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Ack... I'm peeling!!! I hate sunburns.
So, I've been back in the States for nearly two weeks now. I can't believe how quickly the summer has just breezed on by... my little stint in Beijing was pretty fun and the tiny bits of time I spent in Shanghai and Hong Kong weren't bad either. I had some fantastic food out there, worked with some pretty interesting people, and met some pretty cool friends. My Chinese didn't improve at all since everyone I worked with could speak English and I was living with my sister and her husband while I was in Beijing which didn't add to any need to utilize my Chinese. It's pretty awesome how far the dollar can stretch out there, but I know those days are going to be numbered as economic development in China continues to improve. While you could live a pretty thrifty lifestyle out in China, there are many ways to blow your cash as well... really nice restaurants, clubs, bars, etc. While there are some great things about living and working in China, there are some definite drawbacks.
1. Pollution is pretty bad out in Beijing and Shanghai... the skies are usually smoggy and gray... there are stretches of time (months) when the sky is never blue and if you blow your nose... BLACK BOOGERS. Ewwww... I know.
2. Lining up does not work out there. Lets just say... if you line up, you may never get to the front of the line. People will cut in from the sides, edege in front of you and stick their money from the side in order to purchase their subway ticket. If you're waiting to get into the subway... people will edge in front of you and push their way in. It's pretty rude in my opinion, but it's common practice. I solve it by just cutting people off as they try to edge their way in and get my body in front of theirs. They usually stop after I do that...unless they're super rude a li'l nudge nudge helps them back off.
3. People cannot drive out there... you think middle age asian women can't drive? Holy crap... the taxi drivers out there take the cookie! Lanes? What are those?! They will squeeze their taxis into any nook and cranny and honk like no tomorrow until they are in front of you... then they repeat it again to guy next to you. They will cut across four lanes of traffic, not stop for pedestrians, and cut back again if they made a mistake... it's a miracle I didn't see anyone die while I was out there. Riding a bike out there must be suicide.
Anyhow... I'll think of more things later, but I just wanted to drop everyone a line and let you know I'm alive and kicking. I started work at the firm's Menlo Park offices last Monday after I got back from Beijing. I pulled an all-nighter the second day at the office waiting for some presentation material from one of our clients in China. Luckily the following day was a retreat for summer associates up in Napa Valley... it was so nice by the pool... too bad I fell asleep out there... hence the friggin' SUNBURN!!! *ouchie* Anyhow, I'll update more in a bit... gotta shower up and head on out. Peace out from your pink *blobby* friend.
