy numbers:

China total area: 9.2 million sq meters
USA total area: 9.8 million sq meters

China population: 1.3 billion
USA population: 303 million

China population ratio: 1.03 males : 1 female
USA population ratio: 0.97 males : 1 female

China death rate: 7 deaths/1000 people/year
USA death rate: 8 deaths/1000 people/year

China literacy rate: 86-94% (~ about 8% higher for males than females)
USA literacy rate: 99% (male and female are the same)

China life expectancy: 73 years
USA life expectancy: 78 years

China GDP: $3.3 Trillion
USA GDP: $13.8 Trillion

China per-capita GDP: $5,300
USA per-capita GDP: $45,800

China GDP Real Growth Rate: 11.4%
USA GDP Real Growth Rate: 2.2%

China population below poverty line of $125/yr (NOT a typo): 8%
USA population below poverty line: 12%

China oil consumption: 7 million barrels/day
USA oil consumption: 21 million barrels/day

China internet users: 162 million (though I often hear 300 million quoted)
USA internet users: 208 million

China # of airports: 403
USA # of airports: 5,103

China # of mobile phone users: 461 million
USA # of mobile phone users: 233 million

And some stats on Shanghai:

Shanghai area: 2700 sq/miles
New York City area: 500 sq/miles

Shanghai population: 18 million
New York City population: 8 million

Shanghai population density: 6,800/sq mile
New York City population density: 27,000/sq mile


Source:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html

Mr. Thingy spotting - Hong Kong!

If you are over the age of 3 you need not read this message. If you're under the age of 3 and you're already reading blogs, well, maybe you should go run around outside with a ball or something.

Last weekend, while you were all eating hot dogs and proclaiming your love of red, white, and blue, we were at the beach in Cheung Chau Island, Hong Kong, with lady liberty in our hearts. While we were there, we had a special visit from Mr. Thingy. He asked us to pass along this message.

For Eden and Roman:

or click here.

For Joshua and Benjamin:

or click here.

Looking forward to seeing you - and meeting Roman for the 1st time! - soon!

What's with the long pinky nail?

Westerners, with their short, evenly trimmed fingernails, will notice something about Chinese men, particularly cab drivers, immediately: many of them have extremely long pinky fingernails - sometimes ½ an inch or more! Some Chinese men keep all of their fingernails long, but the incongruously long pinky nail is rather more common. Any woman who’s ever had a professional manicure done knows just how difficult it is to get anything done with fingernails that long; they get in the way and make it hard to grab things, and if you should happen to break such a long nail it’s often painful. So why do Chinese men grow their nails that way if it’s so clearly inconvenient? And why just the pinky nail?

If we give into temptation and apply Western cultural norms, we might be tempted to think that these long-nailed cab drivers all do cocaine. But if that were true there’d be an absolutely astonishing number of cocaine users in J&J! Alternatively, a little observation might make us decide that Chinese men grow their fingernails so long for the express purpose of picking their noses or cleaning out their ears. But, while the utility of the long pinky nail for these purposes is undeniable, that’s not why Chinese men grow them so long in the first place.

The custom is a holdover from China’s dynastic days. One of the ways that high class Chinese of centuries ago let it be known that they were not laborers was by growing long pinky fingernails. One can hardly wield a hoe or work stone or do any other type of backbreaking labor with a long pinky fingernail. It would be virtually impossible to so much as wield chopsticks with five long nails on a hand, so I assume they chose the pinky nail to leave uncut because it’s easy to simply hold the pinky out of the way when you’re trying to grasp something.

Though the last Emperor is long gone, the pinky fingernail is still a relevant and widely understood cultural cue. Cab drivers are not laborers. Driving a car is the opposite of manual labor in fact. So, in order to make sure everyone, inside their cabs and out, knows that they don’t work with their hands, many cab drivers allow their pinky fingernails to grow extra long. It’s a point of pride.

Supposedly, the long pinky fingernail has begun to go out of fashion as contact with the West increases. Wikipedia claims that the association with high status has begun to change, that Chinese people have begun to associate long fingernails with drug use and unsavory habits like nose picking in much the same way that we do in the West. But whether or not that’s true, fading isn’t gone, and long pinky fingernails are still very much a visible part of Chinese culture.

Aaron Live!

Aaron sang live at a bar in Shanghai.

