Lifestyle differences between the US and China

As I said before, it has been over a year since I ate cereal, so I decided to rectify this. I found some German Corn Flakes and Chinese milk in the supermarket. Throw in some bananas and I felt like I was back in the states again. Well, that feeling lasted until I realized I don't have a single piece of silverware such as a spoon in my room, only chopsticks. I had to find a small plastic spoon from a yogurt package in order to eat my cereal.

Some of the modern conveniences of the U.S. have their pluses. Take automatic bill pay via the Internet for example. In China there are no online bill pay services. So I have to go to the bank to buy electricity, water, pay for my Internet service etc. I have a little card with a computer chip in it. I take it to the bank and give it to the bank clerk and tell her how many units of electricity I want. The first time I only bought 100 units for about 50 RMB, but that only lasted about a week. I did not realize how fast 100 units would last. So I went back the next week and bought 300 units. Once I get my next paycheck I will buy like 500 or more. In China you prepay for electricity.

Going to the bank to pay sounds convenient until you see the enormous lines. Only some certain banks handle payments for these services, so they can get really busy. Waiting in line can take a couple hours or more. At some branches you can get a number. It will take maybe 2 hours before your number is called so you can go out for lunch, buy some groceries, take a walk in the park and come back later. So I want to prepay for more next time.

I guess this is an upgrade over the old system. In the old system the electric company would have residents go about reading the meters and collecting payments for electricity. Every member of the community was required to take their turn in this duty. However some people would not pay for electricity and the state owned electric company would lose money. So now, everyone must prepay at banks which have authority to handle these services.

On the other hand, doing banking online has its own problems. For example, the bank I have in the states always makes me change my password every few months. Well, I changed it recently and then forgot what I had changed it too. When I tried to log-in again recently I tried some different passwords all of which were wrong and the bank locked me out of my account. The screen memo says: I have been locked out and to call my local branch to get my password reset. So now I have to get a calling card and figure out what time I can call from here to get a hold of someone at some branch of my bank in the U.S. to unlock my account. Also the online website for my student loan organization has been down due to software problems for about three weeks. So Mom has to send a check to them on my behalf because I can not make a payment online. Oh this crazy world.

In regards to the job I discussed last time. I still often think about that position as it seemed really interesting. However, as I said before they wanted me to be available for regular travel and to work full-time, so it would be really hard to keep my part-time English job that actually pays better.

I bought a big map of China and put it on my wall. I have almost memorized the names of all the provinces in China. I also know the names of many major cities. That is much better than when I first came to China and just knew the names of about 3 major cities and nothing else. In Beijing you can meet people who have come from all parts of China.

Yesterday, in my English class I talked with my students about the Olympics in Beijing. Many said they think its an exciting opportunity to show the world what China is like today, how it is capable of hosting and holding a major international event, and attract future interest and investment from around the world. Most people think that Beijing is going to do a terrific job for the games.

Its already been a boost to the city in terms of an improved traffic system, higher employment, image and recognition. However, people also complain that real estate prices and costs are rising quickly.

My Chinese friend and business partner is going to come over this afternoon so we can discuss marketing for the translation business. I also just got a call from an advertising company in Beijing that has Japanese and Chinese staff who are looking for a full time translator. The caller was Japanese and wanted to verify that my Japanese was good. It looks like I will get a face to face interview in the near future.