Breaking stereotypes…Ten things I have learned about China so far……

1. Although you have to be 18 to buy liquor, if you and your 14 year old friends (if you are 14 in this scenario not 35 or that would just be weird) go out to a restaurant and feel like a little beer, they will serve it to you. Perhaps it’s because this is not such a drinking nation and I am yet to see a drunken guy stumble around the streets. But it is early days yet and perhaps that will be me after I try my first Chinese drink.

2. There are dogs as pets here, which are walked every evening all over the city and unlike popular belief back home, they are not walking these pets to market as free-range (if you know what I mean) – these are flashy poodles and lassie dogs well looked after and fed and loved. Pets – not dinner. Although they don’t bark and I do have to wonder if they to have heard the rumours and decide to be on their best behaviour in case. 


3. I have seen (and heard at 3am) cats here although they don’t get walked and I don’t see them as often. I did see many at the temple but then monks are vegetarian so that doesn’t disprove any apprehensions and I remain cautious. 


4. Although manoeuvring around the city, watching people walk passed each other without greeting and seeing pushing and shoving (normally between a bus and a scooter) may give you the impression of Chinese being unfriendly – they are not. If you are introduced to someone or invited into their hope it is of utmost importance that you have a happy experience and are fed correctly. The pushing and shoving is just logistics when you live with 10 million other people in one city. Truth be told, if you don’t do it, you will miss your bus stop! 


5. Perhaps it’s better not to learn the Chinese for, “What meat is this”, as perhaps you really don’t want to know the answer. When eating out, it is also best not to look towards the kitchen or wonder to yourself, “How longs has this been standing there!” – blocking it all out when eating makes everything taste a lot better! 


6. There are seriously no fat people in China, or not that I have seen so far. Perhaps there is something about this tofu, pork and lettuce noodle soup after all! 


7. In a country that is now 3 men to every woman, it is now the woman’s family who get to sit back and watch the groom’s family pay for the wedding. Brides are hot commodity and weddings are big business.  People now favour having girls over boys and some men now travel to Vietnam to find brides. In Chinese terms I am an old made and have no hope for marriage as it is important ones daughter is married before she is too old at TWENTY TWO. 


8. Smsing South Africa costs a freaking fortune. In about 30 sms’s and trying to get my phone to load whatapp, I have spent 250 yen which is probably about R300. Cellphone is big business and I phones are everywhere. I also learnt that blackberrys are no where and I might as well have my Nokia 3101 from 1999! It is cheaper to buy a new phone that to try and call home. 


9. There is no cheese and pine burger at KFC and MacDonald’s serves rice. 


10. There is hardly any crime here. People walk the streets at all hours of the night and I have been assured it is safe. The sim cards for the celphone don’t come with pins and when I asked my friend about it, he couldn’t figure out why one would be needed. Obviously one still needs to be aware in any city in the world but with so many people around this city never sleeps and you never walking around alone!