daily life

I shared some things we experience in our daily lives a few months ago. Oh, but there are so many more...

1. We have to buy all the water we use/consume. Toilet water, sink water, drinking water. Everything. Granted, it's VERY cheap..but still. And none of it is even clean except the drinking water! Buying dirty water is cool. :)

2. Speaking of drinking water, this is how we buy the 5-gallon jugs. (Think of those jugs/dispensers you see in an office with the little paper cups. Yep, that's what we have!) We call the water store in our apt. complex. Usually within 15 mins, someone hauls the heavy jug up 8 flights of stairs. Sometimes it's a g'pa and we feel so badly for him! But, he does it! We hand them a pre-paid card and they take our empty jug. Our dispenser is electric and should be able to give cold and hot (boiling) water. The cold side is broken--which is fine. I'm now used to room-temp water. The hot water is what I like the most! (not by itself, like all of China drinks it..but to make tea, cocoa, etc. I have consumed 1 cup of hot water this winter. I consider that an accomplishment.)

3. In the produce section at the store, there are at least 6 weighing stations. When you pick out your produce, you have to take it to the station closest to that food. You cannot take it to another one--even if one has a huge line and another has no one. I suppose they only have specific buttons programmed. I often get scolded when I take my carrots to the wrong lady. But then they look up at to see it's a foreigner and they become a bit more kind. :)

4. China is still on a mostly cash system. Credit cards are starting to move in. Debit cards can be used at the grocery store. Restaurants and shops are all cash.

5. Now that we're into winter, everyone wears several layers of clothes. (I'll work on getting a pic--especially of the babies.) Last week, we had a few days in the 50s and took Josiah out to play. I knew I'd run into some g'mas that would scold me if I didn't have him in layers. So I conceded. He wore pj pants, jeans, long-sleeve shirt, coat, and hat. I would never put him in so many clothes in the States! We were playing and I felt a tug on my jeans. I thought it was a dog. Oh no, it was GRANDMA! She then began scolding me for not having layers on. I was already sweating with what I had on. I then proceeded to show her that Josiah had more layers on, but his pj pants had ridden up a bit so his ankles showed. I got scolded again. I'll never win.....

6. We only have black taxis here. No one is legit. No one has a meter. They set their own price. It's mostly a rip-off. To get 1 mile into town, they charge 15rmb ($2. Sure, not much in dollars...but we're thinking in Chinese money here) We have a friend driver that gives us a discount--10rmb. Woo! We call him all the time. But, he also has his way of making more money. Example: our teammates flew back to the States last week. He charged 300rmb one-way. On their way home, they took a legit Beijing taxi and the meter only went up to 200rmb. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm..... I choose the bus or bike as often as I can. :)

7. We are lucky enough to have cable. Our landlord pays for it. No one else on the team has it. We have 59 channels. 1 is in English (news), the other 58 are mostly soap operas/dramas.

8. If I want to wash dishes in hot water, I have to fill a bucket from the hot water heater in the bathroom. I'm usually too lazy to do this. Thus far, we haven't gotten sick. (Stop freaking out, Mom.)

9. Being stared at (like, in-your-face staring, not discreet staring) and having pictures taken of me/us is completely normal now.

10. If I have Josiah with me and we decide to take the bus, I'm guaranteed a seat. There is even a sign posted to allow the elderly, disabled, pregnant, and those with little ones to have a seat. I walk on the bus, and immediately someone gives up their seat. Pretty amazing...and soooo not like America. :)

Can't wait for Christmas! The next 3 days are jam-packed with parties, shopping, and baking!