I’m in the far east, and it’s different. That might seem like an obvious statement, but let me elaborate the ways it is different. Let’s start with ground rules:
Rule No. one – don’t drink the water unless it’s been boiled first.
Rule No. two - don’t eat meat from street vendors; stick with the veggies and rice.
The streets and the metro are very clean, there are trash cans and even recycling bins practically everywhere, and strict rules about food and drink on the metro. There are also street sweepers and cleaning personnel everywhere.
Walking down the side walk you’ll notice a 12” strip, made of grooved paving stones. This is for the blind to walk on. Corners are marked by paving stones with raised circles.
There are plaza-like areas where women gather to practice traditional-style dance, it seems to be a form of exercise here. Speaking of exercise, there is public outdoor exercise equipment in the apartment complex where my coworkers live. Nothing fancy, but effective. Very similar to equipment I saw once in South Korea.
We’ve visited the old street and the wet market. These are both open air markets that sell everything from produce to puppies. I’m not even kidding. We saw kittens and puppies (as well as bunnies and budgies) of no distinct breed piled in cages along the street.
The wet market is so named for its abundance of wet merchandise. Like crabs, turtles, and fish. Whether you want them as pets or as dinner is up to you. While we’re on the topic of food, how about some fried scorpion on a stick?
The apartment I’m staying in belongs to one of my colleagues and is quite nice. It’s clean, has a decent view, and is part of a large gated complex. But there are roaches. We’ve caught about a dozen so far.
Also, no central heating. Neither in homes nor in the office we rent. Fortunately, it hasn’t been particularly cold, but when the chill starts to seep in, the space heaters get called into action.
Some things are “familiar” – e.g. we went shopping at Walmart yesterday. But be warned – not every Walmart is actually a Walmart. We are in the land of knock-offs after all. Same goes for Apple stores, New Balance tennis shoes, and just about everything else.
When you go to a restaurant, everything is served 'family style', and there aren't any serving utensils. Everyone uses their own chopsticks to grab from the serving bowl. Also, napkins are not a given. Typically, you have to purchase them or bring your own. Most people carry around small packets of tissue for this reason. And because public bathrooms generally don't have toilet paper. Or soap.
I went to a local tea shop (part of a chain, actually) with a colleague, and when I asked about the menu items most of them included cheese. I was slightly confused, and she told me cheese in tea is a big thing here. I order a black tea with cheese. The 'cheese' is reminiscent of cream cheese frosting, only more liquid. It was actually really good.
Our stay here is almost over, and although I’ll be happy to get settled in my permanent country soon, I will miss some aspects of this place. I have gained a new appreciation for eggplant and soy sauce.