I’m Mobile!!

I’m Mobile!!

A couple of weeks ago, I finally decided that I needed some sort of transportation.  Taxis are hard to come by near my place, so, it’s black taxi’s only, and only when they’re around.  I have waited around up to 45 minutes for a real taxi to show up.  So, I started going out to the market to find out what was available.  I also had to go to the police station to look into what is legal and what is not.  Scooters and motorcycles are illegal in Shenzhen.  Some E-Bikes are also illegal in Shenzhen, apparently, they have to be easy to pedal when the power is turned off, and the wheels have to be under a certain size.  So, I went back to the store, and found the legal version.

Something that I don’t really understand, is why scooters are illegal, as are motorcycles, and a variety of other things, but they’re all sold out in the open.  If they were really serious, I believe that they would shut down the shops.  I believe that it’s a cash grab for local law enforcement, they get to take your bike away, then resell it, but that’s just an assumption, I don’t actually know.  I also know quite a few people who have had their transportation taken away from them, but, I don’t know anyone who has been fined for riding illegal transportation

Anyway, I purchased and immediately started riding my E-Bike.  I’ll post pictures soon, probably at the bottom of this.  It’s a fantastic little bike.  It has 3 mode settings, one is complete manual, which allows you to trickle charge the battery while riding, the middle is under power and you can still assist the small motor using the pedals when going uphill.  On the middle selection, it does 15-20 mph, which I have decided is fast enough.  It also has a high output setting, I haven’t used it at all yet, it’s quick, probably gets up around the 25-30 mph mark.  I have zero desire to go that fast though.

The streets in china, while paved, are not smooth.  There’s lots, and lots, and lots of potholes, rough pavement, etc.  You really do need to avoid manhole covers as they are known to cave in, even if just a little at times, when you run them over with a car, I suspect that’s a highly unpleasant sensation on a bicycle.  Additionally, since you don’t need a special license to ride these things, they are considered to have no laws.  You can’t get a fine for running a red light, or going from street to sidewalk, etc.  You can quite literally ride it however you want, and if you pay attention to the rest of them (and there are a lot of people on bikes and illegal scooters everywhere), you’ll notice that they rarely show any sign of self-preservation.  It actually seems fairly unsafe, but, I actually shoulder check, and watch my surroundings.  People think I’m crazy for doing so… “That’s not how you drive a scooter!!” is what I’ve been told!

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It was a bit of an odd day today.  On my way to school, I stopped beside a new cafe to try out their wraps and fruit juices.  It’s some sort of health cafe.  I don’t get why it’s called a cafe, they don’t have coffee or tea, only juices, but, perhaps “Health Cafe” is just a clever name.  I pulled up on my E-Bike, locked it up, but the lock on the back wheel, ordered, and sat down to wait for my food and my carrot juice to come out.  As I was sitting there, a Bao-an walked up and started looking very intently at my bike.  There was no one else around, so it was very obvious that it was mine, and it was also very obvious that he knew it was mine, due to the fact that he kept looking at me while he was messing around with it.  I didn’t say anything though.

(I should mention that a Bao-an is like a security guard.  Popular opinion treats him more like a mall security guard, but with even less authority.  Most people here ignore them, it’s a very low paid job, they usually have another job aside from security, and, in many cases, the bulk of their job is spent sleeping.  Unlike most, I have some degree of respect for some of them, those who actively try to do their job, but definitely not most of them, who I think are mostly useless.)

(I should also mention that when you lock up your bike here, you must use a U-shaped bike lock through your spokes so it doesn’t get stolen.  Anything unlocked will be stolen, very quickly.)

The Bao-an then looked directly at me, and kicked off the center stand, then tried to wheel the bike away.  I started yelling at him in Chinese at this point.

“Look you Moron, can’t you see that there’s a lock on the back wheel?  Are you trying to break my bike?  Do you have any degree of intelligence?  Stop it right now, and get away from it you useless jerk.” 

(I should also mention that I used much, much stronger language than that, but, it doesn't translate, so, you’re going to get the PG version.)

