Chinese People are Weird:

1. They don't dress weather appropriate--Before we left for the trek around China, it was becoming rather warm. In the States when the weather warms up, we start to wear less clothes. Not so in China. It was in the 60's and people were still wearing boots and jackets. When we were in Xi'an (in the north) it was FREEZING. Apparently the Chinese people didn't think so. People were just wearing light jackets. I was wearing the heaviest coat I brought and a scarf and gloves everyday. I think I saw like one person wearing gloves the whole time I was there.

2. They don't walk with purpose. I never really considered myself a fast walker till I came to China. I am constantly having to weave in and out of Chinese people to get to my destination because everyone walks so freaking slow. It seems like everyone is constantly out for a Sunday stroll. I don't get it.

3. The don't do things like form lines. One of the things that has come to bother me the most is the fact that the concept of a line, is very foreign to Chinese people. I hate it when I am obviously standing waiting to pay or whatever, and a Chinese person jumps right in front of me. Excuse me, I was here first. I think it might have something to do with the fact that there are so many people in China, that you have to fight for everything you need. But I'm telling you, if China just had lines, there would be less stress and less pushing and shoving.

4. They overuse umbrellas. This probably annoys me more than most Americans as I've gone to school in Seattle for the past couple of years. In Seattle, umbrellas are rarely seen. They are too much of a hassle, it's not worth it. In China, when it's raining like one drop per hour, the umbrellas come out en masse. Getting a little wet has never hurt anything. Today I even saw some guy on a bike holding an umbrella to shield himself from the nonexistent rain. Completely unnecessary.

5. They don't eat dairy. How can you live without cheese? 'Nuff said.

6. They don't use butter (probably because they have a vendetta against dairy products, see point 6). Now and again, we'll come across some sort of cookie or bread that tastes like butter has been used in the baking process (wishful thinking, I'm sure), to which the immediate response is "It tastes like Mei-guo (America)!"

7. They think it's ok to have fish/seaweed flavored anything. I do not want fish crackers thankyouverymuch. New things are always tried with a bit of trepidation, who knows if they're trying to get something of the ocean variety past you. Nasty surprise, that.

8. They think it's ok to ask you to sing a song when they've known you for approximately 5 minutes. Apparently such behavior is common in China because I've been asked on multiple occasions to sing. For example, when I was teaching English in Lan Tian, my students started chanting and applauding when they wanted me to sing. It was one of the first things they asked me during our "free conversation" time.