Your impressions of the people

[iyan46]

I sure hope so ... we already have the home there, and thats where the family is at and i can't think of a better place

Edited December 2, 2007 by iyan46 (see edit history)

[Shenzhen K-1]

I sure hope so ... we already have the home there, and thats where the family is at and i can't think of a better place

 

I am thinking about doing the same thing, but let us see how far the dollar tumbles in the next year or so??

[chilton747]

I sure hope so ... we already have the home there, and thats where the family is at and i can't think of a better place

 

I am thinking about doing the same thing, but let us see how far the dollar tumbles in the next year or so??

 

Things can change in the blink of an eye as we all know but life is what dreams are made of.

[iyan46]

I guess i'm at the age where retirement is getting closer every year,

So what i've been doing quietly for the past year is investing in our future in China, Every cpl of months i send my SO some money WU to put into a savings account there .... the exchange is still pretty good there so were doing great with that. If anything happens to me in the future she will be well taken care of. After all .. she is giving up her career and retirement for me the least i can do is make sure she will be ok. It will also serve as a retirement fund for us when the time comes, I have made arrangements with her brother to continue to deposit for us after she is here. she owns her apt free and clear so we will always have a place to live and we've talked about selling it later and upgrading. we will see about that later.

 

If i could find a decent job there i'd have already moved, but as we all know ...thats not easy unless your corperate or a teacher. And i'm not.

[IllinoisDave]

 

I remember being alone in Nanning. I decided to get my shoes shined from a woman with a shine box and a stool. While sitting there, a woman walks by, stops and stares at me...and then two women, then three, then four women standing side by side and staring at me. Their eyes never leave me, even while they talk among each other their eyes were fixed, as though they wanted to soak in everything. They were expressionless. At the time, I did not know a lick of Chinese, no "Ni Hao", nothing. So, I just smiled and said "Hi ladies." Where they just giggled like school girls and finally turned and walked on.

 

There were those who were nonchalant to those who treated me like a rock star and had to have their picture taken with me. It was a bit unnerving to walk by men whose eyes would lock on and then follow me as I walked by.

 

Most of my time was spent in big cities like Shanghai or Shenzhen or touristy places where Westerners are pretty common. But I would experience what Dennis did mostly along the small back streets in Shanghai where Christine's Mom lived. If we stopped somewhere to shop or talk to someone, first one person would stop and stare and then another and another etc. I never minded it, I kinda felt a little honored in a way that these people would find little ole me so interesting (or more likely, so strange) I always just smiled at them. Some smiled back but most just kept looking or went on about their business.

 

And how could I complain? After all, I was doing virtually the same thing the whole time I was in China. I found almost everything and everyone fascinating. So I'm sure I did just as much staring at others as they did at me.

[iyan46]

My SO thought it was so strange that i would say hello to everyone, she just didn't understand how i could talk to people i didn't even know. I found it strange that she lived in the same Apt building for many years and had never talked to most of her neighbors. It's not a very big building. She laughed at me when i talked to one old guy at a fruit stand for about 20 minutes, i spoke english, he spoke chinese, and he let me taste anything i pointed at ... we got along great without understanding a word the other was saying. I told her he didn't understand the english .. but he understood mmmmmmmmm!

 

 

 

BTW .. i do know how to say hello in Chinese ... but thats all

Edited December 2, 2007 by iyan46 (see edit history)

[Shenzhen K-1]

My SO thought it was so strange that i would say hello to everyone, she just didn't understand how i could talk to people i didn't even know. I found it strange that she lived in the same Apt building for many years and had never talked to most of her neighbors. It's not a very big building. She laughed at me when i talked to one old guy at a fruit stand for about 20 minutes, i spoke english, he spoke chinese, and he let me taste anything i pointed at ... we got along great without understanding a word the other was saying. I told her he didn't understand the english .. but he understood mmmmmmmmm!

 

 

 

BTW .. i do know how to say hello in Chinese ... but thats all

 

I learned how to say shyeh shyeh......thank you, it keeps you out of trouble and makes you seem polite. Boo is also good to keep people from asking you to buy stuff!! B)

[tsap seui]

For years I've had a white fu manchu with a center piece under my lip, and the figurative red from the back of my neck has become literal and spread to my facial complexion. Throw in my ever present roo skin Aussie (Queensland counsel) hat, shorts, flip flops, and silk pink flamingo shirts and the fact that my lil' rabbit lives in a lil' burg of 1.3 million that ain't on no tourist map and when I visit her I get holes bored in me from the eye ballin'. People stop us in the street and take "pitchers" of me with their kids, of me n' my lil' rabbit, or they run ahead of us and take photos with their cell phones.

 

Now I ain't real purdy but the lil' rabbit has translated more smilin' men and women, then my fingers and toes can count, sayin' "Ah, very beautiful man", then they blush and smile and lightly rub their hand across their face and then run a finger from their chin under their nose and back to the other side of their chin as they draw out my fu.