Now, you may think that it was poor form to go immediately to ensuring that it was a very personal attack.  Also, you may think that it was improper of me to do so in Chinese to ensure that he understood me.  But, there is a reason.  First off, if you speak in English, all the Chinese people near you will think that you’re insulting all Chinese people.  If I laid a hand on him, even grabbing him, I would have been in a fight for my life as I would have been swarmed with Chinese people.  When I say that there was no one around, that’s figuratively.  There’s never, ever “no one around”, there was just only a few people around, but, you can be sure that they would have jumped me if I played things differently.  By using Chinese and yelling at him, I showed those around me that I was a local.  By making sure that everyone knew that I thought that HE was a useless moron, and not that Chinese people are useless morons, I just spoke popular opinion.  As soon as I spoke up, I immediately had the attention of everyone in earshot, and I yelled to make sure that everyone close-by could hear what I said so that there was zero miscommunication.  This is how you deal with problems of this sort in China:

1. Be LOUD
2.  Make it personal
3. Make sure there is no miscommunication
4. Make sure that the person has less authority than you do
5. Speak the local language

After he left, with his head hung low, I moved my bike to where he indicated that it should go. 

Now, here’s the thing, if I hadn’t spoken up, he would have broken my e-bike, knowing that that was exactly what he was doing.  He also was well aware that he could break a foreigner’s bike, because he doesn’t think that there were any consequences.  Of course, if I had called the police, he would have had to replace my bike, and probably spent some quality time in jail.  I would have received a warning for parking in a place that I wasn’t allowed to do so (I didn’t know, there’s no signs, which is why I would have gotten a warning.), but he didn’t realize any of this.

China is interesting.  You’ll find that many men here do not like foreigners.  It’s important to know that these men tend to be poorly educated, and see foreigners as coming here to take jobs, and to be competition to women.  This Bao-an is in that category.  What became immediately clear to him during our confrontation was that I understood and spoke Chinese, and that I understand and can use the Chinese culture.  Because I’m a foreigner, I don’t have “face” according to the uneducated.  So, if he gets into an argument with me, and he wins, he doesn’t gain any “face”, actually, he’ll still lose face, because it’s obvious to all who see me in this situation that I understand the culture and am abiding by its rules.  If he loses, he loses a lot of face.  His only option is to get away from the situation as soon as possible, which is why he put his head down, and walked as fast as he could away from me.  I’ve come to the conclusion that men here fit into one of the following categories:

1.  Poorly educated, low to low-middle income, hate foreigners
2.  Lightly educated, middle management, dislike foreigners
3.  University educated, want foreigner friends who can help them get ahead either through networking, or helping to improve their English.
4.  Master’s degree, sometimes like, sometimes dislike foreigners, but, open to actual friendship, as long as there is business networking opportunities, or business opportunities available.

Perhaps this list will change over time, just going off of my experience thus far.  It’s funny though, I have many friends who are expats here and very, very few have a good friend who is a Chinese male.  The women here tend to be far more open minded about friendship and having foreigners as friends.  I have quite a few female friends here who I have zero interest in as anything other than a friend.  I have actually had exactly this conversation with more than a few of the Chinese friends that I do have here with regards to how many Chinese men view foreigners.  A good portion of my list above, are conclusions that we came to together.

Nature vs Nurture

Nature vs Nurture

China is an odd place.  There’s always something going on, something crazy or odd to watch, or something happening.  It’s funny, in some ways that everyone in the outside world wants to know what’s going on in China, but you don’t really get that here.  The problem, I think, comes from the fact that people here tend to do things in their own self-interest.  By way of example, there’s a crazy billionaire in Beijing.  He’s crazy by Chinese standards though, and the reason that he’s considered crazy is because nobody can seem to figure out what his motivation is.  What he’s doing is going out and helping poor people, if they need money, he gives them money, if they need food, he arranges it, if they want to get an education, he makes that happen.  He’s acting selflessly, and because of that, the only reason that Chinese people can seem to come up with to explain his behavior is either because he is trying to draw attention to himself, or that he’s literally insane.  They can’t comprehend that perhaps his travels in other parts of the world, and the fact that he’s built an empire and no longer wants to keep it all to himself… he’s decided to help other people.  I see him in the news often, one “insane” act after another.

