This blog is like the child that is there but like forgotten but like not forgotten.
Well ni hao everyone! I feel like I can say that still. I have 0 excuses as to why I haven’t updated this blog in a while… but whatever, it’s life.
I thought it was time to dig this blog out of the archives because well… as I say goodbye to #lifeinthe86… I thought it would be nice to walk down memory lane.
Who would have thought that I would have lasted in the +86? I sure didn’t. And whilst there were many many tears shed and many many headaches, I literally would do it all again.
The first thing that pops up in my mind about my time in the +86 is the JUMP ROPE COMPETITION! Yes ladies and gentlemen, you know what I’m talking about. Go back to my old post about it because it’s a hoot and a howl. Let me quickly trigger your memory… that time my team signed me up for a COMPANY WIDE JUMP ROPE COMPETITION! They literally took it so seriously. We practiced after work, everyday, 2 hours a day, for weeks straight! Teams consisted of 9 people… where 2 would be holding the rope and be in charge of the rope swings and 6 would be jumping…. yes if you can do math… 2+6 is 8… so what did the 9th person do…? They were simply recruited to take pictures. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, every team had a 9th member to take pictures. #china. And no, we did not win the competition (oh btw… Baidu gave a cash prize out to the winning team. A whopping 1000 RMB. Which if you ask me, is quite a lot for a jump rope competition). We did not come second or third… we came last.. BUT IT WAS THE BEST TIME EVER! Go team pink (that was our shirt/team colour). **read more about it in one of my blog posts**
The second memory is the clinic checkup that every foreigner has to go through to get their china visa. Honestly, I think this is always a bonding story when I meet other expats that move to China for work. My biggest question is…. WHY ARENT THE PEE CUPS COVERED?! And why are they all on the same tray… being left out to… well the world?! I love it. I find it hysterical. I also love how the nurse asked me if I ate anything that day because if I did, then I would have to fast and come back. I, obvs, was honest and said I had a yogurt and she says… well let’s just pretend you didn’t and if anything weird shows up in your tests, then we’ll know it’s the yogurt. SO LEGIT RIGHT?! As I write this, I can’t help but giggle and smile at this memory.
9/10 times I’ll be asked by my cab driver or DiDi driver (the Uber of china) where I’m from because when I say my destination, they can tell that I have an accent when speaking Chinese. I always respond I’m from Canada (which is the truth… duh). And I kid you not, they always instantly turnaround and yell ‘BU NENG’ which means… IMPOSSIBLE. Then they proceed to say… ‘but you look like us! How are you Canadian?’ Back when I was an adolescent, newbie of China, I’d embrace in conversation to practice my Chinese. But listen…. after like a year of this, sista was OVER having this conversation. So I learned to say ‘I’m asian but grew up abroad’ or on some days, I say ‘I’m just special’.
I will FOR SURE miss all the cheap food, the delivery… literally I wouldn’t have to leave my apartment to get water, wine, toiletries, coffee… YOU NAME IT.. delivered to me within 30 mins. INSANE!! It made me v lazy but you know what my excuse was… I’m embracing the china culture.
I would be LYING if I didn’t say I didn’t go through frustrations while living in China. OH THERE WERE SO MANYYYYYY! How things just don’t make sense, but ‘because they were told to do it’ they just did it. Also… like EW, let’s talk about the nails being long on men. CUT THEM. It’s so gross!
Oh my lanta, I CANNOT forget about the car accident I got into. Thank G for seatbelts…. I was cabbing to the office and we were just going through the green light, and a cab, from the opposite direction, decides to turn in front of us. My cab crashes into him. My stuff goes flying … what does the other cab driver do? He proceeds to pick up a passenger waiting on the corner. My cab driver pulls up to him for a good 5 mins. I was waiting for someone to get out of the car to exchange info… but what happens? They have a stare off and then mine drives away. OKURRRRR. I had/ have no words. #china
I’m FOR SURE going to miss my jianbing and baozi guys who run two hole-in-the-wall shops side by side right outside my apartment. If I’m craving baozi for breakfast (they’re white buns with fillings in them), the guy knows to give me 3 ‘bai cai baozi s’ which are veggie buns. Guess how much they were?! 3 RMB!! That’s like pennies! If I was feeling scandalous and TREATING MYSELF (cause what diet, right?!)…. I’d get a jianbing- which are crepes filled with eggs and potatoes . How much did I pay for these ungodly, scrumptious treats?! 5 rmb. BOOM! SO. DAMN. GOOD.
I will also miss my coworkers say ‘Niki, your chinese has improved so much’ which, real talk, it hasn’t! But they say that because whenever I order food delivery, the delivery guy would call me and tell me it was downstairs. On my end, I would say, ‘Wei ni hao, ohhh. Hao hao. Xie xie. Bye bye’ which translates to ‘hello. Ohhh. Ok ok. Thank you. Bye bye’ even if I didn’t know what the delivery guy was saying… I would just say that. And then my coworkers would be FLOORED that I had a chinese conversation over the phone.
I will not forget my Starbucks barista bestie… I made friends with her DAY 1!! She taught me how to say ‘grande, skim milk, caramel macchiato’ in chinese. And for 1.5 years… that’s all I drank for my coffee order. Needless to say… I don’t think I can stomach another caramel macchiato for at least another lifetime.
I met one of my best friends in sz. V thankful for LL for introducing me to AP. Forever grateful. JH, so glad we were roomies- she and her bae would always just volunteer to laugh at my jokes. Making me feel right at home.
So many great memories- whether I was frustrated at the time, it was a memory and it makes for a great story. Literally everyday was a surprise and I was excited to see what would happen everyday.
I would do it again and I would live life in the +86 again.
It’s been a great story (WITH HEAPS OF TEARS THAT WERE SHED) and it’s part of my life story now.
China, you are one hell of an adventure. Thank you for the memories. I’ll be back! But for now, remember laughing is a form of medicine, so do it daily. Tata for now! XoxoBasicallySingle
BasicallySingle 