Category: Uncategorized

So I Swam…

This is a photo of the Fuzhou Straits Olympic Swimming Center. They have at least three pools, which is nice. The biggest one is more for the general public I think. There is an adjacent pool in the same “room”, but I think that might be for private lessons. There’s also another pool that is sectioned off, with an actual glass wall, and I am not sure what goes on there.

At least with the big pool, more than half of it is for lap swimming. There are a couple of other sections where people can bounce around, walk, swim a few strokes, help their kids practice or whatever. I’m glad of this.

It also kind of shows that China is more health-conscious than the United States. At most it seems, in the U.S., when you go to a pool, there might be two lanes roped off for lap swimming. Here, there were eight lanes. Of course, this was an Olympic-sized pool, but still. Another thing that showed a no-nonsense attitude toward swimming is there’s no furniture to speak of on the pool deck. My style is to swim 12 laps, take a big break, then do another 12. Here, I had to sit on a raised curb of sorts while I took my break. I suppose I could go over to the regular part of the pool to relax instead of getting out. But I feel better actually getting out of the pool, reading for a bit, then going back at it.

One thing I find a bit weird is the way everyone’s shoes pile up right in front of the foot bath in the women’s locker room. I’m paranoid, so I put my footwear in my locker. But having so many shoes at the entrance is a tripping hazard.

I’ve never seen this in the United States.

It was still a bit crowded in my lane. There were about seven or eight people in my lane. Some of my fellow swimmers had to pass me. At times, there were three swimmers abreast in the lane. And I swear some guy was swimming super close to me as he was passing me. When I passed someone, I put it in gear and got in front of them, but not so much that my feet were in their faces. A strange thing about the Chinese is that they can be really nice, but not courteous.

How does that work? Well, say you’ve moved into an apartment complex. If they are familiar with where you live, they’ll say, “oh, there’s a subway station right near there.” Except they’ll leave out the part where the station is still being constructed. That happened to me when I found an apartment my second time in Xiamen. They said, “oh, you’re right near a subway stop!” I went out to look for this station, and it was still being constructed. And when I moved a year ago, it was STILL under construction.

Something else that also happened to me. I was criticized for my teaching style a few years ago. You know when they offered to help? Just weeks before school ended, they told me about a resource room and asked if I wanted to see it. I said, yes. Why they didn’t show me this treasure trove when I got there BEFORE I started the semester, I’ll never know. They won’t tell you something you REALLY need to know and what would be helpful, but if you’ve been living in China for years, they warn you not to drink the water from the tap and are amazed that you can use Didi.

Going Swimming Today

The pool I swim in now is Olympic-sized, but there are quite a few people who do laps. And people being people, I’d like to get a lane that isn’t crowded. One time when I went swimming, I got hit in the head twice by people doing the backstroke. I wasl told to stay in my lane, even when I saw swimmers coming straight down the lane.

It’s why I didn’t go on the weekend. It would probably be crowded then, and the older I get, the more I want to stay away from people.

And people here don’t seem to know how to make use of lane space. I give plenty of time to slow swimmers (like me) and let them head out before I start, so there isn’t a pile up. I’m sure I accidentally put my foot in someone’s face while doing my backstroke, because he was following too close behind me.

Swimmers here tend to block BOTH lanes, if the swimmer ahead of them is slow. Instead of going around, both swimmers will take over the lanes coming and going.

It just makes me want my own pool more and more. I don’t care. If I go home and the only thing I can afford is a 6 foot by 8 foot pool, I’m getting one. With people thinking they can behave however they want out in public, having my own pool is looking like a wonderful dream.

Another Really Hot Day…

I needed my meds, so I went for a walk and hit up two pharmacies that had what I needed. I stopped at McDonald’s, and feel sort of guilty about it. Then I walked to the grocery store and picked some things up. But for the most part, it was a relaxing kind of day.

I still don’t feel particularly motivated to do very much. I feel a bit depressed about that, but whatever.

