Zaijian Zhong Guo - Good Bye China

   2 years ago I wished there was more to life than getting up every morning and going to work, returning home, eating dinner and going to bed. My life needed a little more adventure. Life took me to China...an experience that was totally different.To be immersed in a new culture. To learn a new language. Within a few weeks, my life went from ordinary to outrageous! Many a times in the beginning I have wondered what possessed me to say 'Yes' when I was asked if I'd like to relocate to China. I was oblivious to the fact that it will demand tremendous amount of time, energy and emotional drain. Thankfully we had an incredible support network to help me through from family, friends and colleagues.


  Before we moved I was told by many that it shouldn't be hard to adjust because I'm Asian too, but boy what a shock was I in for. Right from the language, to food, to etiquette, everything was different. It took us a good 2 months before we could say 'settled'. And that's when the explorer in me came out. With kids adjusted to great schools, Ram settled at work, I went out to explore the real China. Shanghai is an enormous city and I had no hope of seeing everything. But there were a few must visit places that I used as a milestone in my exploration. 


  Shopping in China has been an entertainment on its own. Anything and everything is available and pretty much everything here is negotiable. To me bargain shopping is like a game...the seller plays and the buyer plays. When I quote a ridiculously low price I have been told by sellers - "No Joking price, tell me serious price" :-). There have been times when I have not bought things even after the seller agrees to my low price and at times I have been literally pushed out of shops for quoting low prices and trust me neither of us holds any grudges against the other. Because like I said it's a game and everything's fair in Love, War and Shopping in China. 


  Learning Mandarin was quite challenging I must say. But the frustrations we came across while settling in the early days in Shanghai, drove me to take up this challenge. In order to learn this language I had to become a kid again with no preconceived notions, and had to learn by simply listening to words spoken over and over again. The intellectual challenge of learning something new, a sense of accomplishment, and the joy that comes from forming new relationships and friendships with people of a different culture. 


  Chinese food in China is nothing like what you get in America or India for that matter. Chinese food doesn't taste or smell anything like you have had in your home country. I am one of those unfortunate ones that can't have Chinese food because of my aversion to it that came with my pregnancy. But one thing I did notice is that there are no 'Fortune Cookies' here like you get them in Chinese restaurants back home. 'Fortune Cookies' are not Chinese and I've no idea where that came from :-). 

   A part of Chinese food culture is the 'Tea'. China is the homeland of tea. People here drink tea daily and throughout the day. Tea here is offered everywhere, even in salons, massage parlors and at times shop keepers offer you tea as well. Liu Cha (Green Tea), Hong Cha (Red Tea) and Hei Cha (Black Tea) is widely offered. But when I say tea it does not necessarily mean tea from the tea leaves. Tea could also mean something where they put rose buds, chamomile and plain ginger in hot water.  And I guess that's what gives them their glowing complexion and longevity. 
 
  Other than some issues I'm not supposed to talk about ;-), there is one that everyone here's been worried about...Pollution! Everything you’ve heard about air pollution in China is true. The new proliferation of cars and factories have made it to go from bad to worse. I didn’t see a bit of blue sky in my 4 days in Beijing. The health and environmental implications are terrible.
    
   But now, 2 years down, the feeling is - "I came, I conquered, I survived". What a beautiful experience this has been, that now I appreciate China for what it is, rather than for what it isn't. I'm gonna miss watching people practice Tai Chi early in the morning, will miss people perform Chinese street dancing late in the evening, will miss watching people eating noodle soup all day long with chopsticks, will miss the beautiful sky scrapers, will miss the breathtaking view from my living room, will miss everything that I cherished in the last 2 years. 
 
   Given the fact that every other thing in the US is made in China, I guess I'll still be connected to this part of the world in some way. This stay has bought a new perspective to my life. Living in China, especially Shanghai has been like watching an action packed movie non-stop, and as it rolls to an end, I wish I could just carry on. For, by now, I’ve fallen in love with this beautiful country.

 

Namesake

     What's in a name? Well...Everything, if you are in China.
 
     When we first came to Shanghai it was hard to digest the fact that everything here had a Chinese name, including Restaurants, Hotels, Important Landmarks and even People. The first few days in Shanghai was spent by us in Marriott. One day we called a restaurant to ask them to deliver food to our hotel. The Chinese gentleman at the restaurant asked us the name and address of the Hotel where the food needs to be delivered. When we gave him the hotel name and address, he was like "Maariyaat? where is that?" in broken English. In spite of our several attempts the gentleman just couldn't understand. We just cancelled the order and hung up. It was only the next day that the person in the Marriott reception told us that Marriott has a Chinese name called 'Qiluwahi' and all the locals only recognize 'this' name. Phew!

   With every passing day we learned that everything Non-Chinese here has a Chinese name. Carrefour is 'Jia Li Fu'. Wal-Mart is 'Wal Ma'. The BMW car is 'Bao Ma'.  Mercedes is 'Ben Chi', The Great Wall is 'Changcheng' and the list goes on....