We were at a bar (an old mansion that has been converted to a fancy bar) and there was a jazzy band singing. There were around 30 people there (including about 8 of my co-workers). I told Aaron that he should go up and sing. Despite his meager attempts at protesting the idea (His voice said no, but his eyes said yes!), I went up to the band and asked if anyone spoke English. I got a few funny looks, but the lead singer approach me and said, "I speak English a little." I said, "My husband is a musician... would it be OK if he sang a song?" She said, "Sure. After we finish this next one."

And that was that.

Aaron got up and performed. He was great.

Hopefully this is just the beginning of his World Tour!

Click to watch:


Or watch it here on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGL6tq5-Qfg

Herve Makes a Commercial!

COMMENT FROM HERVE REGARDING BLOG POSTS:

one alterered dress $5

one stain on the strap $2.50

one peep show for the people on the street $2

one bowl of food on the stove where the stain comes from $0.50

one very good story in china: "PRICE"less

FOR THE REST IN THE U.S , THERE IS always MASTERCARD !

The Bridesmaid's Dress: PART 3

Despite the drama that preceded my 3rd visit to the tailor, I was pretty confident that everything would work out. Also, we had just booked our flights home for the wedding and I now knew that I would have a solid week in the USA. Worst case scenario: take the dress as is ("hun dwan" -- too small) and get it fixed at home.
Aaron came with me this time. He brought his camera and was ready for drama. Unfortunately, as these things usually go, when you actually bring a witness, nothing really happens. (Its like how your car stops making the funny noise as soon as you take it to the shop).

This time the scene was different:
It wasn't as hot. It was raining out and had cooled down to the high 70's.
The shop was cleaner, as if they scrubbed the floors some.
Nobody was hanging around outside the shop (probably because of the rain).
The fabric that Annelies held up for me to change behind was huge, too big for her to hold all the edges. (look closely at the first photo)
The only thing that was the same was the mean lady would still not move out of the corner for me to change. But, by this point, I didn't care. Not worth arguing with her. If she really wants to watch me change, then go for it. "Oooo, American Body. So large."

When I put on the dress, it was actually OK. Not 100% perfect, but good enough. It zipped, which was critical. And the length was right. Still a little stain on the strap and the little snag on the chest. Also, the straps weren't perfectly altered. But, good enough. (see middle photo) And, at this point, I was ready to be done.

I paid my $10, and certainly got my money's worth: A dress that fit. A rich cultural experience. And, most importantly, a funny story. Anybody need alterations? I know a great Chinese guy...

One unsolved mystery that I noticed on my final visit: what's with the curious stove in the tailor shop? (see third photo)

The Bridesmaid's Dress: PART 2

READER DISCRETION ADVISED: If you are getting married at the Botanical Gardens on July 19, 2008, do not read this blog entry. All other brides, proceed with caution.

Annelies and I planned to meet up again to pick-up my bridesmaid's dress at the tailor. At first I thought I didn't need to bother her by asking her to meet me again. But, then I thought it would be best to have someone who spoke Chinese with me while I tried on the dress... just in case it wasn't quite right.

So, we've got the same scene as before: Really hot. I mean, really hot. One of those humid days when you are sweating from every pore. Tiny room. Dirty floor. A few old men hanging around. Lady who doesn't want to move to let me change. She finally does, sounding angry again. Annelies holds up the tiny fabric (this time even smaller, I'd say 2 feet x 5 feet).

I have a hard time getting the dress on... Its hard to move silk over a sweaty body. For all the women out there reading this, I hope you've never had this experience. But basically, the silk just sticks to wherever it lands. Its like putting on a wetsuit while its wet. OK, finally the dress gets on and the silk is in its place. I try not to move too much because its just so hot.

Point #1: I see a dark spot on the strap. A stain? I think to myself, OK, stay calm. No big deal, I'll just get the dress dry cleaned later.

Point #2: I see a tiny snag on the chest area. Ugh, I think. I'm starting to get a little aggravated but still trying to stay positive about the situation.

Point #3: I cannot pull up the zipper by myself so I ask Annelies for help. "Oh dear," she says in her little Belgian accent. "What?" I ask, a little concerned. "Well, seems I cannot get it closed." I suck in. Nope, cannot close it. I exhale out. Still cannot close it. She calls the tailor over for help. He aggressively moves the dress around on my sweaty body and tries to pull the zipper. He cannot close it either.

