China Moments

Party night :)

So there is a feeling that is hard to describe that can only be labeled as a "China moment." I think Donnie and I are the only ones that use this terminology, but I'm pretty sure everybody who has lived abroad has had this feeling at some point. It is an overwhelming reminder that you are not part of the culture, merely living among people you understand very little. My exact thought is something along the lines of "I can't believe I live in China." Sometimes it's a pleasant moment, sometimes it is not.

Examples of this include looking outside our apartment window and marveling at the massive city we live in. Or walking to work instead of driving or puzzling over a menu we can't figure out. It can be small things like a really good bowl of cheap Muslim noodles or an electric scooter stopping right in front of you in the crosswalk.

Zack and Honey at the party

So this past week has been full of these moments, mostly because we tried something new. Saturday was our staff winter party, so we asked Amy to watch Paul while we went out to the restaurant where it was being held.

Fireworks?!

It was a huge restaurant on the fourth floor of a mall, the whole fourth floor it felt like. Our company had rented out a huge room (about the size of a school cafeteria), with a dance floor and stage included.  The view looked over Window of the World, so the Eiffel Tower stuck out in the skyline. The room was separated from the rest of the restaurant, but connected to the most spectacular buffet I've ever seen. There was every kind of food you could imagine, and some I couldn't imagine. It was delicious and overwhelming in the same breath. I only braved it twice, once for food, once to wait in the longest line ever for one scoop of Haagen Daz ice cream (it's super expensive here). For the remainder of the party, we danced, drank and smiled at a spontaneous fireworks show (China moment). The reserved room was only until 10:30, so we meandered our way out in front of the mall and tried to catch some cabs. We piled into a car with a couple who mirrored our lives in such a way it was eerie. (Her name is Jessica, they have the same age difference as Donnie and I, they are our exact ages, we both have 3 yo sons, and they are from TX.)

Lost in Translation style

The cab took us to a karaoke bar. It was unlike any place I'd ever been, with glamorous decor and exclusive karaoke rooms. We were invited to join some co-workers who had already arrived in room 666. It was a large room with a huge couch, glass table and 3 karaoke screens. You could select your song from a touch screen on the wall, and there were two microphones circulating throughout the room.

Enter if you dare...

It was a China moment. I sat there and soaked it in. I looked at all the faces of people I've only known for 6 months, people from all over the world, singing, laughing and enjoying life and I realized that these people will shape my life for the next years to come. It was a moment I felt so far away from everything that had been so familiar just a year ago, but it was ok. I struggle with feeling disconnected both from happenings back home, but also disconnected from my surroundings here. These moments are fleeting, and I can usually chase away the homesickness by calling or texting someone back in the States, but it dawned on me this past weekend that soon this place will feel like home. I don't think my China moments will ever go away, it's just so different here, but hopefully the will make me smile and not frustrate me.

Needless to say, we were a little slow moving on Sunday, but it was a glorious day of relaxing. The week started with nothing new, except for me feeling sick still. So I took today to rest and it's made me feel much better. :)

Next week is our trip to the Philippines, I fully expect there to be difficulty traveling, since we've already had to change our flights once, but I'm looking forward to it. It's Chinese New Year, and I've never really taken an interest in this holiday before, but suddenly I'm fascinated.

Hopefully I won't run into any Lai See faux pas, since I did some research on the red envelope giving today. But it certainly will be a China moment. :)

Love to all.