 

Standin' on the sidewalk while the lil' rabbit goes into a shop to get some of them Chinese hand rolled, by Chairman Mao hisowndamnself, ceegars that I've taken a liken' to I've actually seen two men walk head on into each other in their gawkin', one man walk into a brick wall, and a beautiful lil' damsel walk right into a telephone pole...I hollered and tried to warn her, but she just blushed and smiled as she went head on into the dang pole...I don't think she understood my hillbilly accent.

 

We go into a restaurant and we have to get a private room, it's just overwhelmin' to try and eat with everyone watchin' yer ever move. Once, we walked out of our eatin' room and the restaurant was loaded with eaters...as we walked down the steps some kid hollered "meg wa" and ever head turned to look at us...shucks, I just took of my hat, gave my best shit eatin' grin, and said "Ni hao, yaw"....and hoped I didn't trip and fall down the dang steps.

 

I really like the Chinese, they are really quick to laugh and joke with you and, to me, that is what makes life worth livin'...Laughin'; laughin' at myself and everything in life...'cept that damned GUZ.

 

My lady and her brothers and parents and "our" son are all fun lovin' and it is a ball to be around them. We laugh and have the time of our lives together. I've shown them how to do the funky chicken, the Curly backward shuffle where you pat yer head and say woop woop woop, moon walkin', and I ad lib Chinese songs in a Frank Sinatra style with the microphone as I pretend to read the TV in the eat 'n sing restaurants we go to.

 

Yessir, China is a blast, the people are as quick to laugh as the Aussies, they jest might as well be speakin' yankee tawk, cause I can't understand a word they say.

 

tsap seui

 

GUZ...let my woman go

 

Anybody catch the Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute on the PBS fund raiser? Hot dang, he wuz playin' Tightrope as I started typin' this.

Edited December 2, 2007 by tsap seui (see edit history)

[Shenzhen K-1]

For years I've had a white fu manchu with a center piece under my lip, and the figurative red from the back of my neck has become literal and spread to my facial complexion. Throw in my ever present roo skin Aussie (Queensland counsel) hat, shorts, flip flops, and silk pink flamingo shirts and the fact that my lil' rabbit lives in a lil' burg of 1.3 million that ain't on no tourist map and when I visit her I get holes bored in me from the eye ballin'. People stop us in the street and take "pitchers" of me with their kids, of me n' my lil' rabbit, or they run ahead of us and take photos with their cell phones.

 

Now I ain't real purdy but the lil' rabbit has translated more smilin' men and women, then my fingers and toes can count, sayin' "Ah, very beautiful man", then they blush and smile and lightly rub their hand across their face and then run a finger from their chin under their nose and back to the other side of their chin as they draw out my fu.

 

Standin' on the sidewalk while the lil' rabbit goes into a shop to get some of them Chinese hand rolled, by Chairman Mao hisowndamnself, ceegars that I've taken a liken' to I've actually seen two men walk head on into each other in their gawkin', one man walk into a brick wall, and a beautiful lil' damsel walk right into a telephone pole...I hollered and tried to warn her, but she just blushed and smiled as she went head on into the dang pole...I don't think she understood my hillbilly accent.

 

We go into a restaurant and we have to get a private room, it's just overwhelmin' to try and eat with everyone watchin' yer ever move. Once, we walked out of our eatin' room and the restaurant was loaded with eaters...as we walked down the steps some kid hollered "meg wa" and ever head turned to look at us...shucks, I just took of my hat, gave my best shit eatin' grin, and said "Ni hao, yaw"....and hoped I didn't trip and fall down the dang steps.

 

I really like the Chinese, they are really quick to laugh and joke with you and, to me, that is what makes life worth livin'...Laughin'; laughin' at myself and everything in life...'cept that damned GUZ.

 

My lady and her brothers and parents and "our" son are all fun lovin' and it is a ball to be around them. We laugh and have the time of our lives together. I've shown them how to do the funky chicken, the Curly backward shuffle where you pat head and say woop woop woop, moon walkin', and I ad lib Chinese songs in a Frank Sinatra style with the microphone as I pretend to read the TV in the eat 'n sing restaurants we go to.

 

Yessir, China is a blast, the people are as quick to laugh as the Aussies, they jest might as well be speakin' yankee tawk, cause I can't understand a word they say.

 

tsap seui

 

GUZ...let my woman go

 

Anybody catch the Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute on the PBS fund raiser? Hot dang, he wuz playin' Tightrope as I started typin' this.

 

That is one great story and some of it struck home for sure. I notice some looks as we walk hand in hand places, and the younger girls generally want to see what American clothes I have on. I am just a little over 6" tall so most of the time the people are looking up at me for sure.

