This past week in class, I've been talking to my students about culture shock and cultural differences between China and America. Its interesting, because the more we talked about it, the more I noticed the things that have been shocking me. For instance, today I was walking towards the gym when I noticed a baby girl peeing onto the sidewalk. But what really caught me off guard was the fact that her mother was sitting on a chair outside her store, holding the baby's legs open and purposely directing the stream onto the pavement. I wasn't the only one who noticed. Two women also saw the stream coming, just in time to keep from walking through it. A quick expression of alarm came over their face just before they jolted their heads in front of them again, made a slight adjustment in their angle, and continued on their way, casually avoiding stepping in the puddle. Also, as much as I praise every Shaoyang driver for not only being able to drive, but manuever the streets of this city, and though I can almost wrap my head around their reluctance to wear seatbelts, since at least no collision is going to occur past 25 mph, I just can't understand how they can drive around with their babies and not use a car seat. Not only do they regularly ride with their babies in the front seat of the car, but more shockingly, they usually secure the children, infants included, in the middle of the two riders on a motorcycle. A motorcycle! With a 6 month year old baby riding in the middle! I've even seen this when the roads are wet!The food, well the food I really don't seem to have a problem with. I actually really enjoy eating rice now. When I first got here, I had trouble finishing a full bowl. Now, I have at least two, sometimes three, with my meal. And as far as strange delicacies. Well, I guess I take after my dad, because I've found that I can eat almost anything with little to no remorse. Dog excluded. But hey, I've knawed on chicken foot, chewed on pig hooves, swallowed stomach, tasted toungue, nibbled on duck head, and I'm not sure, but I suspect the T-Bone I devoured medium rare didn't come from a cow. I eat off the street all the time and I'm blown away with how they cook. Its not gas or electric and its like no stove I've seen before. They use these honeycombed bricks of what resemble charcoal, but are obviously more dense, maybe actual coal?, and fill a small iron drum with the glowing hot coal and cook on the iron lid. Its awesome seeing them fry up Chinese pancakes or watch them lay out a thin coating of batter to cook an egg in. It's awesome, its like having an egg burritto except the tortilla is the egg.I made friends with a neighbor puppy. She's a cute little husky with a solid white coat that just hangs around the front of my apartment. She belongs to the family on the first floor, but spends her afternoons playing outside in the grass and exploring the university campus. We only just bonded today, when I spent more than just a few seconds petting her and she rolled over to have me rub her belly. There's a pregnant beagle mix who comes into the dining hall during lunch and dinner time to eat scraps off the floor and wag her tail. She's dirty, but has a spring in her step that makes her appear carelessly happy. I saw a male mutt on campus yesterday that had the build of a fox or maybe that of a thin coyote. He made a point to lock eyes with me, and as he trotted by, he continued to stare me down with curious caution. It struck me that it was possible that he was the father and it was then, that I began considering adopting one of the little new borns. Now not like a full blown pet, but more like the way a Big Brother adopts an At-Risk youth. Besides, if it grows up more like its daddy, I'd have a kick-ass coyote companion to walk the streets of Shaoyang with.(The Next Day) I just got back from the gym. On our way out Lorne and I noticed something I had never seen before. There was a lady on the side street with two dead dogs, skinned and cut in half long ways. There was a man inquiring about the rib meat, and she was raising up the rib cage so he could have a better look at the meat within. The blood surrounding the dog was fresh and bright red and I wondered if these were stray dogs caught off the street, like the coyote I saw roaming around campus, or these were raised like farm animals and then butchered when they reached the right age. By the way, I'm on my way to Shaodong to catch a boxing/martial arts arena match. I'm excited! Also, I have to pick up my phone from Candy. I lost it the other day and didn't realize it until I got home hours later. I called Candy, since hers was the only number I had written down, and asked her to call it. She did, and it turns out some lady, who was now in Shaodong, had found it in a taxi on her way home. Luckily, Shaodong is just where Candy has been living these past few weeks, so she was able to get it for me the next morning and hold on to it for me. Then, I realized that the fight was happening today in Shaodong, so I decided to kill two birds with one blow...
Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2010
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