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!