Utilities, cuisine, ‘etiquette’ are major challenges in China

I realize now that first impressions can be very valuable, and mine of China were no exception. I had so many first-time experiences in this foreign country, it’s difficult to put into words not just what happened, but also how it affected me.
I began the day at 9 a.m. and spent the next two hours trying to decipher the cryptic Chinese instructions to light the water heater so I could take a shower. After that monumental task was completed, I moved onto the stove where I had some difficulty, and then onto the laundry machine where I was completely unsuccessful.
Despite the fact that my own home is powered by gas, it seems so awkward for me to depend so heavily upon it. For example, in my home in Washington Township, I turn the bathroom faucet on and a few seconds later hot water magically emerges. Here, an entire apparatus is devoted to the function of heated water in the bathroom (the kitchen is a whole other matter), and the fact that I have to manually fidget with this thing for the simple task of washing my face is one of the several things to which I must adjust.
I also had my first encounter with several of my co-workers today. First, I had lunch with Beijingers at the China Daily’s restaurant. In typical Chinese fashion, several dishes were served on the inner circle of the round table, which swivels in order to rotate the dishes for the patrons.
The first meal was an interesting one. I had to observe my companions’ eating etiquette before I felt comfortable joining in the meal. From what I can tell, the cold dishes are served first, which include various dishes like cucumbers, bean curd, petrified eggs (saturated in vinegar and then aged), vegetable medleys and marinated cold cuts. The hot dishes then follow accompanied by vegetables on separate dishes and traditionally a soup or noodle dish completes the meal.
And as the “lazy Susan” inner table rotates throughout the event, chopsticks and small (yet deep) spoons are used as the serving utensils. It’s even acceptable to eat off the different plates instead of serving your personal plate, which is usually very small (about 3 inches in diameter) and then eating from it.
After a brief tour of the building in which I would be working, I was escorted to the nearest supermarket to purchase necessary items for my apartment — and what I found was a circus. Being the eve of the Chinese New Year, it seemed as if every resident in Beijing decided to stock up on food (and it wonderfully coincided perfectly with my first trip outside of my apartment).
My shopping partner and I began to search for some of the items I needed. Unfortunately he was not fluent in English and I had an extremely difficult time identifying the items on the shelf. It was then that I began to realize that not one of the people I saw in the market were non-Chinese, and I began to get an eerie feeling that people were watching me. Being the obvious foreigner, with my blonde hair, blue eyes and bony nose, I felt like an alien that had landed on some strange planet. Needless to say it was difficult to blend in and not draw attention to myself.
Upon returning, I bumped into another co-worker in my apartment building who was (thank God) American. Steve was extremely friendly as he introduced himself as a fellow copy editor, and had the good graces to invite me over to his place for the afternoon. And after talking slowly, pointing and grunting at things I wanted and making every attempt to simplify the words I spoke, I graciously accepted to converse in a normal way.
Later, Steve introduced me to several other “foreign experts” working at the China Daily, who are mostly from the United States or Britain. They seem to be a wonderful crowd, and they took me out to New Year’s Eve dinner to enjoy Chinese dumplings, the cuisine highlight of the holiday.
I must say that this day was definitely a full one, and I’m exhausted. But I feel great. I am proud of myself for getting through the shopping experience and some of my fears have quieted about making friends. I now have eight wonderful people who know I exist, which helps in case I become depressed from solitary confinement.
Even though it’s not on the basic level of Maslow’s needs chart, social interaction is a necessary function for a healthy human being. And I appreciate every one of those guys and gals for taking me under their wing. After all, I could interact with the Chinese all I wanted, but if I can’t communicate with them I might as well be alone in this gigantic city.
Fortunately, I don’t have to be.