Bicycles

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I went to a Target type store looking to buy a bike. I still think I want to buy a bike, despite the crazy cyclists here. The bicycle salesman was quite nice and wasn't trying to sell me the expensive ones. He asked where my parents were from, and I said they are both "Jiangsu ren". He said, "Really? You have a Taiwan accent." This is true. I have an American mixed with Taiwan accent (American/Taiwan accent). I wonder if my Chinese sounds as bad to him as English spoken by China immigrant in Texas (Southern/Chinese accent).

I previously wrote in my blog about my perception of gender roles here in Shanghai. Bicycle man saw me looking at a blue one, but then he said, "Isn't this light purple one is nice for you? Nice for a girl." I thought it was funny that he suggested the purple one. It was quite pretty looking. I actually think that a pink/purple might be better - I have a feeling that pink ones are not stolen as often. Plus, it will be easier to identify. The cheapie one was 258 rmb, but will be fine for just riding to school. I asked bicycle man if he thought it was safe for me to ride, and he told me to just ride slowly and get off my bike when I cross large intersections. Yesterday I saw a woman on the back of a bike (behind her spouse) holding a baby (no sling/backpack). Sheesh, people sure do have confidence... I asked about helmets and he laughed at me. I eyed the baskets you can attach to the front of the bike to put stuff in and he told me I didn't need one, he said "Just use a backpack". Haha, I liked that the salesman was trying to save my money. He said I just need a lock. Oh, and I need a little bell 😊 too. In front of most office buildings, they usually have these bike parking attendants who watch your bike for 0.50 rmb. It is someone's job to watch bikes. They even give you a parking stub! 😊 I'll go back and buy it when I get back from Beijing. Please note, this is my very first bike of my own! I think my 3 year old nephew even beat me to it.

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