I’ve talked to many friends and others and I’ve asked a lot of questions about a variety of things.  One of the most surprising things that I constantly ask about is the fact that Chinese people are against adoption.  I haven’t been able to reconcile myself to the one answer that I keep getting, I find it hard to believe that all of China feels one way.  Apparently, you can’t trust anyone who isn’t family, and who isn’t “blood”.  When you adopt a child, he/she will eventually figure out that he doesn’t look like the 2 of you, so, as soon as he/she figures it out, he/she will immediately take advantage and you will then pay the price. 

In college, we studied the Nature vs Nurture theory, but in China, they don’t believe in the Nurture theory at all, only Nature.  This is why people will always be able to adopt out of China, the Chinese want nothing to do with babies that aren’t theirs.  I still find it amazing that everyone I’ve talked to, regardless of province, feels the same way. 

On top of this attitude, the Chinese culture, and the way things are set up with regards to old age and familial responsibility.  In China, it is the Parent’s job to give all of the support that they possibly can to their children, provide every opportunity possible to ensure that their child is successful in life.  If their child is female, it is her responsibility to find a husband who can provide for her entire family.  If their child is a male, he is expected to take care of his entire family when they are able to work.  There are no retirement programs in China.  There are no programs for older people to make money, and they rarely have savings to live, all of their money has gone into their children. 

On top of all of this, Chinese men will rarely marry a woman over the age of 25.  They have zero interest in women who are divorced or already have a child.  If the child is not theirs, they don’t want anything to do with him/her.  If a girl is not a virgin, she also becomes less desirable. 

So, if a woman is over the age of 25, and wants to get married, she’s generally at a loss as to what to do.  The recent option, though, is to find a foreigner.  Of course, this also presents other problems.  Foreigners have been dating since a young age.  In Chinese culture, most don’t start dating until they’re 18-20.  I know many, many women who are over the age of 28 who have only had 1, or in many cases never had a boyfriend.  They don’t know how to date.  Their families are depending on them to take care of them, and they’re out of options.  They are lost and simply don’t know what to do about it. 

It still amazes me that there are between 1.3 and 2.5 billion Chinese people (believe whatever statistics you want, I know better…nobody has a clue how many people live in China), and a good portion of them are alone and lonely to a degree that’s difficult to understand.

Sorry today is a bit of a downer, I’ve been contemplating dating my friend’s sister-in-law, who  is Chinese.  She’s 28, single, extremely intelligent, a virgin, and is terrified of men.  She doesn’t know how to date, she doesn’t know what to do, and so she’s completely out of her element and comfort zone.  So, right now, we’re trying to do group dates, I’m trying to figure out how to court a girl, before dating, it seems like it should be easier than it is, but, I suppose it’s good to play the long game.  Things that are worthwhile are rarely easy.

Howdy y’all!!

Yup, I met a Texan.

Anyway, i haven't written in a while, truth be told, everyone is a little bit paranoid right now.  China can be funny at times, I see all over the media how the Chinese are making it easier for foreigners to be in China, and how easy it is to get a visa right now.  I find that this is interesting when they’re busting people left, right and center, revoking visas, and throwing foreigners out of the country.  Recently, some Canadians were busted in Beijing as spies, they were apparently sending information freely obtained via the internet in China, and it was unclear whether they posted the info on a blog, or were sending it to a variety of different emails… I read 2 different newspapers that gave 2 different stories.  They were told that they were still state secrets, and I’m not sure if they’re still locked up or not right now.  Due to paranoia over things like this, I decided not to post anything on my blog, and to just keep my head down, study Chinese, and not send out mass emails anymore.  The thing with the visas isn’t really an online thing, Shenzhen decided to give the “sheriff” over Shenzhen the power to revoke visas on the spot for foreigners not complying with the laws of China.  This means that you must be registered with the local PSB, and you must carry your passport on you at all times – no photocopies, no pictures, no other ID but your passport.

