China Survival: Part 1

I figured I'd start a list of interesting Chinese myths, facts, and superstitions that you should know of if you ever decide to come here.

1. Chinese people believe eight is a lucky number since it sounds like the word for wealth. If you meet someone whose phone number has a lot of eights in it, it's a sign they're very wealthy.

2. Four is an unlucky number since it sounds like the word for death.

3. Guys shouldn't wear green hats. It means your girlfriend/wife cheated on you. If you're selling hats in China, make sure they aren't green.

4. If someone calls you a 250 (pronounced er-bai-wu) they're insulting you. It basically means stupid.

5. While it is polite to refer to a woman by her last name followed by Xiaojie, never call a woman just xiaojie since in that context it's an insult.

As bad as the DMVs back home

Because we're staying in Hong Kong for so long, we're legally required to get Hong Kong ID cards. That, and we can't get cellphones without them. Oh well, it's just a government regulated center like the DMVs back in the US. I'm sure that they're just as well organized, helpful, and dedicated to making your visit as quick and efficient as possible (insert sarcasm here).

According to some of the other students who had gotten their ID's before me, it was just like a DMV. They were at the Immigration office for almost three hours. And most of that time was spent waiting for someone to take the forms they filled out. Luckily, a friend of mine also had to get an ID and discovered we could make an appointment at the Immigration office's website.

Last week we headed down to the Immigration office and it brought back all the memories of DMVs that I hoped I left in the US. We arrive at the office (which is inside a mall) and they weren't open yet. We were stuck waiting outside the office for about forty-five minutes. Once they opened, it was go to this counter, get a number, wait for your number to be called. Just like a DMV. My number gets called, and I head to a desk where a woman takes my fingerprints and photos. Then I get another number, get called to another desk, and talk to a police officer. Then I'm handed a temporary ID card and a date to go back to the office so that I can get my real ID.

We were done in about twenty minutes. I'm just glad we were able to make appointments so we were in and out quickly.

A month already?

Man where has the month gone? And why haven't I posted in so long? I'm so sorry. I kept saying I'd post something but never got to it.

Well the procrastination is over. And to celebrate, I've changed the background. What do you think?

Anyway, this was just an apology message, now onto the real post.