I complain and poke fun a lot, but the last few weeks here in China I have noticed another strange sensation creeping in… It’s hard to put a finger on it precisely–not indigestion, not ennui, not paranoia…

Could it be…?

Is it possible…?

Nah, not that!

Is it really…contentment?  Contentment.

The last few weeks or so I have started to enjoy myself a little bit. As Christmas approaches there would be plenty of reason to NOT feel at home here (Christa tears up whenever she hears Bing singing, "I’ll be Home For Christmas") but despite the distance from family and friends, the now-ancient-history Great Radiator Debacle, frigid temperatures, and many other foreign elements here in this foreign country, I’m starting to find my stride a bit more.

Here’s a few examples of Things I Am Enjoying About Xining (China):

• Communication.  I don’t have any Chinese "friends" yet, but taxi drivers are wonderful companions for language practice.  My conversations pretty much follow this pattern.  I tell them where to go.  They usually ask where I’m from.  After they repeat themselves I respond that I’m from America.  I tell them I’m studying Chinese.  They sometimes say my Chinese is good (ha-ha!)  I say "not at all, not at all" which is Chinese courtesy.  They laugh their heads off hearing this coming from me. I ask about their family OR they ask about mine.  I tell them that I have two daughters and their ages.  I ask them if they are from Qinghai. And we might talk about their ethnic background (Han, Tibetan, etc.)  Lately I have added a new statement to my repertoire, "I think China is interesting.  I like China."  And if anything goes poorly, there’s always, "ting bu dong" (i.e. don’t understand.)
• I can walk right out into the street when cars are rushing by AND IT’S NORMAL.  In fact, if you don’t just charge out there to the double yellow lines, you’ll never get across the street.  There’s a bit of adrenaline rush for me standing in the middle of four lanes as buses and taxis whiz by.

   

• I can buy four delicious mutton burgers for $2.00.  We had some last night.  They are a bit spicy, but I really like them.

   

• Staring at people is OK.  I realized recently that since everyone is staring at me when I’m walking the streets it’s perfectly acceptable for me to stare back.  The other day when I noticed someone gawking I decided I would have fun with it.  So I raised my eyebrows a few times at the guy in a wink-wink, nudge-nudge sort of way.  It really threw him off.  I know this because he blurted out "ni hao" (hello) very quickly in a not very natural way.  I loved it.

   

• If you know enough language you can have fun with it.  We went on a "language learning" field trip last week to KFC and a department store.  Our teacher helped us order food in Chinese and then made us talk to clerks in the department store.  Using my limited Chinese I inquired about a leather jacket that was for sale.  After the lady told me, I responded with "weishenme zhe shi zheme gui!" (Why is this sooo expensive!).  My teacher and the clerk laughed and the clerk retorted with, "bu gui" (It’s not expensive.)

   

• It’s sunny every day.  This place seems like the opposite of Seattle.  The temperatures feel arctic, but the sun shines every day in the winter.  In Seattle, the temperatures feel mild, but you rarely see the sun in the winter.  Strange.

   

• There is NO tipping!  I am no cheapskate, but the mental requirements and subjective variance in knowing the appropriate tip is such a huge time waster if you think about it.  What’s even better is that I am not convinced that the service is that much worse than back home.  I think your standards are lowered and the customer is not ALWAYS right here, but I’m willing to make this compromise if it means I don’t have to bother with tipping.

   

• People are pretty friendly.  Most people I’ve made the effort to talk with seem pretty nice.  Oh sure, they probably call me "Big Nose" behind my back, but to my face they treat me in a very civil manner.

   

• Things here are negotiable.  Almost everything.  When we first arrived this seemed like a burden, but I am learning that this can also be a very liberating reality.  For example, we asked our teacher if we could just take off Thursday and Monday for Christmas (essentially giving ourselves a 5-day break.)  She agreed.  This may be because we are foreigners and we have some pull at the college, but I think it is mostly because things are negotiable.  Some of my classmates are "ending their semester" a few weeks earlier than the official date set by the college.  And who knows when the next semester will officially start.  It’s flexible.

   

• Kids can run around in restaurants and it’s OK.  At home we’d have to tie Sarah to her booster seat at a restaurant.  Here in China, we get a room to ourselves and let her roam around.  There are usually so many waiters and waitresses, we often have voluntary babysitters as well.  I’m not saying it’s not stressful for us parents, but it’s definitely a different experience.