I saw her parents once over skype, and they seemed really nice, but that was just a few minutes. I hoped I would make a good impression, and they would accept me. Parental approval is very important in China, and the standards and expectations are very high compared to the US. I really didn’t want to blow it.
They were very kind to me, full of smiles, but communication was difficult. Poor Rachel had to suffer as a translator the whole time. Most of my Chinese consisted of “hello”, “Thank you”, “Sorry” and “Happy new year”. Her father knew a few basic english phrases, her mother had a sore throat and barely spoke at all.
They wanted to make sure I was comfortable, and had bought tons of snacks. I took a lot of video trying all the different things, which I’ll post later.
While in the house, they wore slippers around. Rachel didn’t mention this, and so I didn’t bring any with me. They tried to find a pair that would fit me, but all of them were to small for my size 11 feet. We did manage to find a pair, that, although small, were good enough for one night. There was a plan to shopping the next day and try to find some that would fit.
Rachel had a couple of things waiting for me when I arrived, a new year’s vest, and a Chinese style suit, so I could really look the part the next day. The suit made me look like Neo from “The Matrix”, it was very cool!
But what I was most excited about seeing in her home was their room. I had been looking at it so long online, wondering what it would be like to actually be standing there in it, and I finally was! That was magical, and cramped. You see in China, the apartments (well more like condos) are very tiny. When I would talk to her, she would often be tripping over things and bumping herself. I could see why. There are no closets, so there is a wardrobe, a bed, and a dresser, and a laptop stand, and at that point, all that’s left is a very narrow walkway. This is pretty typical in newer places.
The kitchen was about the same size as my walk in closet. What is a two bedroom there is about the size of a small one bedroom here. The bathroom really was odd to me. They don’t have bathtubs. it’s a tile floor, sink, toilet (at least that was western style – more on that later) and the shower head just hangs on the wall. the whole bathroom is the shower, basically. so when you shower, you also have to be careful not to get everything else wet. Yes, there are outlets on the walls, on the opposite side, and they have covers, for what it’s worth.
One other thing to mention about the toilet, it has two flushing buttons, a little flush and a big one, depending on need. There will also be a small waste can next to the toilet. This is for toilet paper. You can’t flush it there, as the plumbing can’t handle it. I think for most westerners, the toilet issues are the most important things to understand, as it’s so different there. It’s a topic I’ll be coming back to.
That night, I cuddled up with my darling, in a whole new place, a dream come true, and excited for the new day to come…
Recent Comments