I’m a bit worried about my local grocery stores. The one down the block, which I seem to visit at least once a week, is looking pretty bare. I used my translation app to ask the guy who runs it if he was closing the store, but his response? Demolition. So I don’t know if the entire building is going to go (other stores were closed) or what. Then, the Bravo which is about a 45 minute walk away had a huge sign out front. It looked like the one in front of another Bravo that I saw months ago that underwent a renovation. If both of them go down at the same time, I think there’s another grocery store I can go to not far away. But it’s not nearly as big as Bravo, which has a lot of stuff that I want. The other choices are Walmart (yuck) or Ole, which is a great store, but expensive. I use that store to get the Granny Smith apples and blue cheese to make my fake Wendy’s Apple Pecan Salads, something that seems so delicious to me this summer. I suppose I can nose around Sam’s Club, which is a bit further away, but the problem with that is the quantity. My refrigerator is a bit small by American standards. I’ve often thought about getting a chest freezer and buying a lot of meats and fish and freezing them.

But I usually figure it out. The novelty of being able to walk down the street to the store is something I never had growing up where I grew up. Sure, there’s a Walmart a 20 minute walk away, and a Dollar General 45 minutes away, and a Kroger if I feel like crossing a very busy street. However, I always drove my car to the grocery store. That’s one of the good things about China. No real subdivisions; but plenty of “neighborhood” businesses that you can walk to.

Ben the Computer Guy

I’m typing this on my new (to me) computer, a Legion, made by Lenovo. It’s used, so I got a good deal on it.

One thing people should know about me is that I’m pretty damn loyal. If a business treats me right, I’ll return to them and continue to use them. I used a certain branch of a bank in Xiamen, because they are used to helping me do wire transfers. I’ve lived in Fuzhou almost a year now, and I’ve gone back to Xiamen to do wire transfers simply because they know me.

Ben has been taking care of my computer and cellphone needs since I moved here in February 2019. He sold me my first Chinese phone, and also helped with a couple of newer phones. He’s in Xiamen, so I went back to him when I needed a new computer and I got my first Lenovo in 2022. That one blew up, so I went back to Ben.

Are there no Lenovo dealers in Fuzhou? Sure there are. I went to a service center, where the guy told me what was wrong. Ben told me he thought he could repair it, so I brought the computer to him. He confirmed there was nothing to be done. So he offered to sell me a used computer. I can’t really afford anything new right now after having blood tests done in July. I couldn’t get insurance reimbursement for it, so that was $280. Then the used computer was $280. I had to wait until I got paid in order to buy the computer. But I’ve got it and I am thankful.

But Ben has always been good to me. With this computer, he offered to let me have it, and for me to pay him when I got paid. Can you imagine anyone in the states offering that kind of deal? I told him since I was on summer break, I didn’t really need a computer right away, and I could use my Samsung to get online. I managed to continue updating my blog, and I was able to watch YouTube and leave it on all night as I’ve been doing for years now. So I thanked him for his offer, but I refused. I’m pretty honest. I appreciated his offer, but with my luck, I’d take the computer home and something would have happened and I wouldn’t have been able to pay him.

I just didn’t want to risk it.

But Ben has been good to me. So I continue to stick with him even though he’s a two-hour high-speed train ride away. He speaks pretty good English. Translation apps help, but sometimes really complicate things.

For example, at my current bank, I can wire money home using just a passport. I can only wire $500 home, but I don’t get paid much, so that’s fine. However, the last time I wired money home, one of the bank people said something about bringing my work contract and my tax statement the next time I wire money home. I tried to ask why I needed those documents (the branch in Xiamen just needs a passport) but the translation was absolute nonsense. She probably meant that I could wire money home instead of coming once a month, but here’s the problem. I make so little money that I can only afford to wire $500 a month home. I’d like to wire more. If I do that, then yes, I do need those documents. But even when I brought those documents a couple months ago, plus my deposit records, they were questioning why I transferred my salary from one bank to my current bank.

The reason why is this: the bank my school works with is where my salary gets deposited. It’s not like the states, where your employer asks where you want your check to be direct deposited. Don’t have an account at the bank your employer uses? You’ll have to open an account there. Luckily, I had an account at this bank already. However, I had to contact my employer that I had when I first opened the account and ask what the name of the branch was. Because I hadn’t used that account in literally years. It’s the reason why I have five bank accounts in China. I’ve not closed any of them, because with the way my luck has been running, the second I close one bank account, I’ll have another job and will have to reopen an account there.

