One Child Policy Homeschool - Homeschool Blogger

Patterns of Communication

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:05:00 -0500

For my first two years in China, I thought that my main communication problem with Chinese people was the language barrier. That certainly was a huge obstacle, but even when my Mandarin was gaining in fluency, there still seemed to be huge misunderstandings and frustrations when talking with locals. I’ve realized that it’s not just the words, grammar, and pronunciation that matter. There are cultural patterns of communication that are peculiar to China.

One example is the tendency to answer a question with a question. It’s one of those things that (as a Westerner) really irritates me. In our culture, answering a question with a question is the result of poor listening skills or purposely evading the subject. Although that is sometimes the case here in China, I’ve learned that it is simply a common pattern of communication.

At the restaurant

Me: Do you have fish?

Waitress: Do you eat hot peppers?

At a store

Me: Do you have a thing that you put your dishes in after you wash them so that they can dry?

Saleslady: What do you want to do with it?

Then there are these kinds of conversations that for some reason do not seem to irritate Chinese people at all. But they remind me of a ridiculous Monty Python or SNL skit!

At the checkout counter (In an effort to promote environmentalism, China has passed a new rule that stores cannot give plastic bags. Customers can purchase them or bring their own.)

Me: I need to buy some plastic bags.

Clerk: What size bag do you want – small, medium, or large?

Me: Large

Clerk: We don’t have any large ones. All sold out.

Me: Okay, medium then.

Clerk: No medium ones either. Only small.

At a department store looking at bedding

Me: What size is this?

Saleslady: What size is your bed?

Me: Please just tell me what size this is.

Saleslady: What size is your bed?

Me: 180 cm. Is this 180 cm?

Saleslady: No. It’s 150. But we have 180 cm.

Me: Do you have 135 cm?

Saleslady: That won’t fit. Your bed is 180 cm.

Me: Do you have 135 cm?

Saleslady: Yes, we do. Why do you want that?

Me: I want to buy two – one that’s 180 cm and another that’s 135 cm.

Saleslady: But these are not pretty. You should buy those over there. They are more attractive and they’re cheaper.

Me: Thanks. But I really like these.

Saleslady: But they’re not good. They’re ugly.

Me: But I like them.

Saleslady: Those are better.

Me: I want this kind. Can I buy them today?

Saleslady: Yes, I’ll go get them. (coming back with them) Here. But why do you want these ugly ones?

Me: Where do I pay? [See, I’m learning how to communicate!]

Again, at the department store, looking at two articles of bedding

Me: What’s the price on these?

Saleslady: (looking at UPC codes and pointing) It’s this price – 380.

Me: Are these both the same price?

Saleslady: Yes, the same. This one is 300. No, 225. And the other is 350. No, 325.

Me: So they are not the same price?

Saleslady: I can give you a discount.

Me: Good! How much?

Saleslady: (tapping on a calculator and showing me) This price for this one.

Me: How much discount is that?

Saleslady: 20% off [finally a straight answer!]

Me: I’ll take them!

And when shopping, there’s another pattern which involves trying to pry the price out of the salespeople and bargaining for a better price while they are trying to sell you on the item’s amazing features.

At an appliance store

Me: How much does this cost?

Saleslady: That’s an oven for making cakes.

Me: Yes, I know. How much does it cost?

Saleslady: 800 RMB.

Me: Can you give me a discount?

Saleslady: You can also use it to roast a chicken.

Me: Yes, I know. I see that. What about a discount?

Saleslady: Let me show you how it works……

Unfortunately, these are all real examples, not fiction from my imagination. It's quite trying on one's patience... to say the least.

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Be Joyful Always

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:20:00 -0500

No matter what is broken when you unpack.

(I've unpacked the hot glue gun as well and already mended it. I find that the crack down the center gives it even more meaning than before.)

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Cloth

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 05:04:00 -0500

When Beth took me to Spotlight the last time, we got this fun cotton print for only 10 Hong Kong dollars per yard ($1US = 7.5HK$).

Wish I could say that I made the dress. I didn't. I found a tailor. He charged me 30 RMB to make it. That's less than $5! So this dress cost less than $7 total!

We'll be taking this one along with three others he made when we get Sprite's yearly portraits done tomorrow.

So, Beth, what've you done with YOUR fun fabrics?

I love all the questions you've asked, readers. And I'm going to get to answering them soon. :-) Stay posted.

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Our New Apartment -- The Inside

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:27:00 -0500

Thanks for all the "housewarming" wishes! We are enjoying our new home so far. There's still a lot to be done, but I expect that within a week we'll be fully back to "normal" life and homeschool.

Here's a glimpse of the inside of our apartment. I haven't included every little bit of it --just a few key photos to give you an overall impression.

The home opens into the living room/dining room.

All the furniture and appliances you see belong to the landlord. They are not what I would necessarily choose, but we find the convenience of a furnished apartment outweighs other factors.

Here's my kitchen! It's lime green! :-) I've learned to simply appreciate size and cabinet space over color.

This is our massive refrigerator! The biggest we've ever had! It's still small by American standards, but HUGE by Chinese ones.

The hallway area is quite large and will become part of our homeschool area eventually.

How big is it? It's around 1600 square feet or 145 square meters. We think it's huge! We have three bedrooms, an office, and two bathrooms.

One bathroom has a western (sitting) toilet. One is a squatty style.

