Mafan

"Mafan" means trouble in Chinese. And this word comes up a lot in conversation no matter who you're talking with, Chinese or American. The Chinese use it because they refer to anything that's considered more than easy or not a little effort to be mafan. They often say they don't want to do something because it's "mafan". We Americans use it in reference to how things are done here. It causes mafan for us because it's different than we would have done it. Today is a perfect examples...

Erin and I went to lunch today and then got bubble tea afterwards. (Bubble tea is a milk tea [you pick the flavor] with little rice balls on the bottom.) Delicious! I tried the new flavor, honeydew. This is a treat for us!

We headed straight to Ningda Chaoshi to buy a hairdryer for me (I can't handle the natural look anymore), tea, conditioner, band-aids, lotion and chocolate milk. (Some of this was Erin's too:)) We put our purses in the lockers (you can't take them in with you). We head in... A lady stops us. I, of course, have no idea what she's saying so I proceed. Erin, who speaks Chinese pretty well understood and stopped. "You can't take those in." she said. She was afraid we would spill it. You can let your child pee on the floor if he REALLY has to go but 25-year olds can't take bubble tea in. We returned to the lockers and put our bubble tea in. MAFAN

We get the hairdryer and go to pay for it. Two things you have to understand: One, between 12:00 and 2:30 is rest time and there aren't a lot of people working anywhere. Two, you have to pay for what you got in the department in which you bought it in. We go to pay for the hairdryer and there's no one at the desk because it's rest time so we have to go to main checkout and pay. MAFAN We pay and she bags it. We attempt to go back in with it but she won't let us keep the bag if we're going to continue shopping. We can take the hairdryer, but not the bag. MAFAN.

We buy the band-aids and lotion and have to pay for that separate than the conditioner and the tea. MAFAN

It probably all seems so small to everyone reading, but when these little things happen multiple times/day, everyday, they can wear on you fast. It's not that it's the wrong way to do things, it's just different. And when you've spent 25 years doing things a certain way it's hard to get used to a different way. You know? Can't wait the family to visit next summer. They'll experience MAFAN! :)

But on a good note...I'm feeling much more content here this week. It's becoming less one-sided on the States side as far as consuming my thoughts. It's so good!

I leave on Saturday for my first school trip!

Oh and I have Nigerians in my class now! Three of them!

Wrong language!

Every time I have to count or refer to numbers for any reason I find myself speaking French. It's like I know that I have to speak something other than English and so...French comes out! Even if I've counted to nine in Chinese I finish with the French word for ten, dix. It's awful cause no one understand me then, not even the other Americans! I have to laugh at myself though.

Some more pics too...

This is me, Erin and April. We went out for one last "hooray" before school started. We headed into Old City to eat some very yummy Thai food. Some of the best non-Indian curry I've ever put in my mouth. The restaurant had much more to offer than the food. It also had air-conditioning, seats with backs on them, free napkins, pictures on the menu, and it was quiet! It was so wonderful! For a moment there I thought I was in a restaurant in America. It was a very short moment, but it was there:)

Split Pants

This is for you mom! You've been dying to see it! You can't see it all that clearly but the little girl is wearing split pants. Children wear them until they're potty trained and little boys sometimes where them until after. The pants are split and open down the front and back making it easy for the child to go to the bathroom at any time and any place they need to. This picture was taken at a major shopping center downtown right in front of KFC. The child just squats down and goes. It's easier on the parent, not having to think about diapers or diaper bags. The children even where these in the dead of winter. They'll have on the puffiest most warm clothes and then a split down the middle of the pants. (I'll try and get a better picture sometime!)

Take A Seat

This is the typical resting position. If there's not a chair they squat down like this. Whether they're in the grocery store, or on the side on the road or whatever. It's actually harder to do than you think. If your calf muscles aren't used to being stretched that way or ankles being bent like that, it can be hard to sit like that for any extended period of time. I can't do it for long. But the Chinese can do it for what seems like forever!

Culture everywhere you turn

So yesterday was the epitamy of cultural experiences here. Let me take you through my day...

I went to class like normal. My Reading teacher asked for the homework to which I responded to her with a dropped jaw and eyes wide! What homework? Me and two Korean girls had no idea what she was talking about. Apparently she had written it up on the board and only the Japanese classmates could read it enough to know it was homework she was assigning. I politely asked her to tell me next time she assigned homework.