The problem with carrying your passport in China is what happens if you lose it, or it gets stolen.  When you don’t have a passport, you must find your nearest embassy and make your way there.  Keep in mind that in order to purchase a plane ticket, train ticket, or bus ticket, you must have a passport.  Also, to book a hotel room, you must have a passport.  So, if I lose my passport, I must go to Guangzhou to get a new one, which means that I’m going to take a very expensive taxi ride, and, I have to arrive during business hours since I can’t book a hotel room in Guangzhou.  Additionally, the USA and Canadian embassies also don’t allow cell phones or bags or anything within their embassies, so, you must find a place to lock up your belongings, and hopefully be able to find it when you get out.  There are lockers available from Chinese people surrounding the area, but… do you really trust anyone with your phone locked up in a place that’s very easy to break into?  It’s a bit nerve wracking.  You then have to take a taxi back to Shenzhen, and wait for a few days before you can go get your temporary passport.  Once you get the temporary passport, you can then apply for an exit visa from China.  From there, you must go back to your home country, get a real passport, then re-apply for your new Visa, and you can come back to China within a month of losing your passport.  I know 2 people who have done it, it cost them a month and about $5,000 USD. 

So, these officers are going around to places where expats hang out in the expat zones, engaging them in conversation to see what they do for a living, then leaving and coming back with a police escort.  They demand to see your passport, and, if you’re rude, they revoke your visa, if you don’t have your passport, you need to be able to call a friend to go get it for you while you hang out in the nearest police station.  If you’re staying at a hotel, they generally just call the hotel, verify who you are, and let you go.  I find it’s easier all the way around to keep my passport in a secure place, and avoid going to big expat hangouts. 

So, at this point, you’re probably all wondering if it’s worth living here.  To that, I would have to respond, absolutely.  Yes, there are a lot of hassles, and a lot of craziness, but… overall, it’s more than worth it.  I’m actually thoroughly enjoying myself, and I’m learning a great deal as well.  I’ve had a lot of very strange experiences, and my Chinese has improved a great deal.  I can now take a taxi easily, carry on a conversation for the most part, and make my way around very easily.  This year, I’ve decided that it’s wholly unhealthy for your state of mind to not vacation outside of China for at least a week, every 6 months or so, but, that’s only for your own sanity.  Sometimes you need to hear your native tongue, sometimes you need to know what’s going on around you and why, and sometimes you need to be able to read everything on a menu, know what it is, and not be a little bit frightened every time you order food.  Fortunately, the Philippines is about $400 USD round trip tickets from here, and I think Thailand is similar.  I’ll write more on those places when I actually go, probably next year.  I’m also looking at getting into traveling around to different areas of China next year, to get a better idea of what the country is like.  My thought is to pick a city and go live there for a week or two, we’ll see how it goes.

I’ve had quite a few crazy experiences since I last wrote.  I’m not going to write about them in any particular order, just as they come to me.  So, about 3 days ago, I was waiting for a taxi.  The area that I was waiting in turned out to be completely devoid of available taxis, and I saw a black taxi pull up.  A “black taxi”, for those of you who don’t know, is an illegal taxi.  These are cars privately owned, who will drive you places, usually for a very marked up fee, but, they’re not licensed, and if they get caught by the police, they can lose both their car and their license.  (NOTE:  no single woman in her right mind should EVER get into a black taxi by herself…it’s not safe, there’s been a lot of problems with that this year, for Chinese and foreigners alike).  So, this girl got out of the black taxi, and I hopped in.  I told him that I was going to Coastal City Mall, and asked how much, he shrugged and said, “I don’t know… 40?”  A taxi is about 36, so, no big deal, and I said, “Let’s go!”  When we got near Coastal City, I asked him if he had a business card, because he was easy to talk to, a good driver, had a clean – non-stinky car, and I’d love to be able to call him again.  He said that he didn’t, that he had, in fact, just dropped off his girlfriend, and he had no idea what to do when a foreigner jumped in the back of his car speaking Chinese.  He decided that it was safest to just take me where I wanted to go, and that that was his best guess of how to have no problems with me.  I apologized, he laughed, and I still got to where I was going, and I’m now the first foreigner to successfully pull off a carjacking.

I’m going to try to get back into writing a blog, going for about once a week.