Reflections on Thanksgiving by a Thankful Expat (i)

Thanksgiving is coming up soon, and while turkey may be scarce here in China, it is still a time for the Americans in the expat community to reflect on that for which they are thankful. Actually, turkey and all the fixings get easier to find every year here in the greater Shanghai area, which I guess is something to be thankful for in itself. For my first Thanksgiving in Hangzhou, we went to a Western hotel for Thanksgiving dinner and got a buffet with turkey that was served late and not cooked all the way through, but the past few years have been much improved.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I decided to think of some of the things I am thankful for living in China— things that I would never have had I stayed in the US. I am also thankful for not having certain things that a lot of Americans have.

Thankful for having in China:

1) Electric scooter
It’s the fastest scooter on the road and I’ve put over 8,000km on it in just half a year. Thanks to my faux Vespa electric bike, I know my way around Hangzhou’s streets and back alleys better than any taxi driver. Most of my knowledge of Hangzhou comes from riding around the city on my scooter, stopping at random stores, attractions and restaurants. No part of Hangzhou is too far away for me to consider going to now, and I never need to worry about taxis and buses (except when they are about to smash into my scooter).


Not my scooter, but a similar Vespa lookalike

Every morning when I go to work, I walk down to the basement of my apartment complex, turn on my electric scooter and ride it to work. I can get to work faster than a car by cutting through the stadium or university. I stop at a bakery for breakfast and get a croissant from their bike drive-up window. In other words, I can basically use the scooter as a personal mobility scooter that is even more convenient than having a car, like not having to worry about parking. Plus, I get to ride down Hangzhou bike lanes, which are engineering marvels on certain streets, and I can take the scooter down Su Causeway and Bai Causeway, and other shortcut roads that cars cannot take.

It’s not safe and cold in the winter, but I will miss my electric scooter when I return to the US one day. Hopefully other cities worldwide can start encouraging this type of transportation.

2) Maid

I only have a maid clean my place about once per month.  But there is no better feeling that coming back to a clean apartment. I guess I am not thankful for having a maid persay, but I am thankful for China’s service industry. There seems to be someone watching me and cleaning up after me everywhere I go. At work when I forgot my cup in the kitchen, one of the maids recognized the cup as mine despite there being over 200 people working in my office, cleaned it for me and brought it to my desk. Even something like getting a waiter’s attention at a restaurant is much more simplified in China.

3) Experience

There is no question that spending 5 years in China, traveling from place to place and having first-time experiences everyday has opened my mind. Sometimes when I visit home, my friends always ask for me to tell them some interesting China stories or memories I have of amusing experiences that occurred while abroad. I know there are tons of good stories but I always draw a blank when friends ask me to tell them— maybe I am still digesting the most interesting ones, and maybe I just don’t notice as much anymore now that life in China has already become my customary daily life for so long.

(To be continued)

Posted at 04:42PM Nov 21, 2008 by admin in Laowai Talk  |  Comments[2]