During break one of the teachers informed me that myself and the rest of the new foreign students would be going to Old City at 2:30 that day to apply for a residence permit. Here, it's very normal that you are told what you're going to do or what you need to do at the very last moment possible. And because they have dropped everything to do it at that moment you are expected to as well, no matter what you're doing. So...at 2:30 that afternoon I was going to Old City.

After class I went to lunch where I successfully received what I thought I had ordered and it was delicious! I went on to the chaoshi (supermarket) to get some ingredients to make a cake for the pizza place. Everything went fine. I go home to make the cake and I use the oil I bought. Apparently I bought peanut oil because the cake tastes like peanuts instead of a spice cake. One downside to not being able to read yet.

At 2:30 I met everyone to head to Old City. There were like 20 of us. It was actually a great ride, getting to talk to new people. They provided us with water and a bus with cushy seats. We get to the police station and it's chaos! Typical here. This culture doesn't do lines so you better pay attention or someone is going to swoop in and get in front of you. Basically each person is going up to the counter to fill out a form, get their picture taken and give them their passport to get a residence permit put inside. Two and half hours go by and myself, another American and a Korean guy still have not been seen. We ask about it and we go to the counter and the lady there says that we don't need to get a residence permit because we already have student visas. :) Yes, we just smiled because we knew that we had just wasted three hours of our day. Our teacher and the lady behind the counter talked and they said they needed to take out picture. I am pretty sure they only did that to make us feel like we did actually go there for some purpose. (It wasn't a complete waste-I spent three hours getting to know people that otherwise probably would not have on that day. I did actually enjoy it, I was just exhausted!)

I then go home to make something else because the cake I made earlier was peanuty. I made some cookies. But while I have the microwave defrosting the butter and the oven is preheating I switch a breaker. Only, it's not one in my room. All of those are fine but nothing in my apartment is working. I have to call Aiyi to come and flip the breaker in the hall. She sees my big commercial oven that the pizza shop gave me and she is mad! She is yelling in Chinese. Thank goodness I couldn't understand her. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss! NOTE: do not run the oven and the microwave at the same time.

So there you have it. My day here. Just typical cultural things. I tell the other foreigners here and they laugh because it's all happened to them at one time or another:) It really was an eventful and entertaining day! :)

The Primp Place

Sorry it took me so long to get these up. You won't believe how much time I DON'T have! So...here are some pics of my bathroom. I know, not too exciting. I'm just giving you guys a look into my WHOLE living space! I'll put pics up of my bedroom/den later! Notice the nice piping effect! It brings a sort of rustic feel to it doesn't it? Some people pay big money for rustic and here I have it for practically nothing! :)

Surprise-two fold!

So...I got a package! This is actually my second as my parents sent me one about a week and a half ago. I headed down to Old City yesterday with a friend to pick up my package! Inside were the ever-precious chocolate chips (4 bags!), microwave popcorn which I was wishing I had yesterday morning sitting in class :), and chewing gum (so yummy!). Thank you Millers! And Meredith wrote me the sweetest card that was so cool looking! I opened the package on the bus ride home with all the locals looking over my shoulder wondering what foreigners like:) They all "oohed" and "awed" over the card. They love beautiful things too!

The other surprise was at the Post Office. Apparently, you have a week to pick up something after they send you the form that states you have a package. I got the slip on Monday and went down there yesterday. They told me I had until Wednesday to pick it up or I had to pay a fee. They charged me 1.5 yuan. I know, it's not much. But it was the principle of it. Can you imagine going to the US post office and them charging you to hold a package? It's just part of the life here:) So I paid my 1.5 yuan and got my package! It was definitely worth it! Next time I'll know that I need to get to the PO ASAP!

Cultural Observation

While watching a movie with a friend here I made an observation. There are no other nationalities represented here other than Asian. It didn't occur to me until watching this movie and seeing other types of people.

Coming from the melting pot of the world and then coming to a country where everyone looks the same is so different! I think the reason we don't stare at everyone is because we're so used to seeing all different types of people. Here they're only used to seeing people that look like them. This is most likely the reason they continually stare. That, and because it's not considered rude here at all!

I'm trying to get into the habit of staring at people like they do to me. Not to be rude but to be one with the culture:) It's hard when you're taught your whole life not to stare:)

Pics of the kitchen