Lost in Translation?

I didn't check to see if they were the same price.

Potty Training

As parents to be Bri and I are going to make a lot of parenting decisions.  I don't see this decision being one of them.

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Pregnant in China

Being pregnant in China is a constant source of amusement for me.  I have a few stories for you that I think you will think is funny as well. 

-Many Chinese women will touch my belly and tell me if I am having a boy or girl.  I found this much more entertaining before we knew it was a boy.  When I ask them how they know they will say things like ‘because boy you stay pretty, girl make you ugly’  Well… thanks for guessing a girl then random stranger. 

-There have been several instances when I have asked for a cold drink and I get a disapproving look or even argued with.  Culturally they believe in large part that anything cold is not good for the baby or pregnant woman.  So far I have experienced no ill effects from a cold drink that I can tell.  I have even been at restaurants and they bring me a warm mug of water before I order anything else, this is a very kind gesture but it would be more appreciated if it wasn’t 80 degrees out and I wasn’t sweating from walking to the restaurant. 

-Radiation is another big concern for Chinese people when it comes to pregnancy.  I was getting a massage a few weeks ago and the masseuse moved my phone (which was plugged into ear phones which I was listening to) away from my belly and then told me that the phone was bad for bao bao (baby) Um.. Thanks lady but I think I'll take my chances, but if you want to ask the receptionist to stop smoking that would be a welcome improvement. 

 Radiation is such a concern to pregnant people that it is not uncommon to see a woman sporting one of these, a maternity radiation vest.

-I know that I dress differently than the typical pregnant Chinese woman which means that I wear clothes that show that I am pregnant. This is nothing that any American women wouldn’t do.  Basically I just wear clothes that show that I have legs.  Pregnant Chinese women favor a more 1950’s Mumu tent style.  This is the only explanation I have to try and explain the need for Chinese women to look at my pregnant body.  It is not uncommon to be out in my neighborhood and to see a local completely stop in her tracks to watch me walk by.  I wish I could say that I sweetly smile at them and move on my way but I get a bit irritated at the gawking so I often choose to stare back.  Unfortunately, I usually lose these staring contests and move on my way. 

What I find so funny about the special treatment is in other ways they do not find the need to provide any accommodation.  People still smoke in my face, nearly run me over on the street, cab drivers still kick me out early if they don’t want to turn around on a busy street.  So I decided to do an experiment, when we were last on the Metro I stood in front of the person occupying the ‘courtesy seat’ you know, the one with the picture of the old person with a cane, the physically handicapped person, and the pregnant lady.  I wanted Matt to capture the audacity of the person that remained in the seat.  Instead, the young man tapped politely on my bag and offered me the seat.  Humble pie never tasted so good. 

Chinese Fireworks

One of the few facts about China I remember growing up was it was the civilization that discovered gun powder.  Many of the fireworks we buy in the US are made in China still today.

Fireworks are still very popular here today.  I've heard fireworks in rural towns and in Shanghai.  A few weeks back Bri and I were sitting in our living room on a Saturday morning discussing our weekend plans.  It was nice outside so we had the windows open.  Suddenly I heard a bang like our refrigerator had fallen over in the kitchen. I jumped and wandered into the kitchen looking for signs of something that had fallen.  Bri was laughing because she knew...someone was shooting fireworks off.  Soon another loud bang followed and I figured out that someone was launching loud firecrackers and they were exploding only about 40 yards away and about the same height of our 10th floor apartment.

So why the firecrackers any time and any day?  They're used to scare off bad spirits on birthdays, weddings or when moving into a new apartment.  I had a lesson interrupted in class a couple weeks ago  when it sounded like an assault team was entering the school gates facing heavy resistance.  My students were shocked and joined me in investigating the situation.  Luckily I have a nice amount of windows in my class and we were able to see the situation clearly. Someone was moving in to an apartment but before they would start unloading the furniture they had to scare away all of the bad spirits.  So whenever you buy a new car or house remember to make a ruckus before moving in to rid the space of whatever unwanted spirits may be lingering.

Don't ask why....

We don't know why they decided to brick in the window but they did.