The series of events that follow include the Tailor saying something in Chinese, getting louder and louder, Annelies responding in Chinese, growing increasingly more angry, and me asking Annelies, "What? What'd he say?" after every exchange, growing more and more concerned.... The tailor offers the following reasons for why the dress doesn't zip:

"You more big since last time!" I know I've gained a little weight since coming to China (no carb left behind) but I also know that I didn't grow 1 inch in 4 days!
"Hot! It HOT! Body swollen from hot. That why no zip." OK, its hot, but my body doesn't expand THAT much when its hot out.
"I measure right. You body change. I cut only little."
"Dress made bad. You body no fit in dress. I make you dress. My dress, perfect fit! This dress. No good fit."
He then says (he really says this), "Who this Vera Wang? She from Hong Kong? Clothes no good in Hong Kong."

Despite all of the excuses he has for the dress not zipping, he and Annelies work it out that he will fix the dress so that it will zip... regarding the snag, he cuts the little thread and says that that type of fabric always snags... regarding the stain, he said he will take care of it.

I'm scheduled to go back on Sunday to pick it up... I hope this time it is OK.... stay tuned....

(Hi Sara, I know that you are reading this. Dont worry. The dress will be AOK!)

The Bridesmaid's Dress: PART 1

READER DISCRETION ADVISED: If you are getting married at the Botanical Gardens on July 19, 2008, do not read this blog entry. All other brides, proceed with caution.

I am a bridesmaid in a wedding in NYC on July 19th. It is the wedding of one of my dearest friends and when I was asked to come to China for this assignment, I knew that I would figure out a way to make sure that I could still be a part of this important event in her life. In the end, it works out quite nicely: J&J offers us one home visit and July is about halfway from when we left and when our families will visit in the fall.

I kept my fingers crossed that I would receive the dress before I left, with enough time to get it altered in the USA. Luck was not on my side, and therefore, Lauren (Aaron's sister) picked up my dress at Vera Wang in NYC and gave it to Aaron to bring to me in China. The 8 foot long dress hung in my Shanghai closet for about 2 weeks, nagging me to get it altered to fit my 5'2" body. (I wonder exactly how tall a woman has to be to fit into a bridesmaids dress and NOT need it shortened...). Anyway, I finally seek advice on where I should get the dress tailored. (simple alterations needed: shorten the straps, shorten the hem, and tuck in, just a little, underneath my arms) I asked an Expat who works at SIRVA, our relocation company, for a suggestion. She (her name is Annelies) suggested a tailor near to her home who she knows very well. I ask her to come to the appointment with me as the tailor does not speak a word of English and she speaks fluent Chinese.

I wont say how much this bridesmaid dress cost, but for those who know, you know its not a little. So, I take my very long, and very not-so-inexpensive dress to the Chinese tailor. Annelies and I meet there on a Sunday afternoon. To set the scene, its about 100 degrees outside, and the humidity is like you are walking behind a bus. The tailor shop is this little room, open to the street (so maybe 110 degrees!), stacked with fabrics (see photo). The fabric piles are arranged to leave two openings where 2 different people sit and sew (like a capital E if you were looking from above). Hanging out by the piles of fabric are locals who chit-chat with the tailors during the afternoon. As I enter, a few thoughts run through my head: a) don't be judgmental Rebecca... this is China... things are different, I'm sure they know what they are doing. b) this dress was probably made in China anyway! c) don't let the dress touch the floor (there wasn't much difference between the sidewalk and the floor of the shop) d) where am I going to change? (Underwear - no bra - is the only thing I can wear under the dress)

In order to change, we had to strongly encourage one of the tailors in the small opening of piles of fabric to move (she was not so happy about this saying, in what I interpreted to be, "I WONT LOOK!." I use all caps because she was talking very loudly, sounding like she was angry, but I've come to learn that that's just how Chinese people talk.) Annelies said something in Chinese which I heard to be, "blah blah blah USA blah blah blah Shanghai." Whatever she said, worked. The lady, not so happy, moved. Then, Annelies took a piece of thin fabric, say 3 ft by 6ft, and held it up between us, telling me, "Ok dear, change." Yep, this was my changing room. It was like when you are little kid at the beach and your mom holds up a towel. Only now, its with 4 Chinese men 3 feet away with just a tiny piece of fabric separating us, and me needing to put my 29 year-old naked, post-pubescent, and very sweaty body, into a very long, black-tie silk dress!

