Comments on: The laowai relapse http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/china-stuff/china-travel/the-laowai-relapse/ No-nonsense China Expat & Travel Community Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:53:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: BK to Beige http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/china-stuff/china-travel/the-laowai-relapse/#comment-20107 BK to Beige Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:01:19 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=2403#comment-20107 Katie - thanks for the post. I've been here only two months and I often feel the frustrations you describe. ChinaMack, she posted to help people like me feel less alone, and FYI: not knowing all the local norms does NOT make you desperate or illiterate. Knowing or not knowing the going rate for a taxi, a tuk-tuk, a pedicab, or ANYTHING does not make you 'aware of how things operate in China'. It makes you aware of what things cost in one neighborhood in one city, so you can sound like an obnoxious know-it-all when you tell other people. How things operate is far more nuanced and complex and something your bigoted brain will never grasp. We're all trying to navigate life as best we can - being in a new country makes it more difficult, and more exciting. Try to relax and enjoy the ride while you can. Katie – thanks for the post. I’ve been here only two months and I often feel the frustrations you describe. ChinaMack, she posted to help people like me feel less alone, and FYI: not knowing all the local norms does NOT make you desperate or illiterate. Knowing or not knowing the going rate for a taxi, a tuk-tuk, a pedicab, or ANYTHING does not make you ‘aware of how things operate in China’. It makes you aware of what things cost in one neighborhood in one city, so you can sound like an obnoxious know-it-all when you tell other people. How things operate is far more nuanced and complex and something your bigoted brain will never grasp. We’re all trying to navigate life as best we can – being in a new country makes it more difficult, and more exciting. Try to relax and enjoy the ride while you can.

]]> By: Lao Zhong http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/china-stuff/china-travel/the-laowai-relapse/#comment-15810 Lao Zhong Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:18:07 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=2403#comment-15810 These kinds of moments are not reserved for laowais only. Even for Chinese folks, when travelling out of local province/city/county/town/village, things can get very tough. People often think of China as a monolithic country/culture/people, but forget to realize the diversity and disparity of regional languages, cultures, urban/country-side social/economical differences. The ‘China’ as we know today comes from literally thousands of years of integration and assimilation of diverse population/cultures, and this is an ongoing work-in-process with different degree of success in different regions. I as a laozhong feel like a foreigner myself under many circumstances. These kinds of moments are not reserved for laowais only. Even for Chinese folks, when travelling out of local province/city/county/town/village, things can get very tough.

People often think of China as a monolithic country/culture/people, but forget to realize the diversity and disparity of regional languages, cultures, urban/country-side social/economical differences. The ‘China’ as we know today comes from literally thousands of years of integration and assimilation of diverse population/cultures, and this is an ongoing work-in-process with different degree of success in different regions.

I as a laozhong feel like a foreigner myself under many circumstances.

]]> By: Tam http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/china-stuff/china-travel/the-laowai-relapse/#comment-15786 Tam Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:45:37 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=2403#comment-15786 I've been here 5 (omg!!!) years now, almost to the day. For Spring Festival I spent a week in a village in Shandong. Hole in the ground toilet, no heating, water from a well... all this I could handle... what gave me real CULTURE shock was that nobody could speak putonghua (Mandarin) and I could understand NOTHING of their dialect. I was also the first laowai they had met, and from dawn to dusk, crowds were coming to stare and point at me. I thought I'd got over the language barrier and the staring (and I've done 3 years of my time here in the sticks), but go an hour or two outside a major city and it's a different world. I’ve been here 5 (omg!!!) years now, almost to the day. For Spring Festival I spent a week in a village in Shandong. Hole in the ground toilet, no heating, water from a well… all this I could handle… what gave me real CULTURE shock was that nobody could speak putonghua (Mandarin) and I could understand NOTHING of their dialect. I was also the first laowai they had met, and from dawn to dusk, crowds were coming to stare and point at me. I thought I’d got over the language barrier and the staring (and I’ve done 3 years of my time here in the sticks), but go an hour or two outside a major city and it’s a different world.

]]> By: John http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/china-stuff/china-travel/the-laowai-relapse/#comment-15753 John Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:03:45 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=2403#comment-15753 "There I was, a 6-month China veteran" Katie - I think the oxymoron of an opening says it all. You should never put the words "China" "6 month" and "veteran" in the same breath. I've been here for over 10 years (cringe) and still consider myself a newbie in a lot. If it makes you feel any better I still have "china moments" like these still - albeit with a little less frequency “There I was, a 6-month China veteran”

Katie – I think the oxymoron of an opening says it all. You should never put the words “China” “6 month” and “veteran” in the same breath.

