It’s a Long Story…

I haven’t written anything in a long time. I just haven’t felt like it. I’ve been feeling really blah lately. Thankfully I can take a break. I actually went out today. Had a late lunch at Subway, then did a little shopping, then walked around Three Lanes, Seven Alleys, which is a historical area with a pedestrian street. It’s great for people-watching and taking photos. The experience made me think maybe I’m truly a night person and can’t get started until late afternoon. Even when I came home, I had enough energy to write a review for TripAdvisor.

Tonight I found a Mexican restaurant that I’d looked for since I arrived here last August. I was still sort of full, so I opted for chips and salsa. I ended up with two kinds of salsa and a crock of guacamole and made a new friend in the process.

So that’s good.

And I guess I should relax. I’ve turned in my grades. I had to double-check some grades that somehow didn’t go through, but I found the students and resent the spreadsheets. So I hope that will be fine.

Long Time, No Post

I’m still here. Had a setback. I’ll still keep going.

I’ve been feeling rather blah lately. Not sure if it’s depression, or what.

There are some things I’m going to try this summer. I hate that I feel I can’t do more than one thing at once. For instance, work, and also carry on a hobby or do something while I’m working. I feel like it’s all work, or all play, and not a combination of some work and some play.

No shortage of things to write about either. Not sure what’s going on.

But I’m still here. Stay tuned for Hong Kong and Macau musings soon.

Nothing is New

Going on a tour tomorrow, so I’m posting Saturday night.

I’ve been super quiet on Facebook for a number of reasons.

Things have been going well, but I have been feeling blah for some reason.

Anyway, that’s it.

Some Chinese Surprises, Part Eight

Pastries are not as sweet as they are back home.

If you are in the mood for cake, you can buy it at a bakery. However, if you want it to taste like home, order the cake or brownie mix AND the frosting from Baopals. You won’t find cake mix OR frosting at the stores.

Forget about finding Hostess or Little Debbie or Mrs. Freshley’s. You’ll find different flavors of Orion Moon Pie. But if you’re craving a brownie, good luck. You’ll have to make it yourself.

Movie theaters do sell popcorn, but it will be covered in a sugar glaze, and not with butter and salt.

One thing to remember. Nearly everything here is the opposite of the U.S. It’s not uncommon to get free stuff here, like bowls, and drinking mugs/glasses, or tote bags taped onto a six-pack of yogurt, or soft drinks. Lots of pop culture tie-ins here. If I wanted one, I could go to Olé and get a Crayon Shinchan backpack filled with bags of assorted Lays potato chips. Just today (1-25/2025) I saw a display featuring red bowls taped on to a food item (sorry, couldn’t remember what it was.)

You won’t find a lot of thrift stores here.

Some Chinese Surprises, Part 8

People here are pretty nice. No one has yelled at me, “You are in China, speak Chinese,” or told me to “go back home.”

People will play their music or video games on the bus/subway quite loudly, even though there are signs that say not to do that.

There’s no central heating. Be prepared to invest in space heaters. Some apartments have heating and cooling units built in. But you’ll probably find heaters in the northern half of the country, air conditioning in the southern half. Even though it gets very hot in Fujian, the locals seem to think it’s hot all year round. It’s not uncommon for businesses to have their doors wide open even though it’s 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) outside. For a while in Xiamen, I avoided certain restaurants because I was tired of eating while freezing.

There are no clothes dryers. Everyone hangs their laundry outside.

Some Chinese Surprises, Part 7

Pastries are not as sweet as they are back home.

Forget about finding Hostess or Little Debbie or Mrs. Freshley’s. You’ll find different flavors of Orion Moon Pie. But if you’re craving a brownie, good luck. You’ll have to make it yourself.

Movie theaters do sell popcorn, but it will be covered in a sugar glaze, and not with butter and salt.

You won’t find a lot of thrift stores here.

Browsing is uncomfortable here. You can tell the clerks “Wo xiang kan kan” (I want to have a look) but they will still follow you around. And if you pick up something to examine it further, be prepared for a sales pitch.

You don’t tip people here.

Still More Chinese Surprises, Part 6

Eggs are 12 cents each

You can buy eggs one at a time if you like, in China.

The plastic egg trays also make good ice cube trays.

Ice isn’t a thing here in China. And if you do find ice cube trays, the ice cubes will be TINY.

There are stores here that sell nothing but fruit.

There are stores that sell veggies, eggs and meat.

