Sheer numbers

We've all heard that there are a billion people in China.  Well, it's actually more like 1.34 billion, and while that may not seem like a big difference, consider the fact that the ENTIRE population of the United States is LESS THAN that ".34" billion we're quibbling about.  Not so minor anymore, huh?  That's right-- there are about 4 times as many people living in China as there are in America!  Perhaps a random chart will help you grapple with this...





This is a visual of population growth in Europe and China, from 1650 - 2050.  I realize this is Europe, and I was talking about America, but I reckon the data wouldn't be all that different.  [Original chart is here: http://www.china-food-security.org/data/pop/pop_6.htm.] 

Perhaps, like me, you have trouble wrapping your mind around these massive numbers.  How on earth are we supposed to digest that kind of information? Our brains just can't fathom numbers that high; we have no real experience with sheer millions, we can't count it, we haven't seen it.

I would argue that the question should not be "how on earth?" but rather "where on earth?"  The answer, unsurprisingly, would start here in Shanghai.  Pete and I have read population estimates and census data placing Shanghai's overall metropolitan population at everything from 12 to 21 million people.  That spread is the size of New York City (and then some)! 

While we live in a neighborhood that is justifiably known as an expat bubble, we do get out and explore other areas of the city.  Our nearby streets are tree-lined 4-6 lane-wide roads with bike lanes and huge roundabouts.  We all live in 10-20 story apartment complexes with hundreds of families in each, but the green spaces and playgrounds are ample so it actually feels pretty suburban.  In the center of the city however, people are compacted much more densely in tiny tenement-like apartments in snake-like alleyways.  It's been nutty getting on the subway at rush hour.  I'll have to take some photos for you.  Save that for another entry...

But I digress from the point I wanted to make in the first place.  Living here, the reality of this population boom is much more palpable to me than it ever was when we were merely researching the idea of living here.  I'd taken a class in college on modern Chinese history and wrote a research paper on Mao's cultural revolution.  Jung Chang's memoir, "Wild Swans," stuck with me for years.  (I highly recommend it, by the way.)  But above all, it was the one-child policy that simultaneously horrified and fascinated me.  So, when we got here and all I saw everywhere I went was pregnant ladies, well, you can imagine my confusion!

According to the research, China is actually (supposedly) in somewhat of a demographic crisis as the population both ages and fertility rates drop below replacement levels.  I.E. there are more older people AND women aren't having enough babies to replace themselves and their spouses.  See here: http://www.economist.com/node/18651512 and especially this bit:



 which basically tells you that there are going to be millions more people aged 65+ than there will be people aged 20-24 come 2020 and 2030.  This has all kinds of repercussions in terms of the economy, food scarcity, water use, etc.  But it is also kind of deceiving given ALL the pregnant women around currently.

Maybe the data is wrong.  Maybe what is important is not sheer numbers but rather the ratio of the total population.  I don't know, but it's something I'm randomly thinking about a lot recently, as I peddle my bike or walk the grocery store aisles and pass many Chinese women likely to have many Chinese babies.

About one in every 6 people on this planet are Chinese.  Imagine those stats in your own life.  If it's not a part of your reality yet, it likely will be at some point with globalization, etc.  It's not a good thing or a bad thing but it ought to be something we consider.  I don't have a clean ending for this post, and I realize I'm rambling more than I ought to and more than might be interesting for you.  But China has definitely got me thinking!  And, after all, that's one of the reasons we moved here.

Culture shock... on aisle 2?

You're told, many times, when you move overseas to expect culture shock.  Over the course of the past three years, I have read countless articles about it and sat in on more-than-a-couple seminars about the topic.  Without fail, I roll my eyes.  Not because I think I know any better or because I believe it doesn't exist.  That's not the case.

No, I shrug it all off when it's being presented to me because I know that culture shock is a mysterious predator.  It catches you right when you're not looking.  It's like death and taxes, it's guaranteed to show it's face at some point.

The publishers of the articles I have read and the experienced counselors or speakers giving "the talk" refer to culture shock in periods.  There are multiple periods of highs and lows and the newer you are to a country, the deeper the waves of emotion.  Higher highs and lower lows until, roughly a year after your transition, you have fully "adjusted" and the depth of the waves is similar to what you normally experience "at home," because (hopefully) the waves become more shallow and you can handle life with more ease once again.

First, there is the honeymoon phase.  Everything is new and exciting.  You like it all because it's fascinating or sparkly or exotic.

Next, you begin to get angry, and make comparisons with how things "should be" and how it is better at home.  And on and on it goes including, to varying degrees, stages aptly titled, like "fight," "fright," and "flight" before arriving at ... I don't know, regular LIFE.