OK. Dress on. Tailor and Annelies talk and poke and tuck the fabric around me (speaking Chinese so I have no idea what they are saying). Pretty normal tailor experience. Except, I must add that I've became a mini-spectacle. I'd say about 5 people have crowded in front of the store (just Chinese walkers-by) to look at me, in this fancy dress, in this room. One person even took a picture of me with their camera phone. (no joke) "haha, look at the funny white girl in the fancy dress!" OK. Pins in. Chalk drawn. Then, tiny fabric held up again. I change out of the dress. We negotiate a price ($10), and I leave thinking, "I hope that works out ok......." Aaron, being the eternal optimist says, "Bec, of course it will work out!" I hope he's right.

(Sara: if you've gone against my advice and decided to read this blog anyway, dont worry!! The dress will be fine!!)

Putting faces to the stories...

Here are some photos:

Top left - Vince with us, Matt & Lena.

Top right - Mr. Gu with us

Bottom - Roy with Matt & Lena (Roy, very strong!!)

One giant step for bloggers...

In the world of blogging, we've stepped up to the next level... our blog was recently sited on another blog. Granted, it is one of our dear friend's blog, but nevertheless... check it out (by the way, the author of the blog a) has the cutest pups, see pic and b) is hitting Hollywood by storm!):

http://stephy629.blogspot.com/2008/05/beloved-blog.html

"A Beloved Blog
I have these two friends, we'll call them Bec and Aaron, that have a blogspot together, that I love love love to visit. They love each other and they love life and it's fun to read about their thoughts and experiences and even more fun to see a couple doing a joint blog like that (I can just hear AJ now saying in the background his familiar quip "Don't even think about it!" every time I talk about this to someone...) but I just find it to be so neat to read their different perspectives, their different voices as they come through on the page, and yet also their similarities... which are just as apparent. The two of them live in NYC (ok, Hoboken) and are spending a little under a year in China-- Shanghai to be exact-- and they started the blog to keep up with their friends and loved ones back here in AMERICA.In many ways, their stories reminded me of our experience being Angelinos amongst the Filipinos. Then, there's that whole West vs East comparison... and in the begining, they too, were separated and experiencing most of their relationship via SKYPE-- but now they are both there, and I am back here, and it's just a neat way for me to communicate with them, even if I don't see them every day. I don't when they are in America, actually-- so I feel like I am "seeing" them even more now that they are in CHINA! Kinda funny...Anyway just thought I would share that little tidbit. They write well and it's entertaining. And they're just really cute and lovely people. "

Loveline with Mr. Gu

While there are still several other notable experiences to share from the past couple of weeks, Rebecca and I had a very blog-worthy evening. Our good Chinese friend, Vince, invited us to his parents' home for dinner with his parents and to play badminton afterwards with his father and his girlfriend Jing-Jing. We had very good home-cooked meal and enjoyed fun and competitive rallies in badminton. While both Rebecca and my badminton skills are improving, we have a long way to go. Mr. Gu (our driver) picked up Rebecca and me and we gave Vince and Jing-Jing a ride home as well. During the drive, we asked Vince to translate into Chinese several lingering practical questions to Mr. Gu, since there are some things that are hard to communicate to him and because Vince's English-speaking ability is outstanding. Vince was very helpful in clearing up some of our questions about Mr. Gu's availability and coordinating our schedules. We also conveyed how much we like Mr. Gu and the feelings appeared mutual. We dropped off Vince and Jing-Jing and headed home. Apparently, something happened during these translations with Mr. Gu that set-off a entirely new level of conversational comfort because of came next:

Mr. Gu: You know Roy? Lena driver?

Us: Yeah (We know Roy. Mr. Gu and Roy are beer-drinking buddies)

Mr. Gu: Roy go with Lena, Matt to Shenzen Friday (Lena and Matt are Rebeca's coworkers, Shenzen is a place in China)

Us: Oh, yeah?

Mr. Gu: Roy go to bar. Meet beautiful girl (making the silhouette of girl with his hands while he's driving)

Us: Really?!

Mr. Gu: Yes! Roy stay girl Shenzen. Yesterday girl come Shanghai.

