First impressions; safety, spitting, and selfies

 Friends, family, and colleagues,

So, I’ve been here over a week and I’ve had some time to make more observations on my experience so far in China.

Safety.

I have felt completely safe during my time here. As I mentioned in an earlier post. Security is overt but not overbearing. They are there to keep everyone safe, especially foreigners. The campus also has a gate-keeper and a series of guards at the front gate. They aren't there to intimidate people, just to keep everyone safe. They’re always friendly to me when I enter or exit. Some of them have tried to practice English with me. Probably the most dangerous part of the day is crossing the street. Vehicle lanes are largely suggestions in the city and even more so in the rural parts. To add to the complexity, the city also has moped scooters and bicycles in separate lanes (which don’t always stop at stop-lights). I've found that following the locals is the best way to go. Even with the crazy driving, there are surprisingly few accidents. I've been here 10 days and I've seen 1 accident (a small fender bender between two cars) even with the hundreds of kilometers traveled.

Not sure if you'll make the light, they'll let you know how long you have...

...And how long that light is going to be red

For every car in the city, there are about 2 or 3 scooters

Spitting

Spitting is fairly common in the city streets. I’ve also seen my fair share of nose blowing (see snot-rockets). That’s about as much time as I’m comfortable spending on this topic (I needed another S-word for the alliteriation). Closed-toe shoes and staying off the grass are good advice.

Selfies

Selfies are very popular in the US and are even more popular in China. I've seen more selfie sticks than I can count in the first week I've been here. I don’t know where all these photos are going (remember that social media is blocked), but they love taking photos. I was afraid that I would look like a tourist taking all these photos, but then I realized that everyone else was doing the same thing. I've also seen several folks with spare battery packs on their phones for added power.

We saw this girl at the Mausoleum.
She must have taken over 200 photos of herself

Just like people, selfie sticks come in all shapes and sizes

So, for those of you who want the cliff-notes version:

1. China is incredibly safe. 
2. People like to spit in China, watch your step!
3. Chinese love taking selfies.

Mason