Observations for a rainy day

So this morning it rained a lot, and I made some more observations that I've added to my growing list of cultural observations. I thought I would share the ones I can think of with you.

1. EVERYONE uses umbrellas. I find this one kind of entertaining because coming from a state that supposedly rains the most, we hardly ever use umbrellas. I find this one very practical though and it makes walking in the rain quite a bit less miserable.

2. If you are a foreigner expect to be stared at wherever you go. Walking down the street or minding your own business in a supermarket you are being stared at. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it can definitely remind you that you stick out like a sore thumb. :)

3. They have a Chinese version of pizza here. It's interesting how they have taken the concept of pizza and put very irregular toppings on it. It tastes good, but I never would have thought that a pizza with either curry or corn would taste good before.

4. Chinese people like buffets...I thought that was only an American thing.

5. There is a lot more PDA between couples here than I expected to see, but still conservative compared to what you might see in the states.

6. You can't take your bag with you into a shopping store. They have these giant cubby things with a door on each cubby that you have to put your stuff in before going in to a grocery/supermarket type store. You also can't take any drinks or food in.

7. I have yet to see a Mcdonalds here....I've seen one KFC, but no Mcdonalds yet.

8. They do sell forks and spoons here. I definitely wasn't expecting that, however in the cafeterias they have a giant chopstick dispenser. Kind of like a straw dispenser but for chopsticks.

9. If you are a foreigner you are easily memorable and people you buy from have a high likely hood to remember you.

10. Taxis are cheap.

11. I haven't seen grass, but there are quite a few beautiful willow trees here.

12. They use chalk boards here in the classrooms. It feels like a flashback to elementary school.

13. They sell lots of tea here. :) and bubble tea too for those that like it.

14. It's different being able to walk to class in about two minutes and not have to scale any hills to get there. :) The largest hill on campus is nothing but a slight slope, and I mean slight. I will have to rebuild my cougar calves in a year.

15. There are a lot more buildings on this campus than I thought. They are really close together and it's a little confusing because things look different from a window than from the ground.

That is all that I can think of for now. I hope you all enjoy these few observations. Till next time. :)

Nicole