    Picking a name for someone is a big deal in China. Parents choose a name for their children that are symbolic, of cultural trait or of a great personality usually that of an Emperor. Here expats who come from various countries also have a Chinese name. After just a couple of days in Shanghai, Ram comes home one fine evening and declares 'Yeh! My name is Remo Pa. I have been given a chinese name in order to fill out a government document'. I am like 'No way'. A few days pass by and the kids also have a Chinese name. Kushal is 'Pan Ke' and Arjun is 'Xiao Jun'. These names were given by their Mandarin teacher in school. I was relieved because I neither work or go to school here and so I can stay plain and simple 'Harsha' :-).


   On my first day at my Mandarin school, I was asked by my teacher "Do you have a Chinese name?". I say "No" to which the teacher asked "Do you want one?". Now, I'm standing at a critical point where if I say 'Yes' I might have to go in for antidepressants. After giving a quick thought I said 'No thanks, please call me Harsha'. I hope my name 'Harsha' means nothing in Chinese if not anything good. As an example, if your name is 'Ben' you are screwed. Because Ben in chinese means 'Stupid'. Imagine someone introducing himself - "Hi, I'm Ben, I'm Stupid" .....hehehe.

    It is not just expats having Chinese names. Chinese people have English names as well. They are somehow fascinated by it. So far I have met a Phoenix, Buddha, Black, Prada and my personal favorite Apple :-)

    So, it's not Namesake. Because....everything's in a Name.
   

 

China it for me please

What??? Yes, China it for me please. That is what will be the new synonym for COPY in the coming years. Actually it should have been already.

In the months that I have lived here, all I have seen is that the beauty and grandeur of this country has been created using a copy machine. Movies, Video games, Cars, Iphone, IPad....you name it. In fact, Shanghai was developed as a replica of New York. I'm yet to find the Statue of Liberty here :).

Wanna have a hairstyle like Penelope Cruz or Aishwarya Rai Bachchan? Just take a picture of theirs to the barbers here and say 'Copy' and they'll do it for you...no kidding. If you wish to have a clothing made to resemble one that's worn by a celebrity, take a picture of the same and go to the Fabric Market here in Shanghai. You choose the fabric and show them what needs to be made out of it. You'll have the garment ready in a couple days. Isn't that cool?

Some duplicates here come with glamor as well such as Coach, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein and many others. What adds more value to it, is that you can further negotiate the price of an already reduced 'branded' item. What's the catch? Well, when it comes to electronics there is a chance of a product failure. So buy at your own risk. Here's something funny displayed on a board at the fake market in Shanghai - "Best duplicate supplier of Gucci bags"....huh?. I keep wondering at times if my friends in the US will appreciate my choice of branded handbags and watches (even if they are original) when I return back home.

Success is tough to duplicate but it's amazing how it's been done here in China. Worth the knowledge and the experience.

Ni ming bai le ma?

As a new and confused Laowai (foreigner) not knowing a word of Mandarin, all I could say was 'What the hell are you talking about?'. And I'm sure the feeling was mutual when I responded in English to the Chinese in front of me.
But after all, I was in a country where you can't get past without knowing the local language. And as a newbie to Shanghai I already had plenty on my plate, so didn't want the additional burden of learning a new language. While in the US; when Ram's office offered the distance learning class for Mandarin, though I had the inclination I did not find the time to learn it. However, I guess I did the right thing not wasting time on it. Moreover, I thought I will learn the language by observing and interacting with the local crowd here in China. Not sure what I was thinking about when I assumed that. But after 3 months in this country I realized that there are no shortcuts in learning this language. Because the most important advice I can offer to future Mandarin learners - "do it in person NOT online". Mandarin is one language which is better learned face to face. 'It is' as hard as it sounds and looks, and learning it from a teacher is the only way out. Fortunately, you have teachers here coming to your house to teach you.....now, that's something you call 'outright customized and personal'.
I have been taking classes for the last 3 weeks from my teacher Jenny who comes home twice a week. But learning the language is an overwhelming experience. A character in Chinese can have multiple pronunciation and tones. And every tone associated with a word can have a different meaning. However I cannot give up learning, not because Mandarin is the language of the future but because I got to survive in this country. It is overwhelming and I still walk away with a massive headache and an overload, after every Mandarin lesson, but it's worth the while. After all, I can now go out shopping, bargain and get things I want. I now understand at least partially what my Ayi (maid) and Si Ji (Driver) are trying to tell me. In fact I have been attempting to talk to my Ayi and Driver in Mandarin now and have been successful in making them understand what I want. They do have a smile on their face when I say something in Mandarin though. Not sure if that smile means they appreciate the fact that I'm putting efforts in learning the language or if I'm probably sounding stupid with an accent that is not Chinese ;-). Now when someone says 'Ni ming bai le ma'? (Do you understand) I can hope to say 'Wo ming bai le' (I understand).
Isn't that wonderful, because now I am one of them :).

