That means hello in Chinese. ONE of TWO words we picked up while traveling. Hard to believe that after 8 days in a foreign country I would only pick up two words - but nothing sounds the same in Chinese! In fact, I'm pretty sure that the whole time we were there no one ever repeated a word. Right? That has to be the reason I didn't learn more!
Well, anyway. I learned a few things while wandering through mainland China.
1. The US is known as "Beautiful Country" to the Chinese.
2. Every Emperor that ruled over China was crazy (my own conclusion). Especially the Emperor Qin Shi Huang. He constructed an army of over 8,000 terra cotta warriors to guard him in his afterlife. You can read more about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_ArmyI'm telling you - he was crazy! But cool for all of us to see! These warriors are over 2,000 years old and were just discovered in the 70's by a local farmer. Oh, the farmer was at the museum to sign books and stuff. He became a celebrity overnight and now he sits at a table at the museum all day. He wasn't posing for pictures though...bummer.
3. I have an appreciation for Chinese calligraphy. It is a beautiful art.
4. If you don't speak the language they send you to the worst table in the restaurant. Matt and I arrived about 10 minutes before some of our friends and tried to tell the hostess we needed a table for 6 (remember we only know TWO words - so this involved a lot of hand motions, pretty funny if you picture it)! They took us up a flight of stairs, past the kitchen (which I deliberately did not look at for fear I wouldn't want to eat), up another flight of stairs and sat us at a small table in a very drafty room. Once our friends arrived, our treasured Chinese speaker let them know right away we wanted another table. In minutes we were down the stairs, past the kitchen and seated at a nice big table in the warm restaurant. Hummm....
5. In China, all prices are negotiable and up for bargaining except cars. Here, cars are one of the few items we bargain for. Funny.
6. I have an aversion to loudly clearing your throat and spitting what you just cleared anywhere you please. Especially if it is near the vegetables in the market I'm shopping in.
7. When you step into a taxi you are saying "I understand completely that I am putting my life at risk and that you do not follow basic rules of the road, such as lines and lights. Pedestrians and bicycle riders are just obstacles in the road and may or may not be hit by this taxi."
Traveling in another country is a funny thing and I'll admit that I'm not good at it. I get uncomfortable quickly, immediately nauseous at the inevitable strange smells, and confused by the language. BUT...traveling in a foreign country with Matthew is fun! He never feels uncomfortable, can stomach the smells and tries hard to learn the language. He learned to bargain with the best of them, communicate with the taxi drivers and navigate the streets and eateries of Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an. I loved our trip because we were together.
Here are some pictures to commemorate. Notice how cold we look... well, we were! It was freezing! Click on the link and it will take you to our online album.
