Trimester China CheckIn

Right before we moved out to China my, I mean OUR, awesome & hilarious friend, Raman, sent us this list from another blog of all the wacky things that we would experience in China. You can see the full list here.  My original plan was to do a quarterly check in on status, but I got behind so here's our "trimester" check-in. (I've filtered on only the ones I could comment about. The full list is 301 different crazies and apparently we haven't been here long enough)

THE CRAZY	MY THOUGHTS
2- You’re at an expensive western restaurant and don’t even notice the guy at the next table yelling into his cell phone	Oh, yes I do!
3- A June 2001 Great Wall Cabernet (mixed with Sprite) is your vintage of choice	Still haven't tried it, but I need to!
12- You have grown used to the picture quality of pirated VCDs.	Absolutely!
18- You like the smell of the bus.	Absolutely not!
26- You throw your used toilet paper in the basket (as a courtesy to the next person).	seriously, I do this. But it's so weird!
29- Your body no longer accepts dairy products.	I will never let this happen
36- You can’t put a proper sentence together in your native language.	this is already starting to happen to me. I talk simpler now.
43- You believe that pressing the lift button 63 times will make it move faster.	while this seems crazy, I actually think this works… only in China
47- You aren’t aware that one is supposed to pay for software.	hahaha. So true. Even companies "find software" (Not J&J. they are by the book)
53- You are not surprised to see your tap water run dark brown.	nope. Just smells like bacon
55- You are not surprised to see 85-year old ladies pushing tons of garbage up the streets of the financial district.	it's true
57- You believe you are really tall when you are only 5’8″.	I AM really tall. The proof is my ability to see over everyone in the subway. For which I am incredibly grateful
58- You finally decide to eat at McDonalds to put some solids into your body.	hahaha. I already did this..
61- You eat a kebab on the street and call it “Cat on a stick” and keep eating.	we laugh about this now… but you never know…
62- You see a stray cat on the street and say “Hmmm… Lunch!”	same as above…
68. You think you should wear nylon sox with your Nikes, stilettos or sandals in the summer, instead of a cotton one.	I haven't yet, but this is a common sight!
74. You are no longer flinching every few seconds in a Taxi ride.	now it's just relaxing
78. You start reaching for a piece of fish with your chop sticks and not even notice the fish looking back at you.	happened just yesterday
80. Your brand new bicycle only cost you $20.	that's false! If you're white, you pay more.
87. You think it’s silly to buy a new bike when it’ll get stolen soon and stolen bikes are half the price.	I've heard MANY bike theft stories…
90. You get up early for a backwards walk and thrust your hand at a 45 degree angle into the sky over and over for balanced excercise.	not yet, but I enjoy the people-watching aspect of this activity
98. When you take a cab, you give play-by-play driving directions to the driver	if I could, I would
101. When you go to the toilet you start bringing your own toilet paper	always in my purse. For sure
102. You can pick up any type of food using just your chopsticks… even peanuts.	I've been practicing!
103. You blow your nose or spit on the restaurant floor (of course after making a loud hocking noise)	still disgusting.
104. The footprints on the toilet seat are your own.	hahahaha. The footprints are common but not my own
110. You no longer wonder how someone who earns US$ 400.00 per month can drive a Mercedes.	true story
111. You accept the fact that you have to queue to get a number for the next queue.	yep
113. You find that it saves time to stand and retrieve your hand luggage while the plane is on final approach.	still annoys me, but I think matt is joining in this habit
114. You can shake your hands almost perfectly dry before wiping them on your trousers, or you have your suits made with terrycloth pockets.	matt needs this
120. You regard it as part of the adventure when the waiter correctly repeats your order and the cook makes something completely different.	"adventures" abound!
126. You look over people’s shoulder to see what they are reading	I do! But I obviously can't read whatever it is
132. You regularly fumble for five minutes to find 10 jiao despite 10 people waiting in line behind you	still annoying. But this happens everywhere
142. You have a pinky fingernail an inch long	everybody does, especially the men
157. You see people outside wearing shower caps in the rain, and instead of thinking what a freak, you actually understand the practicality behind it. The same with clipping pegs on your trousers when riding a bike	I saw my first shower cap lady just last week! Too slow to snap a pic though
164. Before asking someone’s age, you ask what animal they are.	no way, asking someone's age comes right after their name
178. You ask how much people are making and expect people to answer.	Everyone asks this
182. Chinese fashion starts looking hip.	Some of the time!
184. You start cutting off large vehicles on your bicycle.	It's the only way
195. You go to the local shop in pajamas.	China actually "outlawed" the pajama wearing in prep for the 2010 World Expo. Luckily, you still seem some pajama rebels :)
198. You see some real cleavage and think WOW!	haha true!
199. You ask fellow foreigners the all-important question “How long have you been here?” in order to be able to properly categorize them.	oh for sure. Matt & I are still judged as newbies
214. You develop a liking for corn flavored ice cream.	not ice cream, but they have these corn funnel cakes! Yum!
222. You see three people on a motorcycle and figure there’s room for two more.	the motorcycle is like the new station wagon
226. Firecrackers don’t wake you up.	We became immune after CNY (Chinese New Year)
241. The shortest distance between two points involves going through an alley.	True but I'm not quite adventurous enough yet
258. After being in an accident, you tell the ambulance driver which hospital to take you to.	Haven't been in an accident yet, but will DEFINITELY specify hospital… the expat one
286. You get offended when people admire your chopsticks skills.	no way, I relish the moment every new person comments on my "impressive" chopstick skills
291. You and a friend get on a bus, sit at opposite ends of the bus, and continue your conversation by yelling from one end to the other.	insert [subway] for [bus] and yes.
295. You cannot say “Call me.” without making a pretend phone with your fingers and sticking to your ear.	so true. How else would I communicate without the use of my hands?