Plus, the bank where I get my salary deposited requires about six documents to transfer money home. I use WeChat to pay for everything here. When I worked at the video game place, they used one particular bank to pay me, so I stuck with them, because they only needed a passport to wire $500 home. So my WeChat is hooked up to that account. So when I get paid, I transfer almost all my salary to the account my WeChat is hooked up to. I leave around $140 in the account where I get paid as an emergency fund. And I hope when I get enough saved up, I can transfer more than just $500.

Wow. I’ve gotten off topic here. But this one bank is good at wire transfers and makes it easy for me, so I continue to bank with them. Long story long, if you’re good to me, I’ll stick with you. And this one particular bank has been good to me, so I stick with them.

So if you’re in the Xiamen area, or willing to take a train ride to work with a computer guy who knows a little English, check out Ben at California City Plaza. It’s on the east side of Xiamen. His kiosk is located in the basement, and it’s number B4. He’s right next to the escalator/mobile ramp that leads to the defunct Walmart. The photo studio across from his place is no longer there, so if you look for the ramp, his business is right there. Ben is obviously his English name, and I think the other businesses there know who he is, but I’m not sure they know his English name.

If you go, tell him Gloria sent you.

California City Plaza

123 Lianqian East Road, Siming District

Xiamen, Fujian Province

Mall is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

New Computer, Who Dis?

So I have a new laptop. I feel like I have part of my life back. I’m thankful that I could use my newer Samsung phone to continue updating. I think I have quite a decent streak going for my blog.

Using my Samsung phone to update my blog meant I could take pictures and upload them to the blog super easy. Normally, any photos I take via phone would have to be Bluetoothed to the computer, then uploaded. With the phone, it’s a lot easier. So I may consider using both the new computer and my Samsung to upload, especially when there’s a photo that is unusual. Like the bull grazing in a vacant lot on the side of a busy street. It was even more of a thrill to initially think the bull wasn’t tied up. But on closer (not much closer) inspection, I saw a thin rope attached to him, the other end around a tree.

If you missed that post you can see it here: https://nowaylaowai.home.blog/2025/07/31/the-lonely-bull/

It’s funny; I see a lot of things here that could lead to lawsuits. I don’t know if they do actually, but it’s just an interesting mindset knowing how the government is run, with what people do in actual life. The U.S. is a lot “freer”, yet go inside your local mall and you’ll probably see a list of “DON’TS”. In China, it’s okay to take your dog, allow kids to ride their little scooters in the mall, and also play badminton.

There are also little motorized ride-on toys you can rent, and the other day at an outdoor plaza in a mall, saw two kids, unsupervised, driving around the plaza. A lawsuit waiting to happen, but then maybe Chinese people are a little smarter than Americans. You see things happen, or you are aware of the situation, and keep out of the way. On the other hand, suing people in China is catching on, which means you have to be careful if someone falls down in front of you.

American culture is a worldwide thing.

New Computer!

So I got my new computer. Also got my gas refund which has been in my account for almost a year. My landlord wouldn’t help me, so since I had some time on my hands, I was able to go to the gas company and get all my money back.

I also was able to get a cheap, delicious lunch of my favorite rice, Pu Pu Fried Rice, because they started in Xiamen in 2022. And that’s where I was today. Walked more than 15,000 steps too. And today was wonderfully sunny.

So it was a good day.

So I Wrote a Book…

Of short stories. It’s called Served Cold: Tales of Revenge and Redeption.

I wrote it years ago, but the kind people at PEL, offered to do an interview with me.

I was triggered by someone who had bullied me for years, and decided to bully me online on my birthday, no less. It got me to thinking about the times I have been treated like dirt by people, so I decided to take those incidents, fictionalized them to a certain extent, and make them turn out… better.

Please realize better for some doesn’t mean better for everyone…

Those of you who knew me in high school might be curious to see how I handled one of my worst bullies in fictional format. In real life, he threw himself in front of a semi.

If you’ve ever rooted for the underdog, you might get a kick out of these stories. You can pick up an e copy for only 99 cents on Smashwords.com using coupon code JH69U. Smashwords supports a wide variety of e-readers. If you don’t have one, don’t worry. You can download a PDF.

Print copies are available at Lulu.com.

There’s some adult content in this, so remember that if you go on either Smashwords or Lulu. You might have to adjust the site filters.

HURRY! Coupon code expires September 6. Remember, code JH69U.

even if you’re not into getting even, you might like the last story in the book. It’s the longest and funniest: about a woman who dies and goes to hell, but she can earn her way to heaven: by working retail.