When in Rome.... Do as the Romans do!

Today I am writing as my temporary driver escorts me to work (yes I actually sit in the back seat…).  Yesterday I watched throughout the drive and found it very stressful so I have now determined I will use my driving time to read e-mails from work, catch up on the news (once I get my phone next week), or write about our experiences in China.  The drive to work is approximately 30 minutes unless I leave at peak rush hour which then means it will be extended to 50 minutes.  Yesterday I hit peak rush hour and was able to experience first-hand how the Chinese drive in heavy traffic.  Vehicles are literally bumper to bumper as drivers allow little room between the car in front of them, this results in short intervals of quick acceleration and braking while only moving 6 feet at a time.  The close proximity to the car in front of you is a result of every driver wanting to occupy the 12 inches of space available to them to progress further.  This also creates what I call continual swaying from lane to lane or perhaps on the median as you try and merge into traffic at the last possible moment.  Think about the person in the US who either merges at the final moments or cuts your vehicle off forcing you to hit the brakes, this is the norm in China.  I mentioned at the start I am with my temporary driver, Mr. Chen (I think this is his name…).  You see he speaks even fewer words to me in English than I speak Mandarin to him.  Although each morning he greats me with a smile and a “good morning” which I believe he picked up on from our family.  Yesterday I was very impressed with myself as I instructed him “please arrive tomorrow at 7:15am” in Mandarin.  Small victory!  On Tuesday next week our permanent driver starts with our family, Mr. Xiao Fan.  Yesterday I was able to interview two drivers, through a translator, and I selected Mr. Fan.  He is 43 years old, former taxi driver, with a wife and 12 year old son.  He appears very nice and was very attentive to our family needs in the interview.  Only time will tell, stay tuned.

One thing to know about the culture is the morning breakfast routine.  Although we are not deep into Chinese culture in our complex, the breakfast buffet each morning does reveal a little into how the Chinese eat in the mornings.  The buffet contains the normal US items like toast, cereal, omlette’s, fruits, coffee and orange juice to name a few.  However you will also find how the Chinese use breakfast as a bigger meal of the day (Natalie tells me this is what Dr. Oz calls eating in reverse).  For example this morning I found stir fry noodles, pepper steak, and mashed potatoes.  Each morning there is also a salad bar to select from.  Each day will contain some food that we would normally consider lunch or dinner appropriate in the US, although the boys were happy the day when they served chicken nuggets ;)

Jump forward 9 hours and I am now on my commute home for the day.  To my surprise I have discovered how the drivers, including my temp, pass the time when they are waiting for the next pickup.  Unfortunate for me when I left the building today my driver was nowhere to be found.  I located the car in the parking lot and another driver pointed me to a building where he could be found.  I walked in a smoke clouded room of Chinese men playing cards.  Everyone in the room looked up at me where I pointed at Mr. Chen and he came in a rush, must have been a little embarrassing for him…  LOL. 

So, the last thing I will touch on is lunch which is served daily and provided by Ford at the office Canteen.  Like a mass exit, promptly at 11:30am all the staff rises from their desk and begins to head to the Canteen, holding their lunch cards.  This is similar to the start time in the office, since most take the mass transit system they all arrive right at 8:30am and leave at 5:30pm.  Yesterday I followed the routine to the canteen with an Australian colleague I met whose family relocated the same time as we did.  Once in the canteen you swipe your card and then can choose from several Chinese dishes.  There is a variety of meat items, I chose the ones that closely resembled either beef or pork.   In addition you can have a bowl of soup, bowl of white rice, vegetables, and/or a noodle dish.  I am finding the food hit or miss from day to day, some days it is good and others not so much for a westerner.   But it is hard to complain about a free meal.

Arriving home now to Natalie and the kids.   Time to eat dinner, play a few games, and then join my 8:30pm conf. call, stupid Americans don’t they know it is late here in China!!!