Life in China 2016: A Picture A Day, November 1 – One often challenging part of life as an expat (expatriate or expats are people living outside of their native country), is finding others who relate to life in a way similar to how you do, while living in the midst of a foreign culture. In larger cities, where there are more expats, there are often groups that form for this purpose. During the four years we lived in Shenzhen, I was involved with SWIC, the Shenzhen Women’s International Club. SWIC has members from all around the world! They have weekly social coffee mornings, and offer many classes, group activities, and trips. Although it is an hour drive from me now, I am still a member and enjoy going back at least once every couple of months. Songshan Lake, where we live now, is about a 30-minute drive from the area in Dongguan where most expats live. They have a much smaller group that meets once a month, and there are 8-12 people who usually attend. Today, we went to the SWIC coffee morning in Shenzhen, which is held in the lobby of the Shekou Hilton Hotel, and there were probably about 50 ladies there. I enjoyed conversation with ladies from Panama, Taiwan, UK, Canada, USA and China, and there were many more I didn’t talk to! When the majority of days I’m challenged to just find someone who I can speak to about any minor thing (whether that is with their limited English or my limited Chinese!), it’s like a social energy boost to have ladies to talk to about things I really enjoy talking about! So, thanks to my SWIC friends (old and new), I am now recharged and ready to go! Thanks to Leah also for taking some pictures today while I was busy talking :-)
Double Ninth Festival
Life in China 2016: A Picture A Day, October 9 – Today was the Chongyang or Double Ninth Festival in China. It is the ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar. The common word for nine is “jiu”, which also is the way the word for “long” is pronounced, and “jiu jiu” means “forever.” Because of this, the day was always a time for worshiping ancestors. Today, because of its symbolism for longevity, it is Seniors Day. Younger generations are supposed to show respect to the elderly and make it a special day for them. A very old tradition on this day is to climb mountains. 1500 years ago in China, during the Tang Dynasty, poets often wrote about climbing mountains and it was/is believed that by doing so, disease could be prevented. I remember when we were in Guilin a few years ago and had two elderly women accompany us up Moon Hill, they were in far better physical shape than I was! They said they climbed the mountain a couple times a week. Today’s picture was taken by my friend, Nancy Liang, when she and her daughter climbed Nanshan Mountain in Shenzhen this morning. Since chrysanthemums are blooming at this time of year, they are always admired during the festival, and Chrysanthemum wine is usually enjoyed. The festival can also be called the Height Ascending Festival or the Chrysanthemum Festival.
Badminton
China is said to be the best country in the world at badminton. In Chinese, it is called “yu mao qiu,” basically meaning “feather ball.” The reason why they’re the best? I don’t think there is a definite answer, but, I’m sure the government backing those who have talent is a very likely possibility. You do see people playing badminton much more though than in the USA; I remember playing badminton as a kid or at picnics. Here, I often see parents playing with their children or people playing in parks. This picture was taken at about 8:30 in the morning at a park near the hotel we stayed at in Shenzhen. So, how many of you reading this have EVER been up at that time of morning playing badminton with other adults?
Getting a Haircut
Life in China: A Picture a Day 2016, January 26 - Getting a haircut in China is very enjoyable: You lie flat on a table, and while getting your hair washed, with lots of suds, you also get a nice scalp, neck, and upper back massage, lasting about 10 minutes. I pay an extra 25rmb/about $4usd, to have a special ginger hair treatment, which makes my scalp tingle like crazy, but feels good, and gets me another 5 mins of scalp massage :-) Then you get a 10 minute arm, hand, shoulder and back massage, and finally, you are ready for your haircut! In this picture, there is another table on the other side of me, plus 6 on the other side of the room. This is an upscale salon, and to have a senior stylist do my haircut and blow dry, I pay 132rmb/about $20usd, with a VIP card. Standard salons are much lower priced. Thanks to Leah for taking the picture.
