Adventures in Asia

When you fall in love with someone from a different country, you soon realize that other cultures have different ways of showing romantic interest and love. Their flirting can feel strange or even be a turn off at first, but the deeper you dive into another’s culture, the more you acclimate to and appreciate it. A random Asian guy, courtesy of the public domain. The first thing that struck me when I was dating my now-husband (as I’ve mentioned previously on this blog), was the NAGGING. Or what I perceived to be nagging. Such as: Have you eaten yet? Did you take a nap? Wear more clothes, it’s cold out. Drink more hot water. Don’t drink that! Cold drinks are bad for your health! Go to bed earlier. Exercise more. No ice cream when you’re on your period!! And on and on… As you might notice, most of these statements are related to Chinese standards of health and wellness. I had a quite negative reaction to this form of attention, because 1)...

If you can read this, you probably need a visa. After several friends and family members visited me this year, I thought I’d share some basic tips for those who are curious about life in China or plan to visit this amazing country someday soon! PART I: TIME & MONEY Although China is a huge country, the whole thing runs on Beijing time. There are no other time zones. Money in China is called RMB (which stands for renminbi), yuan, or kuai. You may be able to use your card at an ATM in China to withdraw cash, but it probably won’t work in restaurants and shops. It’s always best to exchange money in a bank (back home or in China), though the airport will do the job too. No need to tip. You can often haggle for a lower price in smaller shops and markets. Start really low and don’t feel bad if the seller acts insulted. Pretend to lose interest and leave the store if they won’t come down – they will once they realize they might lose the sa...