sunketing's Guestbook

I also enjoyed the foods you mentioned...
but for the most part I didn't appreciate the food from northern China. I'm more the Thai food lover, which since you have been to Thailand and now are moving there, you can appreciate!

Forty Winks
Hi Kris, I’m really enjoying your “Best and Worst” series of posts. The whole “Hello” thing (in which a Chinese person—usually a teenage boy—hollers “Hello!!!” and then bursts into laughter) has happened to me a few times and is very strange. I was also thrown for a loop by the afternoon naps when I first arrived. I had to teach a class at 1.00 PM and the students were always on the verge of dozing off. When I asked them about this, they explained that they’d always been able to take an after-lunch nap in high school, so staying awake at 1.00 PM was difficult for them. I suggested that they drink a cup of coffee after lunch, but they said this would keep them awake at night…

The noise
I can relate to that, well also to the food obviously, but as someone merely travelling through and not speaking the language it was always hit and miss with me and the food (unless I was with a Chinese speaking person in which case it was always mouth-wateringly good). But the noise was never hit and miss, it was always hit, hit, hit. My own personal theory is that the Chinese have become so used to noise, that silence scares them. Hence when they are somewhere where there is no noise to begin with, they have to create it, either by putting on a radio, TV, or by screaming when above appliances are not available (like when walking in a scenic nature area, often in the form of random hollering at the top of their voices). This seems to soothe them. It is just a theory of mine, but until proven otherwise I find it works quite nicely to explain this phenomenon.

Nap time!
Make up days sound awful, but nap time is a genius idea...we wonder whether this improves productivity in the post lunch haze?! An excellent idea that the rest of the world should implement.

Good
I like this blog

Not too crowded
I was surprised to see that the subway and landings weren't as crowded as those in London.

Love to learn more about tea
A fascinating culture. We've enjoyed following you.

Beautiful!
"Parting is such sweet sorrow."

Congratulations
Kris, We are so proud of your accomplishments in China and the connection with your students and the culture. We know that you will do as well and better in your new position. We continue to learn and enjoy your blogs. Good luck. AC & UB