Exotic weather, live food and dodging scooters!

I have been in my new home for over a week and again, there’s so much to talk about I may have to save some for another time!

I’m in Xiaolanzhen, which is a town in the city of Zhongshan (Guangdong province). It is one of the richest towns in Guangdong, but still fairly cheap compared to prices in England! The cost of a bus ride to the mall is roughly 12p – considerably less than back home. The value of money is considerably different. Even their most expensive items are still fairly affordable. I went to the supermarket and bought stationary, food, drinks, some crockery and cleaning products that will last me at least two weeks; the total was around 400 Yuan (a virtual hi-five to anyone who knows what that is in pounds!)

Speaking of the supermarket, I saw these there:

I’ll leave it to your imagination as to why live fish and crabs are available!

  

The climate here is nothing like the UK. We’re pretty much on the equator so it’s hot all year round. Currently it’s 30 degrees (at 10am) with 76% humidity. Rain is also forecast which is typical.

It’s still hot and humid when it rains, making it feel very tropical and jungle like. So far we’ve been lucky that the recent typhoon went around us, however just before we got here there was a devastating typhoon that lasted for days and left many without power, flooded their homes and some even lost their lives. If anything like that is forecast, the town shuts down and everyone stays inside away from windows (at least they should!) so I have made sure to keep some supplies in my apartment just in case!

The town itself is quite small, there’s not much to do that’s close by but to be honest it’s so hot I can’t stay outside for too long anyway! By December it will have cooled down to the mid-twenties (still hot by my standards but a lot more bearable) so I will go exploring then. We also get Golden week off (basically half term) in October so will probably venture out then. These photos are from around my apartment complex and Xiaolan town centre. 

There’s a lot of little differences here compared to the UK. There doesn’t seem to be an emphasis on common courtesies. Saying ‘thank you’ or ‘excuse me’ is quite rare and they can look at me strangely if I say it to them. Also I keep saying ‘bless you’ to the people I work with and they have informed me that it’s just not something that’s said in China (but they said I can keep saying it!)

It is also considered rude to leave a tip after your meal here. If you do you’re implying that the workers do not earn enough and that is an insult. So better for my bank balance!

The crazy driving continues. Often when I’m stood at the bus stop the taxi mopeds toot their horns and wave trying to get me to pay them for a ride. After witnessing the roads and the lack of helmets available, I just wave them on. Today one actually stopped and tried to hold a conversation. I waved my bus pass and pointed to the stop. He stopped talking and then just smiled at me. Very awkward silence! But then my bus came along so he drove off.

Crossing the roads here is a nightmare! The only time the cars have to stop is if there’s a red light and there’s not many of them! Initially I would walk out with a Chinese person (no one in particular, just anyone who happened to be there!) so I could gage whether I would get across. The road outside my apartment has 4 lanes each way so it can be quite daunting – but I’m getting the hang of it!

If I’m not trying to avoid getting hit on the road, then I’m dodging mopeds and scooters on the pavement. As you can see, it’s fairly common for them to use the pavement and toot their horns to get you to move out the way! And this guy is driving the wrong way, without a helmet and something sticking out from the sides!

And finally, the celebrity status continues. Yesterday two school girls started giggling as they said hello to me. Pretty much everyone on a moped stares at us as they drive pass (why there aren't more crashes is beyond me!). Some of them wave hello, others just stare straight faced. Apparently it's because I'm tall, female and a westerner. Today when walking around I realised that I am taller than the majority of men and women here so I guess it's a little strange for them!

Next blog will be about my work at the school and should be up in a day or so!