You will get paid much more than your Chinese teaching colleagues. Do NOT talk about your salary. The only reason you’re getting more is that you are a native English speaker. Don’t flaunt your cash.

You might have to go to two or three grocery stores in order to get what you want. You will probably have to order certain things on Baopals. Yes, Walmart is here, but it’s not like it is in the U.S. There aren’t any makeup aisles and you’ll find a section dedicated to seaweed.

Stores close at ten p.m. You’ll find some businesses open 24 hours, but Walmart isn’t one of them. However, some McDonald’s and KFCs run 24/7.

Read the previous post here.

Check out my Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/c/PostcardsfromABroad.

I’m also on Medium too: https://medium.com/@gloriajanelldiaz7

Still More Chinese Surprises

Chinese streets don’t use blocks. Sometimes, every nook and cranny is used to set up space for a restaurant or shop. So if you see a place you like, take a picture of the store/restaurant sign, and the street you are on.

Regarding Street Food…

Street food can be iffy, but I’ve never had a problem buying fruit or eggs off of street vendors.

Thoroughly wash your fruits and veggies.

The Chinese use the metric system.

Wrapping Oranges in Plastic…

The Chinese will put oranges in plastic wrap.

The Chinese will place strawberries in trays, with each strawberry laying on a tiny slip of green tissue paper. Save the trays. They make good ice cube trays.

You can buy eggs one at a time if you like, in China.

The plastic egg trays also make good ice cube trays.

Read the previous installment here.

Some Chinese Surprises, Continued

Most restrooms don’t have toilet paper.

Most restrooms don’t have soap either. Get a small jar and fill it with liquid soap. Guys can slice a few slivers from a bar of soap and keep it in their wallets.

File under gross but true: During Covid, when I went out in public, I watched to see how many people used soap after washing their hands. After several informal observations, the average was one out of six people used soap while washing their hands.

If you go out with a group of people to eat, one person will pay for everyone. Kindly take note as to how much your meal cost and reimburse your host. No, I don’t like this system.

Squat toilets are the norm.

Translation apps are your friend. If you need or want something, type it into your translation app. Then, memorize the sentence, “I’m sorry, my Chinese is bad.” Probably the Chinese person will say, “mesa mesa” which roughly means, “no problem.” They might laugh and say their English is bad. Say this before you need something, then hold up the phone so the clerk can see what it is you need. Be mindful of using American slang. I was looking for bungee cords one day, but realized using the word “bungee” might confuse the sales clerk. So I asked if they had any rope to tie things on the backs of e-bikes. She led me right to the bungee cords, which is exactly what I wanted.

Nowaylaowai on U.S. Bank accounts and Other Surprises, cont.

Yes, Keep your U.S. Bank Account!

Another reason to have a U.S. bank account is so you can link it to a brokerage. Most online investment platforms won’t work with customers out of the country. Charles Schwab will, however.

Wiring money home involves a lot of paperwork. ICBC required six pieces of paperwork. CMB requires a passport, but you can only wire $500 home at a time. And they get a little miffed if you wire money home twice a month three months in a row.

Portion Sizes are Smaller

Portion sizes are smaller. Don’t expect to find one-pound bags of M and Ms in the stores.

You won’t find a good assortment of cereal either. If you want Cinnamon Toast Crunch, you’ll have to order it on Baopals, or Taobao.

Baopals is the place to go online for American/Western favorites. You’ll find probably six different brands of ketchup in the stores, but no cocktail sauce for shrimp. I discovered Baopals and have been ordering it ever since. I was desperate for Jiffy cornbread mix. It wasn’t to be found on Baopals, but a student found it for me on Taobao, at an astounding $7 a box. I tried the Betty Crocker brand on Baopals (considerably cheaper) and it was good enough for me.

Don’t think you can go into a convenience store and pick up a bag of Lays Classic. That’s an import. Lays “American Classic Flavor” is NOT the same. It makes my stomach hurt and after eating a snack size bag, the kind you’d put in a lunch kit, I had to go to the bathroom.

Coke and Snickers are Easy to Find, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Not So Much

Coke and Snickers are easy to find. Doritos may be steak-flavored, and so will the Cheetos. They also have cucumber-flavored potato chips too. If you want a taste of home, go to Baopals.com. It was started by expats in Shanghai who wanted other expats to have a taste of home. The company also has a good sense of humor. They have a weekly post called the “Cool, the Cheap, and the Crazy,” highlighting some truly ridiculous crap, some of it actually useful and worthwhile. They have great customer service as well. They deliver to the U.S.

No Way! Laowai!