Us: Wow...Roy!!! (Roy is known to be a ladies' man among the drivers)

Mr. Gu: Roy, girl, sex! You know sex?! (for some reason he yells "sex")

Us: (laughing and a bit caught off guard) Yes, we know! We know!

Mr. Gu: Roy ask Gu find hotel. Not 300 yuan, not 500 yuan, 200 yuan! (500 yuan = $60 USD)

Us: Wow, Roy!

Mr. Gu: No hotel 200 yuan! Roy come my home. My wife say, "No way!" Chinese people no like friend sex in home! You know!? My wife say, "No way Gu!" (still screaming "sex" each time)

Rebecca (laughing hysterically): Not just Chinese people no like friend sex in home! (she oftens communicates to Chinese people in broken English. We both do, seriously.)

Mr. Gu: Roy go parents home with girl. They say, "no way!"

Us: Where did Roy go?

Mr. Gu (as we're pulling up to our apt): Hotel. Roy, sex, 5 time!!! (exclaiming it by showing us all of his 5 fingers) Roy very strong! My wife say, "Roy very strong!" (he's repeatedly making a muscle with his bicep as he declares Roy's apparent strength). Sex, 5 time! I die. Roy and my wife! Oy. Roy strong. (he didn't actually say "oy" but it was the Chinese equivalent)

Us (rolling out of the car laughing): Roy strong, Roy strong!

Apparently, Mr. Gu's English is improving...as is Roy's sex life and strength!

Yo man, Ro man.

There is much to share, but first and foremost I wanted to announce that Eric and Sara have a new baby! Roman Alexander Price was born on May 25th, 2008 weighing in at 7 lbs 13 oz. Rebecca and I got to video chat with the entire family on the night that they came home from the hospital and it was great! Here is a pic of the the chat. Unfortunately, I didn't think to take the picture until after Rebecca had left for work, so you can only see my small head on the bottom left of the screen. Apparently, Eden has been saying things like, "I love you, Baby Roman." Awesome. Rebecca and I are eagerly anticipating meeting our new nephew in person. Congratulations Eric and Sara!

Random thoughts at 5 am from a jet-lagged American

1) In totally unrelated news, today I opened my email to an article about this lovely gadget. I don't want to lock my cars doors and sperm count with the same device. Click here for the full story from Popular Science magazine. I can see it now, "Hey Jimmy, how come you were having so much trouble having a child?" "I was a parking valet for too many years."

2) We went to a Korean BBQ for dinner last night. Sad to report that dog meat was an option on the menu. Don't tell Eden, Joshua, Lauren, or Duke. Happy to report we didn't try it. The food that we cooked over the coals on the grill built on the middle of the table was excellent. One of the major perks of this restaurant: they provide paper napkins on the tables. This is the first restaurant in China that Rebecca or I have been to that provided napkins. Coincidentally, we bought napkins at the grocery store yesterday to start bringing with us to restaurants, but fortunately the Koreans also see them as a necessity. I'm a napkin kind-of person.

3) We live next to a really huge and fancy mall. It's much like the Short Hills Mall, Legacy Village, or Columbus Circle, but probably nicer than all of them. Inside, you wouldn't have any idea you're in China, at least what you probably imagine China to be. Coach, DKNY, Versace, Calvin Klein, Nike Golf, Clinique, Haggen Daz, Starbucks, another Starbucks, another Starbucks inside the Starbucks, Papa Johns, and 3-D movie theater. I'm very conflicted about its presence. Part of me is pleasantly reminded of Western comforts, while part of me is disappointed that parts of Shanghai have taken on an Anytown, USA (or Anytown, World) look to them. Although, the store called "Apple Shop" that sells clothing instead of slick computers is a quick reminder that we're in China. Here is a video I found of the mall, if you'd like to see how huge it is: Grand Gateway Mall Video


4) For a country that seems to spit in the face of anything environmentally friendly, they have a genius invention on the toilets in our apartment. There are two buttons used to flush - one big and one small, each corresponding to the size of the flush needed. If you don't quite follow, imagine that you had a button labeled #1 and another labeled #2 on a toilet and what you would use them for. As you may be able to tell from my post on the bathrooms in Tokyo, I think the war on toilet technology (I bet you didn't know there was a war on toilet technology!) is clearly being won by the Asians.