There is an episode of The Office in which Michael Scott (Steve Carrel) takes a $300 bonus for being the most successful regional manager in the quarter for himself instead of using the $300 towards much needed office supplies. After the employees find out he justifies himself by professing his love for the Burlington Coat Factory and says, as he is wearing a ridiculous fur coat, “If you walk into the Burlington Coat Factory with 300 dollars you are literally a god.” This is exactly what it is like buying food and clothes in China.
For breakfast I walk across the street and buy a spicy egg pancake, a bottle of water, and a yam for 5 RMB. Not only is everything prepared fresh in front of you but it is less than a dollar, definitely beating the hell out of McDonald’s dollar breakfast menu. However, I did realize that some restaurants look to rip off foreigners. My friend and I recently paid a 600 RMB tab at a local establishment, which is around 100 dollars for the two of us. Apparently when we ordered Sake they gave us an entire bottle instead of two glasses like we wanted. They definitely played the system well…defeated, we paid and drank the rest of the Sake, not a total loss.
After the first week and a few mishaps like this one I now have a better understanding of the consumer market system in China. I went to a flea market the other day and was verbally beaten into buying a fake Dolce & Gabana trench coat. I went strictly to practice my Chinese and bargaining abilities and somehow this little Chinese lady talked me into buying a coat for 130 RMB that I really did not want. When it is all said and done it was about $20 and from previous gifts I have bought my girlfriend, this coat ranks amongst the cheapest. No one needs to know it is not D&G, so I am pretty sure she will like it. Some of the items are so great because they are so terribly fake! Many of the items have names purposefully misspelled; for example, would anyone like me to pick them up a “Norf Face” jacket or a “Burberries” scarf…how about an “Adadias” gym bag?
I would say the biggest adjustment so far is not being able to speak English. For this January intensive semester we all took a pledge to speak Chinese 24/7. Even when I am with my friends in town we have to use Chinese, and due to our limited vocabularies we often times get frustrated and use elaborate hand gestures. For me, the hand gestures are not anything out of the ordinary. Being raised in an Italian home, moving your hands like a maniac is conversational status quo.
Getting past the mild inconvenience, I can see how beneficial this semester will be for my language ability. In addition to the language itself, my cultural awareness and just overall street-smarts have already seen vast improvements. I do not claim to be a master of transit in Beijing but I have discovered the subway system on my own and can just about get anywhere I need. In addition to the subway I am able to direct taxi drivers and now I am starting to use the busses.
Everyday is an adventure; actually, yesterday I just decided to hop on the subway and go to the National Library and walk Zi Zhu Park. I saw native Beijing-ers in the park riding rigged bicycles with ice skates on the lake and others were using poles and chairs with blades on them to traverse the ice. I also ran into a large group of British students from Leeds University who study at Capital Normal University, the school I will be attending from February until June. I guess I stuck out being a lone American, but they were very friendly and it looks like I have some people I will know at my new school when I leave the January intensive language program at the Beijing Institute of Education.
Despite all the fun and adventures I have been enjoying I’m remaining cautious and protective. In the subway I have a hand on my wallet at all times and I am constantly watching my back. It is a great city, but there is not a 100% safe place on earth and I need to be extra careful being a foreigner. I hope to have some more stories after the first week of class ends and I have another weekend to explore the city.
The adventure continues. I have been in those shoes in several countries. You have it in perspective: enjoy the experience but be careful.
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