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Published: September 13th 2007
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Shopping
Me, Rick, and Mickey shopping in Suzhou We are saving up some travel time for next month, so this week's edition will be filled with more tidbits from Suzhou. Sorry we have been a little out of touch.
We live in a district called Lotus Community. As earlier stated, you could safely fit Kearney or Grand Island in this area. Only 10 years ago, our community was filled with farmland. The government decided that they needed a major road connecting us to Shanghai, so development ensued. If such a thing exists in China, the government exercised its power of eminent domain, seizing the farmland from the common people. As compensation, the government built our community, and gave each farmer several apartments in a complex. Also, since the government took away many people's ability to earn income, many receive a monthly stipend. I am sure it isn't much, maybe 500 RMB / month, but the older folks are tenaciously thrifty.
So, financially (the easiest way to state our opinion is always financially) we think these farmers got a pretty good deal. But, by measuring levels of happiness, maybe they dropped a few notches. The farmers had large houses and open spaces. Now, these things have been replaced
Swimsuit
They didn't have any fitting rooms, so Ely took matters into her own hands. by hoards of people and musty skies. Ukkk!
Our apartment is about 75 m^2. It isn't too big. We have 2 bedrooms, a tiny kitchen, small bathroom, and a living/dining room. The dining room furniture isn't very loungable. It is authentic wooden carved furniture. Sure, it looks cool, but pretty impossible to lay out and read the newspaper on it. Our Chinese friends say our apartment is worth around 500,000 RMB. If you multiply this by 3, the farmers have joined the million+ RMB wealth club.
So, we have seen a completely different way of life. Our place isn't exactly racially diverse. Ely and I are basically it as far as foreigner go. Many of these people were farmers--they remain fairly unchanged by the introduction of the modern Chinese consumer-oriented society. Examples of this are:
1. We haven't really ever seen any of them eat processed food. When I throw out our trash, the only thing in the can is usually vegetable shells and shavings. I imagine we look pretty strange when 80% of the things we eat are out of a box or can. We have a small farm next to our house where every family
?
So we haven't been traveling much lately. We have been doing plently of hula hooping though. Great exercise. seems to have a tiny plot of land to grow veggies. Property rights can hardly apply; the farm is a damn labyrinth.
2. There isn't exactly a recycling company set up in our area (or in the whole of Suzhou)...but it gets done in its own way. At the entrance of each complex is a popular hangout place for the old ladies. Once they see me headed for the trash bin, one of them rushes to go through the bag. Just picture an 80 year old woman trying to get to me before the 85 year old woman across the way. Maybe it shouldn't be amusing, but sometimes it just is. I am a snobby, terrible, terrible thing sometimes 😞 It feels a little weird to see someone going through your dirty trash, but hey, if they can re-use it, why not? On the whole, environmental protection and accountability in China seems to take a back seat to growth and the bottom line. This little act is a sign of hope I guess.
4. I am not sure if our neighbors have AC or not. If they do, it is never run. Pretty thrifty. They prefer just to
Landlord
And his grandma...wait. take off their shirts (only the men of course) and fight through the hellish days. The AC is maybe like the chocolate bar on the kitchen counter at lent. Just a little teaser to test your strength. Symbolically speaking, Ely and I eat the chocolate bar daily, falling to the temptation is just too easy.
Other notes:
1. Plumbing. Just in case you are eating a sandwich while reading this, I won't get into too much detail. All euphamisms aside, our plumbing is...well, shitty. It seems that everyone shares the same plumbing system--each apartment doesn't have individual systems. So...if the couple upstairs got themselves into some nasty Indian food, we would be the first people to know about it. Luckily, we live on the 4th floor. Those ground floor bafoons have real shitty luck. Ely thought that the mysterious wonders of botany would solve the problem. So, we bought a plant. 2 months later, the bathroom is still shitty, the plant was poisoned and has died, and we are out 80 RMB. Worth a try I guess.
2. The ground floor entrance is a popular hang out place for the locals. In our area, it doesn't seem
Festival
Some sort of dragon festival outside our apartment. Lots of music, clanging of symbols, and rythmic drums. that people have a whole lot of fun. Of course, our American version of fun is a little bit different than theirs. We like eating at nice restaurants, traveling to new places, going out for drinks at night, etc. Our neighbors seem to stay home every day, eat very similar food, and basically just sit around waiting for the next day to come. Very routine. I sometimes feel that the older generation sacrifices too much of their own happiness for the happiness of the next.
3. Occasionally, we see these large tents set up near our apartment. There is live music, chatting, food, alcohol, etc. We think maybe it is a wedding party, but we aren't quite sure. These parties sometimes last for days and look like quite a lot of fun. We haven't got our invitation yet, but are waiting patiently. This fourth of July I wasn't feeling too patriotic. Being in another country just does that too you I guess. American holidays just aren't the same in China. I was thinking we would have a barbecue and invite all the neighbors. We would have coolers of beer (ice is a really hot commodity here), grilling of sorts,
music, the works. I can't wait to see the look on their face when we hand them a 1/2 pound burger loaded with pickles, ketchup, mustard. Plus, if Ely decided to lay out in her two piece to catch a little sun, I am sure we would be celebrities for the day.
Remember in China, the sun is avoided like the plague. I remember asking one of our Chinese friends if he thought a girl across the way was attractive (who I thought was a real knock-out) . His reply was, "She is ok, but she has black, black skin. Not good, not good at all." So funny, I think, a little tan can't hurt anyone can it?
So...to sum things up, we are much more similar than different, us humans. However, subtle nuances like this are always fun to learn.
Hooray China, off to Beijing next week!
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Nicholas
non-member comment
Different world
Ely and Pony, Its funny reading these stories. Although our trip was short, the differences in culture was extreme. By the way, nice hair cut. Lookin sharp!