 

I was really quite amused when I met my new brother-in-law for the first time and he had some friends over. The couple kept asking me question after question about the USA and is what they heard for real?? Then my new 10 year old nephew bounded out, landed on my lap, and then sais hello my American Uncle........ He then made sure I had some toys to bring home with me for his new cousins. pretty cool I thought!

[DMikeS4321]

I find the people to be friendly (in a reserved sort of way... kind of like they are unsure what to expect from me), curious, hardworking and very, very bright. These are generalizations, of course.

 

I've had several little kids (8 to 12 years old) step in front of me to introduce themselves in English. Very cute! I'm hoping to take my 13 year old son back with me in January; I can't wait to see the reaction of the younger kids when they see him. He is tall for his age, fair skinned, blonde hair and blue eyes. I'm telling him he will be the most popular boy in all of Nanning! He will go to school for a day or two to visit with Lao Po's niece. This is going to be fun!

 

Oh yeah, safe. I've always felt safe. I even let my 15 year old daughter and her friend have their run of Guangzhou a couple of years ago. No issues whatsoever.

 

The only hint of problem I've had was when Lao Po and I took a short cut through an alley late one night in Nanning (against her advice) and 3 or 4 men said something to us. I couldn't understand, of course, but I could tell from Bini's sharp reply that it wasn't nice and she never told me what they said. Being bai chi lao wai, I was quite willing to chat with them about their manners, but Bini handled it. If anyone messes with her they should probably bring some friends because she has a complete no nonsense side to her, unexpectedly so for such a feminine woman. I am just overawed by her command of every situation, but then, as I keep saying, she IS Hakka and she IS from the "countryside", so she's seen a lot. Just yesterday she was telling me how her first job was in a cannery, packing fruit, 12 hours per day, 7 day a week, for 70 rmb per MONTH! From that to buying her first house with CASH by the age of 24... kind of puts it all in perspective.

 

Am I lucky or what?

[Corbin]

I think I heard them mumble something about Brad Pitt??

You must be dreaming again.....

WAKE UP........

[jim_julian]

Most of my experience in my seven trips to China has been in Chongqing. Even though it is one of the larger cities in China it does not see too many westerners. One time I went 3 weeks without seeing a non-Asian.

 

The people stare at me a lot. Very seldom do they smile even if I smile at them, nod, greet them etc. The vast majority of spontaneous comments I've gotten are from school children trying out a "hello".

 

It think it's pretty well documented that the price goes up for laowei when ever the price is not fixed ... and sometimes when it is.

 

I find, in general, people are rude to each other more than one finds in the US. Then there are always the obscene comments when a western man is seen walking with a Chinese lady, even when they have childrfen with them.

 

Clerks in store sometimes just don't give a damn and give you wrong information or ignore you.

 

I didn't take personal offense at any of this ... just wrote it off as a cultural trait.

 

All that said, inside the extended family people could not have been more friendly. They would go well out of their way to do anything possible for me. I felt that this behavior was very genuine and it was also the way they treated each other.

[izus]

ofcourse people are different in china.

ive heard it so many times here how people think for the most part in China folks are rude.

what is rude to americans might not be rude to them.

we are in their country.

ofcourse if you go to a city that does not have many westerners and you are with your chinese spouse people are going to whisper.

you are something they dont see everyday.

your interesting to them. specially with your chinese wife on your arm. (not literally)

we automatically think when people whisper around us that its rude.

ive repeatedly told my wife to not whisper to me infront of my family.

she forgets and has told me that its not rude in china to whisper infront of other people.

its our guilty consciences as americans that tell us they are saying something rude about us. (or maybe they are who knows)

 

in my 4 trips to china

the majority of the time spending in beijing.

i thought people were really nice to me.

but i think beijing'ers are much more used to seeing western tourists then say backwoods Chongqingers.

 

people stare at me just as much on calle ocho (8th Street Miami Little Havana) then they did in Beijing and no more in Hong Kong or GuangZhou for that matter.

why?

because im different and fun to look at

Edited December 2, 2007 by izus (see edit history)

[david_dawei]

also, let's not forget the issue of "face"... many chinese will not put themselves into an embarrassing situation... attempting to communicate with a foreign would be difficult at best for most.

 

I found most to be generally willing to give their shirt off their back to me if I were to ask for it... In a culture where population density and the "group" is so important, anyone who appears outside of the group will naturally draw some curiosity; the interesting thing to me is how quickly you can become a part of the group...

[iyan46]

We were in Beijing, Nanning, Guilin, and Yangshou i never felt someone was rude to me, i think it's more that i'm more used to seeing and talking with foreigners ... in America we see it all and always have. The Chinese as a people are still relatively new to having outsiders in their country and i think it's still very strange to them. When i said " Standoffish " in my original post i never meant that they were rude ... just the opposite .. they are very eager to talk but i think they just don't know how to approach us. After the young man started talking to me on the bus it was quite obvious that we were the center of attention and even though most of the people on the bus didn't understand me they were still very curious.