Like I said, culture shock hits at the most random times.  You'd THINK it would be when I am on a foreign street, surrounded by people speaking a language I cannot begin to understand.  Maybe for you it would be in a restaurant when you can't read the menu.  Others talk about falling to pieces just trying to get their hair cut or buy a pack of cigarettes. 

Where have I most commonly experienced culture shock?  In the drug store.  That's right.  I go in, minding my own business, thinking, "ok, I just need like 3 things," and then, 45 minutes later, I'm in aisle 2 trying to prevent anyone from seeing my (obvious) tears.  Sounds dramatic?  It's not.  No, it's a slow dance.  I walk thru the store, confident that I can find the chapstick and q-tips I need and be on my way.  I mingle my way thru the crowds (drug-stores overseas are tiny compared with RiteAid and CVS), pretend I can read (in Mandarin characters, no less!) the difference between brand A of chapstick and brand B, and then I remember I need mascara, and I keep strolling.

Now, I've already spent more time than I want.  It's hot --these stores, unlike every other place where the temp is set to frigid-- are not air-conditioned for some reason, and I'm confused.  What did I need?  Where's my list?  Oh this lady wants to help me?  Great!  Doesn't speak English.  Her co-worker?  Also-- no English.  "Haven't I already been through this aisle?  Am I reading that right?  US$20 for mascara?  Why can't I find what I need?  Why haven't I learned more Chinese yet?  What the hell are there so many clerks for if none of them can help me?  What's wrong with these people?  What's wrong with me if I can't even manage a quick trip to the drug-store?  I've ruined my alone-time morning now."  And then-- BAMM: you're crying.

It happens just like that.  You're not expecting it.  You're doing simple tasks... or, at least, you meant to be doing them.  Culture shock doesn't hit in waves or periods-- it's more like a small, ticking bomb.  And it never lasts, of course.  You get over it, spend the frickin' 20-spot and get the hell out of the store.  Get yourself a fro-yo and try to get on with your day.    

Because, really... you live overseas, your life is NOT that bad, and you've got better things to worry about.  Plus, when you can push yourself to get over it (and get over yourself) you can then also push on later that day, explore a new street, and find the yummiest wonton soup shop, hole-in-the-wall type of place you can imagine.  And that's worth it.  So, screw the $20 on the mascara and the pride you left in the Watsons drugstore-- you just had a delicious dinner for $1.20 in a place that few Westerners will ever walk in to.

Culture shock is a double-edged sword like that.  It cuts you, sharply, and catches your breath painfully.  But it is also a strong tool with plenty of weight to provide for some motivation.  So, on a rainy afternoon when you know you can do better than just seek solace in the nearest Starbucks, you can keep looking for a better deal.

Random shots of our day-to-day

This is a photo of the building we live in (we’re on the 5^th floor) and the Specialized bike shop on the street level.  This bike shop is not a typical one that sells all sorts of different price-points and helmets and such.  Oh no!  This is one where the cheapest bike costs at least a grand and there are some in there that cost 8-10 times that much.  Pete says walking through there is like walking into a showroom.  He’s seen bikes in there that he only thought existed in magazines.  Poor guy— and we have to live above it and he has to be tempted daily.

 

The two tall red buildings are to the west of us (toward my school and our grocery store) and the tall thin one with the church is to the east of us (away from the main part of the city).  I realize it may look rather urban, but we really essentially live in the suburbs of this big city.  We’ve got soccer fields, restaurants, a strip mall, a gym, a post office, and more right here.  But, we are not near the museums, art galleries, skyscrapers, etc.

 

Here's Reese going to school, just a regular day.  That still sounds SO WILD to me to say or type: "Reese going to school."  My little baby is growing up!

 

And here she is with Addie, her BFF, at soccer.  They have soccer once a week with a group of about a dozen 3-4 year olds.  It's one hour of running around and kicking a ball, but they're the youngest in the group and it regularly EXHAUSTS them.  They have yet to make it through the hour before looking like this:

 

This is the lady who sells us vegetables at the market.  She is so sweet and business from expats is (apparently) so important to her that she tells us what's good when and won't let us buy stuff that she knows isnt't the best.  Plus, you get a free head of garlic and a small bundle of herbs every time you shop with her.

 

My first time there I bought peppers, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, eggplants, sweet potatoes, and 3 chili peppers.  She then gave me chives, a head of garlic, and cilantro (FOR FREE).  The entirety cost about US$5. I couldn't believe it.