Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Little bit of summing up...
It´s been now 3 months since I came to China and so i thought a little bit of "structured" summing up would be interesting:) (notice: All the below listed points are purely subjective perceptions!)
So here we go...
I like in China…
- Hang Zhou! It’s truly beautiful city. The best thing is that you can get out of the concrete districts within half an hour and enjoy true nature!…, that’s really a luxury in China!
- eating style (to order several dishes, put it in the middle of table and everyone can grab a little from each, I really love that!)
- using chop sticks (it’s soo convenient once you get used to… gives the eating enjoyable atmosphere)
- small convenient shops all around (you can find there everything from basic food through hammer, batteries, bulbs to cosmetics, socks and frying pans:)
- late closing hours of shops (that’s very convenient cause you don’t need to rush from work to buy something actually)
- generally I really appreciate the „taking care“attitude of Chinese. For example When it comes to your health...they always worry so much:), send you sms 5 times a day just to make sure you are ok.
- my way to work, passing by Wulin men every morning (kind of square) and observing people who practice thai- ci .
- from some point of view I really admire the Chinese opportunistic approach to business
- I love going to the shops in my pajamas in the weekends...people don´t care at all about your appearance (the same is with dressing up to bars or clubs. you don’t really need to bother too much with your make up and latest fashion:))
- non stressing office environment...people work on their tasks but without any big stress...
- the flexibility when it comes to internal meeting arrangement...when you want to discuss some work related things you just discuss it through msn or arrange a meeting within half an hour...colleagues are very flexible in their day schedules and willing to change the plans when its necessary
- the bustling streets. the life outside is busy at any point of day
- the public safety, I’ve never felt safer than in China
- the ride on bike or e-bike in the rush hours:) there is nothing more adrenaline then this:) and finally you feel local!
Difficult to accept/ get used to in China…
- the way Chinese say „I don’t have it“ (MEIYOU:)!!!I seriously dislike this word....they use it too often ...I don’t have it...and that’s it...discussion is over...no other solution is offered…Maybe there is but you don’t understand anyway so they rather say nothing…
- Chinese characters on menus and bus stops
- people are mannerless (in european´s eyes) on the public (spitting, screaming to the phone, pressing etc..)
- lack of planning and conceptual/ holistic approach to business
- the deadly silence at the office/ lack of natural communication
- traffic jams
- pollution/ grey sky even if it’s sunny
- in comparison with western people Chinese are lack of creativity and empathy
- 13 degrease in the flats/ no central heating system in Hang Zhou interiors
- I literally hate the "plastic bags management in the shops"...you get packed eeeverything into the plastic bag (they are able to give you 3 plastic bags for one shampoo) and then you end it up with 30 plastic bags after all, they are all around at the flat and you somehow can’t get rid off them… especially when you have Chinese flat mates…they simply like to keep the things in it. I got seriously allergic on it:)
- the „western tax“ (everything what is considered as a western way of life is charged by imaginary tax – clothes (quality ones, without crazy sparkling things) food (dairy products, pasta, sauces, bread, jams, chocolate etc) drinks (coffee). So if you want to keep the standard you are used to your life is getting terribly expensive…
- staring people...specially when they stare into my shopping trolley or to the papers I read in the bus...this is really driving me crazy
- Chinese hospitals (no privacy consulting rooms, everything is a matter of public)
- national and personal days off holiday concept
It´s been now 3 months since I came to China and so i thought a little bit of "structured" summing up would be interesting:) (notice: All the below listed points are purely subjective perceptions!)
So here we go...
I like in China…
- Hang Zhou! It’s truly beautiful city. The best thing is that you can get out of the concrete districts within half an hour and enjoy true nature!…, that’s really a luxury in China!
- eating style (to order several dishes, put it in the middle of table and everyone can grab a little from each, I really love that!)
- using chop sticks (it’s soo convenient once you get used to… gives the eating enjoyable atmosphere)
- small convenient shops all around (you can find there everything from basic food through hammer, batteries, bulbs to cosmetics, socks and frying pans:)
- late closing hours of shops (that’s very convenient cause you don’t need to rush from work to buy something actually)
- generally I really appreciate the „taking care“attitude of Chinese. For example When it comes to your health...they always worry so much:), send you sms 5 times a day just to make sure you are ok.
- my way to work, passing by Wulin men every morning (kind of square) and observing people who practice thai- ci .
- from some point of view I really admire the Chinese opportunistic approach to business
- I love going to the shops in my pajamas in the weekends...people don´t care at all about your appearance (the same is with dressing up to bars or clubs. you don’t really need to bother too much with your make up and latest fashion:))
- non stressing office environment...people work on their tasks but without any big stress...
- the flexibility when it comes to internal meeting arrangement...when you want to discuss some work related things you just discuss it through msn or arrange a meeting within half an hour...colleagues are very flexible in their day schedules and willing to change the plans when its necessary
- the bustling streets. the life outside is busy at any point of day
- the public safety, I’ve never felt safer than in China
- the ride on bike or e-bike in the rush hours:) there is nothing more adrenaline then this:) and finally you feel local!
Difficult to accept/ get used to in China…
- the way Chinese say „I don’t have it“ (MEIYOU:)!!!I seriously dislike this word....they use it too often ...I don’t have it...and that’s it...discussion is over...no other solution is offered…Maybe there is but you don’t understand anyway so they rather say nothing…
- Chinese characters on menus and bus stops
- people are mannerless (in european´s eyes) on the public (spitting, screaming to the phone, pressing etc..)
- lack of planning and conceptual/ holistic approach to business
- the deadly silence at the office/ lack of natural communication
- traffic jams
- pollution/ grey sky even if it’s sunny
- in comparison with western people Chinese are lack of creativity and empathy
- 13 degrease in the flats/ no central heating system in Hang Zhou interiors
- I literally hate the "plastic bags management in the shops"...you get packed eeeverything into the plastic bag (they are able to give you 3 plastic bags for one shampoo) and then you end it up with 30 plastic bags after all, they are all around at the flat and you somehow can’t get rid off them… especially when you have Chinese flat mates…they simply like to keep the things in it. I got seriously allergic on it:)
- the „western tax“ (everything what is considered as a western way of life is charged by imaginary tax – clothes (quality ones, without crazy sparkling things) food (dairy products, pasta, sauces, bread, jams, chocolate etc) drinks (coffee). So if you want to keep the standard you are used to your life is getting terribly expensive…
- staring people...specially when they stare into my shopping trolley or to the papers I read in the bus...this is really driving me crazy
- Chinese hospitals (no privacy consulting rooms, everything is a matter of public)
- national and personal days off holiday concept
- censored websites
# posted by Evka @ 11:15 PM 
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