There are a few things in China that i am having a hard time wrapping my mind around. One, that i am always 14hours ahead of who ever i talk to or email back in the States. Second, there are no stop signs here. There are traffic lights at the major intersections of town that indicate whether or not you can go, turn right or turn left, what ever your preference is, and that is usually what ever you feel like doing at the moment. Nothing stops for pedestrians, a California nightmare.The safest way to cross the street is enmass, I'm talking lots of folk at once that way if a bus or a truck happens to whack the front line or a stray ebike smacks into a group the rest of us can run for our lives to the other side of the street. In this world there is no turning around. There is fair warning though. Horns blare out a get the F@#$k out a the way like some cabbie in New York but only seconds before they snatch life from your very loins. The more practice I get the better I am of negotiating oncoming traffic. We are talking not just in the street but scooters and ebikes on the sidewalks and on the side streets as well. When the light turns everyone goes. It is the ultimate in the game of chicken. The elder women have it over everyone. They can stare down an eighteen wheeler with a glance. It is awesome to see. Which brings me to another observation. Just as traffic is a free for all so is the way Wuxi is tearing down and rebuilding itself. This is true nation building here. Construction is going on everywhere regardless whether or not there are people to occupy the building. Old being pushed out for the new. Little store fronts are almost smothered by high rise buildings. That too is awesome to see. It is almost surreal it is like Godzilla building is ready to swallow poor little struggling to stay in business restaurant or dry goods place. It doesn't matter, progress is the name of the game. Then there are those who refuse to change. In some ways China is the poster child for modernization and not. Old habits die hard here. Many things are still done the way they have been done for the last 50 years, and busses are still the major mode of transportation here.The public transportation here is excellent and very affordable for foreigners. 2 qui gets you anywhere you need to be. In USD that is a mere 30 cents. Not bad though you do have to battle the crowds once in a while to secure a place on the bus. When the bus is crowded people are packed cheek to jowl. No kidding. Several trips to downtown were standing room only. However if you catch the bus at the right time you can carry pretty much what ever you want without too much trouble. There is one thing though that worries me. China is in a hurry to westernize itself and I'm not so sure that is a good thing. What do you think?
This brings me to the last part of this entry. The holidays are upon those who celebrate but not for China. I have mixed feelings about the holidays like most people I know. It seems that for all the good intentions there are those moments in the holidays that we would all like to forget and being the Americans that we are we do. Here in China though there is nothing here that remotely indicates there is a celebration going on in other parts of the world except at the Louis Vittan store in downtown Wuxi. There they have erected small wreath shrines along the sidewalk that say Merry Christmas. Draped in red and green they disturb the serenity of masses of people moving past them. All they remind me of is the mass consumerism that has become the trademark of Christmas back home. They are like little red and green beacons beckoning people to stop in and spend money. Perhaps I am being a bit jaded about it. After all, there are somethings I will miss about the holidays, getting together with Kitty and family, Making dinner with Abby, Yakking with Libby and Sam, and spending precious time with friends. Yes there is that too and being here makes it that much more. So the three Americans will hold a thanksgiving tomorrow in honor of the day with a roasted duck, pork roast, and sweet potato dinner chinese style...and just like in the States the weather is supposed to turn and become rather unpleasant... a perfect thanksgiving if you ask me. Have a good one. See you on the flip side.
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