Autograph Please

After 2 months in China I think I have managed to defeat culture shock and adapt myself here. It is a big achievement! However, there still was one thing that bothered me....until last week. Why does everyone (and I mean everyone) have to stare at me every time I walk into the supermarket or walk around the block? And from what I heard from other friends here, they all have experienced this.
Last week (Oct 1 - Oct 9) we had a good 9 days holidays for the China National day. We thought it's a good time to go around and explore Shanghai. Instead of going in our car , we thought of taking a sightseeing bus tour. We took the bus and got down at the Bund (Waterfront area) on the Puxi side where the Pudong side of skyscrapers look magnificent. Well I must say it was crowded, insanely crowded. After all it's the national holiday - time when one of the world's largest migration happens and this migration mostly happens to Beijing and Shanghai when tourists from within and outside China come visit. This is the period of intensely heightened travel activity and it is the worst possible time of the year to travel in the country. The trains and buses are terribly overcrowded, plane fares and hotel rates are jacked up by as much as 100% over the usual prices, and the pickpockets are out in full force. Even though it was over bearing, it encapsulated a lot of what can be said to be the essence of China.
While we were enjoying the view of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Jinmao Tower, Shanghai Ocean Aquarium, Shanghai World Financial Centre Tower and many others, I could feel the flat out 'stare' in my direction. I was used to a couple stares while at the stores or anywhere outside, but not so much as a 100 pair of eyes on me. I was starting to get a little conscious..........
While I was feeling uncomfortable a Chinese lady walked up to Ram and handing him her camera asked if he could take a picture of her with me. Ram obliged. Next her son walked up to Kush and Arjun asking if we could take one more. While were doing that we saw a few of them standing next to us and asking their families to take a picture (without even asking us). Wow! Here I am a 'Celebrity'! Another lady walked by asking her husband to take a picture of her with Ram and I. To be honest, I started liking the attention, as a matter of fact, I just loved it. I was starting to feel like Julia Roberts or more like Angelina Jolie. Ram and I were the Brangelina of Shanghai (temporarily at least) :).
Until the Beijing Olympics, people in China have not been exposed to many foreigners much less been close to one. It is only natural that they would try to get a good look at us. So what if they stare? Chinese people are so very caring and friendly. Now I don't let stares bother me. I enjoy all the attention and walk on with a smile............................

Chinglish

Nope...not a typo. It is Chinglish, English written the Chinese way with English characters. Confused? So, was I. But this is a new developing form of communication in China which is derived from poor translations carried out by Chinese English-speakers.. Shanghai is much more open to other cultures, customs and languages compared to Beijing. All signs, posts, publications all are also written in English. I mean, they are literally translated from Chinese to English. Here's an example:
'You are your own safety. Walk looking down'. Well, it means 'You are responsible for your safety. Watch your step'. This was put up on a local bus.
Here's one more borrowed from a cooking competition pamphlet put up in our clubhouse - 'If you join the cooking match, please mail us at least 3 pictures of the meal with one picture is your family eating it, the ingredient and procedures of the meal. The meal must be decency and all ingredients must be legally'.
Brings a smile on your face, doesn't it? This is decipherable with a bit of patience and a keen eye for humor. Whenever I'm down and feel homesick, I go in search of these posts....it just makes my day :)

International Integration

It has been drizzling since morning. Instead of taking the kids to their regular soccer field took them to the clubhouse today. There's a cute play area there with kids of all ages having fun. The room looked a little crowded and I went and sat in a corner while my kids were off to play. Looked around and saw a lot of Ayi's sitting in groups having a conversation. Ayi means Aunty in chinese but is frequently referred to a housekeeper or maid . Pretty much every expat here has an Ayi either full time or part time. Ayis do a damn good job at what they do....whether it is cleaning the house or taking care of the kids.
I found a couple blonde haired ladies and went up to and said 'Hello'. One of the lady was from Spain but brought up in Canada for 10 years. The other one was from Germany and the third one I met was from Turkey living in China for the last 3 years. They asked me how I feel in China. I said it's getting better (and I wasn't lying). I told them that apart from the language everything here was nice. The lady from Spain quickly said - "Ah you are lucky to speak English lady. If you speak in English you will survive in China. I have a friend who speaks nothing but Spanish and she's struggling even after spending more than a year here."
That gave me some courage. Look at me....I can speak 3 Indian languages and English. I should be able to pick up Chinese as well. Here I am in a community where people from all parts of the world live in peace and harmony. They came here and went through all the emotions that I am going through. Yet now they say they love this place and this is home. Time to stop cribbing and take it head on. OK China....bring it on. I will try to learn your ways and fall in love with you like everyone else here does.