The washing machine goes in this empty space that is part of the squatty potty.

So, I know that you have a lot of questions for me. Fire away! I may turn those into a post of its own if you have enough. I'll post our finished, unpacked home later.

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Crazy Menus

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:34:00 -0500

Moving means getting to know a new city, finding new restaurants, and discovering new Crazy English! Here you go... enjoy some menu and restaurant related bloopers.

After you eat all that, you may need to visit this place.

But no matter what, just remember this...

For much more hilarious fun, visit Crazy English, where I've compiled all my Crazy English pics onto one photo gallery.

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Our New Apartment -- the Complex

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 20:06:00 -0500

Here are some views of our apartment complex. I love the way it's green and looks like an old fashioned Chinese home.

These garden areas are in the middle of the complex. They are shared areas to walk around and enjoy fresh air.
Look at this door! Isn't it great! It looks just like the old doors that used to be used in China.

We are going today-- our first night in our new home! Sprite and I are very exited! Then DH will follow tomorrow with our boxes of belongings.

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Our Fourth of July Meal

Sat, 5 Jul 2008 08:00:00 -0500

For Independence Day dinner, we went to a fancy restaurant. No hot dogs and hamburgers for us! We celebrated Chinese style!

I really wanted some chicken soup, so I asked the waitress what they had. She offered a bitter melon chicken soup and another chicken soup with a vegetable I had not heard of. I chose the mystery soup, and this is what I got!

Notice the green hue? That's because the vegetable is flower buds! I think they are lily buds! They were quite tasty!

The highlight of the meal was the Beijing duck! This is one of Sprite's favorite dishes. It's quite dramatic.

A waiter comes out with the duck on a cart and carves it right in front of you.

Sprite can't wait to dig in! The duck meat is served with a sweet sauce, sliced cucumbers, sliced scallions, and a tortilla-like wrapper.

No liberty for the duck! But horray for the Red, White, and Blue!

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Our New Apartment -- The Real Estate Agent

Sun, 6 Jul 2008 23:33:00 -0500

Before I take you to the apartment, I thought I'd take you back a step to where it started -- the real estate agent. Since we're new to this city, we simply walked around the city center looking for an agent.This is what we found.

Here's my dear husband waiting at the agent's stall while the agent makes some calls for us. (Yes, there are nicer offices in some places in China. But in our new home, this is pretty standard.)

The available apartments and storefronts are listed on boards like this. We tell the agent what we would like, and she charges 10 RMB (about $1.50) to show us two apartments. We have to pay for the taxi if we take one. The agent receives anywhere from 3% of the yearly rent to one month's rent. This is all negotiated. We visited three different agents. The third one was the charm.

And here's Sprite.

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Only Six Words

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 22:29:00 -0500

Gayle tagged me for this fun meme, and although I'm not fond of memes, I found this one very interesting. The idea is to write a six word memoir of your life (I suppose meaning my life thus far). She posted her meme on May 1. It's taken me two months to figure out what to do for this one, but now I know the answer:

PLEASE HAVE YOUR TRAVEL DOCUMENTS READY.

The last seven months of my life have been a whirlwind of traveling -- Thailand, USA, China, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, China, Hong Kong, China. Oh, and within China there was quite a bit of traveling from province to province and city to city. Yes, I like traveling. But when I say that I like traveling, I mean that I like to plan a trip, go have fun, and come home within a week or two. These past months have been nothing like that. Instead, much of the time, we've been living out of suitcases and have no real "home." Right now, we're living in a hotel in a new city in China. Our things are in storage in another city (at least that city is only four hours away).

I try hard not to complain on the blog. For one, it's just boring to read about someone's troubles. For another, I realize that I am, in the grand scheme of things very, very blessed. But, to be honest, things have been so hard that I've not felt like blogging. There's not been much homeschooling to blog about either.

So if you are the praying type, could you lift up a prayer for me and my family? We'd love to find a home fast. (We're apartment shopping right now.) Could you please ask for some roots too? I'd love that.

Enough of that. Now to tag five more people for this meme. (If you hate memes, just disregard. Or if you need time to think of an answer, take as long as you like. I took two whole months!)

1. Carisa at 1+1+1=1
2. Dana at School for Us
3. Jamie at Life and Love in Rose Cottage
4. Melissa at Lilliput Station Adventures
5. Keeley at Wanderer in a Strange Land

The rules
1. Write the title to your own memoir using 6 words.
2. Post it on your blog.
3. Link to the person that tagged you.
4. Tag five more blogs.

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A Good Friend

Fri, 4 Jul 2008 07:12:00 -0500

Isn't this a great photo? Two women going crazy over ribbon, of all things! I was so giddy with the assortment of ribbons at such cheap prices that we had to get a photo!

Beth is another blogging buddy turned IRL (in real life) buddy! I never thought making friends via blogging would be a reality for me. But I am so blessed to know these ladies! Beth lives in Hong Kong and blogs at Beautiful Feet on the Mountains.

Not only is she a total brainiac who knows Hong Kong like the back of her hand, she's kind and crafty! Like the great hostess that she is, she took us to Spotlight craft store again as well as taking me and Sprite to this fantastic sewing notions market. We reveled shop after shop of beads and ribbon! Here is Sprite in front of one of the shops. She blogged about the craft supplies at her blog.

Thanks, Beth! You're awesome! I look forward to hosting you when you come to China!

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