I’ve been here for over 10 years (cringe) and still consider myself a newbie in a lot. If it makes you feel any better I still have “china moments” like these still – albeit with a little less frequency

]]> By: ChinaMack http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/china-stuff/china-travel/the-laowai-relapse/#comment-15743 ChinaMack Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:38:45 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=2403#comment-15743 If someone pays more than 8 yuan for a sanlunr che they are either an idiot or desperate. 5 yuan will usually get you anywhere within reasonable reach of this form of transportation. Being that you are a "veteran" I would think you would know better than to pay tourist prices (20rmb) for a ride in these vehicles. Getting stuck paying twice that and unsuccessfully trying to bargin down to 20rmb is really ridiculous... Especially considering Beijing taxi meters usually start at 10 yuan. What Im getting from what's written here is that you are inexperienced and unaware of how things operate in China and that you are disappointed in Chinese people for not pampering your family while they were here on vacation. Im not quite sure what your reasoning was in writing this much less sharing it here. In any case it would be more productive to try to write what you could take away from this experience in order to help readers rather than just bitching and moaning about how you dont know what you are doing. If someone pays more than 8 yuan for a sanlunr che they are either an idiot or desperate. 5 yuan will usually get you anywhere within reasonable reach of this form of transportation. Being that you are a “veteran” I would think you would know better than to pay tourist prices (20rmb) for a ride in these vehicles. Getting stuck paying twice that and unsuccessfully trying to bargin down to 20rmb is really ridiculous… Especially considering Beijing taxi meters usually start at 10 yuan.
What Im getting from what’s written here is that you are inexperienced and unaware of how things operate in China and that you are disappointed in Chinese people for not pampering your family while they were here on vacation. Im not quite sure what your reasoning was in writing this much less sharing it here. In any case it would be more productive to try to write what you could take away from this experience in order to help readers rather than just bitching and moaning about how you dont know what you are doing.

]]> By: Matty K http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/china-stuff/china-travel/the-laowai-relapse/#comment-15717 Matty K Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:54:13 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=2403#comment-15717 Ah the taxi scam - usually they are trying to scam you, BUT....please do remember if you have limited Chinese you can miss out on some important info the taxi driver is giving you. Once when my Chinese wasn't so crash hot after picking up a friend at the BJ airport upon arrival at our destination the driver added 10kuai to the quoted price - I wasn't a happy camper and let the driver know it. I later found out the 10kuai was a mandatory toll gate fee for a road we needed to take, I felt a little sheepish for the verbal bashing I gave the poor guy. Also, recently in the taxis in Wuhan you can see a sticker on the dashboard requiring a petrol surcharge of 1 kuai - if you can't read Chinese theres you wouldn't know why the taxi driver is slapping the extra kuai on to what the meter reads... Ah the taxi scam – usually they are trying to scam you, BUT….please do remember if you have limited Chinese you can miss out on some important info the taxi driver is giving you. Once when my Chinese wasn’t so crash hot after picking up a friend at the BJ airport upon arrival at our destination the driver added 10kuai to the quoted price – I wasn’t a happy camper and let the driver know it. I later found out the 10kuai was a mandatory toll gate fee for a road we needed to take, I felt a little sheepish for the verbal bashing I gave the poor guy. Also, recently in the taxis in Wuhan you can see a sticker on the dashboard requiring a petrol surcharge of 1 kuai – if you can’t read Chinese theres you wouldn’t know why the taxi driver is slapping the extra kuai on to what the meter reads…

]]> By: maddie http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/china-stuff/china-travel/the-laowai-relapse/#comment-15715 maddie Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:57:16 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=2403#comment-15715 I feel for your brother... Me and my boyfriend both look like aliens to the Chinese in the small town we live in... we have dreadlocks which causes so many comments, stares, being pointed at, laughs in the face and some even pulling our hair! i've started to ignore almost all of it, but when they come to pull my dreads that's when they cross the line....... I feel for your brother… Me and my boyfriend both look like aliens to the Chinese in the small town we live in… we have dreadlocks which causes so many comments, stares, being pointed at, laughs in the face and some even pulling our hair! i’ve started to ignore almost all of it, but when they come to pull my dreads that’s when they cross the line…….

]]> By: Don Tai http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/china-stuff/china-travel/the-laowai-relapse/#comment-15701 Don Tai Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:27:22 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=2403#comment-15701 Live and learn (to laugh at yourself and China). I once traveled with a 6' pasty American, blond, vegeterian, who knew not a stitch of Chinese. To teach him how to use chopsticks in some greasy cafeteria in the middle of Xi'An, with a crowd of 100 Chinese looking at his every move. Each drop of rice was welcomed with a collective gasp. What trouble we got into, but upon reflection it was all great character building. China never ceases to surprise. I don't think it gets easier the longer you stay. You just get "different" experiences crossing your path. Live and learn (to laugh at yourself and China).

I once traveled with a 6′ pasty American, blond, vegeterian, who knew not a stitch of Chinese. To teach him how to use chopsticks in some greasy cafeteria in the middle of Xi’An, with a crowd of 100 Chinese looking at his every move. Each drop of rice was welcomed with a collective gasp. What trouble we got into, but upon reflection it was all great character building.

China never ceases to surprise. I don’t think it gets easier the longer you stay. You just get “different” experiences crossing your path.

]]> By: East is Relative » Blog Archive » Major updates http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/china-stuff/china-travel/the-laowai-relapse/#comment-15696 East is Relative » Blog Archive » Major updates Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:43:46 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=2403#comment-15696 [...] written a post at the lostlaowai.com blog called “The laowai relapse,” which recounts some of the craziness of having my parents visit [...] [...] written a post at the lostlaowai.com blog called “The laowai relapse,” which recounts some of the craziness of having my parents visit [...]

]]> By: Katie http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/china-stuff/china-travel/the-laowai-relapse/#comment-15695 Katie Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:12:08 +0000 http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/?p=2403#comment-15695 That's alright, sometimes the solidarity of other lost laowai is enough to make you feel like you're not so lost. :) Thanks. That’s alright, sometimes the solidarity of other lost laowai is enough to make you feel like you’re not so lost. :) Thanks.

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