Well we’ve now been here over a year! We thought it would be a good idea to put down our observations about how we’ve changed (mostly for the better). Overall, it’s been a great experience so far, even with all of the challenges that come with living in a foreign country. Thankfully the “Ugly” things we’ve picked up are easily beaten out of us upon returning to the U.S.
The Good
· Surprisingly, we have gotten to know a lot of Europeans through church and the neighborhood. The experience of worshipping and hearing others worship God in another language has truly been an amazing experience. Also, the funny little similarities and differences in how we view life have been enjoyable to learn about.
· Riley says he now “speaks a bunch of Chinese”. He is also our “tone expert” as he has an ear for it. He said the best thing in the last year was “Seeing how other people do things differently, like using chopsticks instead of a fork”.
· Overall we’re now barely functional at ordering food, directing a taxi driver and shopping. We can also take the bus without fear!
· It is no longer unusual for us to be the minority. Living in Williamsburg and Indiana the last 10 years, we were solidly in the majority when it came to race. In Suzhou, Western expats are about 10,000 out of 10 million when it comes to country of origin. We don’t mind being the minority, but the staring and picture taking we still find to be a bit annoying.
· The boys are all “Silver Elite” on Delta; they proudly show off their luggage tags which we affixed to their backpacks. We also no longer consider a 4 hour flight to be long.
· We can make change in pence, pounds, kuia, maos, and jiaos.
· The boys throw their trash in the rubbish bin after using the loo. They tie their trainers while standing in a queue. Rowan can recite the alphabet from “a to zed”. Yes, their mum still tucks them into bed.
· They are able to sleep through the mortar shelling of fireworks that comes with living in China and staying for the New Year.
· Dave is down about 20 lbs since moving here (it was 30, but then they improved the meal at work and we found some places to eat good burgers and pasta).
The Bad
· The sound of people hocking loogies no longer sends chills down Dave’s spine, but Rebecca is still affected.
· Reid had been sucked into the vortex of the ipod touch. Thankfully, it is now a huge lever for behaviour modification! He does return to Legos when the ipod is off limits (we only allow weekend use).
· Riley smacks his lips when he eats, but his chopstick skills are the best of the children's and fast approaching Rebecca's.
· Rowan has no qualms about dropping his trousers and peeing where ever is convenient. He also expects older strangers to give him candy and pat his head. He does yell at them when they giggle at his cuteness, saying “It’s not funny!” We’re working on that.
· They are all aware of the “star rating” of a hotel is when staying there. Reid and Riley were fine when we did some primitive camping with the scouts, so I think this is just to compare with friends.
· Dave is getting picky about wanting to eat “authentic” cuisine, unlike the Americanized versions we get in the U.S. He also mentioned to a coworker that he has a list of specific dishes he likes for each category (i.e. Lumpia spring rolls / Philippines, Yangze style fried rice / Jiangsu China, Pho noodle soup / Vietnam), to which his coworker replied “You’re just getting old, man”. Also, Rebecca maintains that the American versions just taste better.
· Both Dave and Rebecca will need to be put on some sort of detox program to ween them off of foot massage.
The Ugly
· We are waaaay less polite in lines and generally getting about in China. For example:
o Dave now turns and says “excuse me” loudly in Chinese when someone tries to cut us in line. Typically it works and they back off with a stunned look on their face, although it does embarrass Rebecca.
o We walked through the lobby at the Ritz Carleton just so the bellhop would help us catch a taxi. At least Dave is a Gold Member with Marriott (I know it doesn’t justify it and I’m not proud of myself).
o On his last flight, after seeing the line for Thai Air standard boarding (Dave is not a “Gold” level with them), he walked up to the Gold counter anyway and, after convincing them he was clueless about life in general, they directed him to another counter (shorter line) which checked him in just to get rid of him. Again, I hang my head in shame, but understand that anything goes when it comes to Chinese New Year lines!
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