Me Ol' China (week 11)

Hello Big and Small Noses!

I found out that there are more small noses than big ones reading this blog.
This week has been very very busy and at time of writing I am pretending to be on Sunday while it's middle week. This week I wrote these few lines in parts. I will fly to Italy this weekend and I will be far too busy to connect to this blog.
This week a few things have caught my attention. I am really handsome (shuai)! I know you must think I am either crazy or got an injection of confidence, but this is something I found out. Amongst my female circle of friends I have been voted as the most handsome man in the circle and beyond. I am not the only Big Nose around but I got the award. I won the sexiest man award as well and the smartest (congming) one. My look is younger than my age, my eyes are very deep and... Let's stop here... As I feel extremely embarrassed even in writing these things.

But I am doing it to show how different the perception of westerners can be in China. there are some Chinese ladies that wouldn't even look at a westerner finding us all ugly, fat and hairy (even those that we consider not hairy are too hairy for them) and those that, on the other hand, see westerners as god-like looking creatures.

Pointless saying that it's the same amongst Europeans as most of you reading know this.

I have been asked by a colleague, this week, how do I distinguish an Italian from another, just by the look. If I could draw a stereotype of an Italian both as look, attitude, character, values and so on. You know what? I really wasn't able to explain how I can distinguish an Italian by a Spanish without even hearing them talking, but I know they are different. He understood as he can distinguish between a Mainland Chinese and a Taiwanese one, for example, but he cannot explain it either... This means that we are condemned to be different and no way we can really explain how it works. If anyone can explain, on both sides, big and small noses, I would be grateful to hear.

This week I found out that there are more Italians in my block of apartments than in the rest of Beijing. I met a 60 years old man at the gym and informed me that there are quie a few families of Italians living there and that they are always looking for friends and people to hang around with... I think that my facial expression was so clear at the point that the guy corrected immediately wit ha "of course if yo uare interested"... No bloody way, I want to go out with Italians, especially families. In my experience it becomes an extended family and too invasive for my private life that I keep it as private as I can. I do not even attend company events, try to imagine if I will start dining at a Wog family every Sunday... no way!

This week the temperatures are still on the highs but a strong wind carrying sand from the desert is constant. It is pretty annoying especially because the sun is gone and instead of going towards the traditional spring we are going towards a.... a what? I am not sure, really... The only thing I know is that there are blossoms all over, people look much happier and the rain has arrived on March 21st! First rain of the year in Beijing.

I found out something interesting about taxi drivers. It happens, pretty often that taxi drivers refuse to take you. I thought that this was rudeness, well it is not like this. Taxis go around 24 hours a day and there is the change of the shift (driver) between 18 and 19 daily. So between those hours many drivers will refuse you t otake you because they are waiting for the colleague to pick the car up... And I thought they were bloody rude!

I went to shop, this week, at the Hong Qian Market. Mainly (precious or not so precious) stones for sale there. It was an experience because I was there with a Chinese colleague of mine and the price I got the things I bought for , must have added to no more than 10% of the price marked! Frankly, the prices I saw were fine like that! this tells you that you must be very very careful about the items you buy.

Now I am typing from Beijing Airport, one of the cleanest airports I have seen around. My daughter told me that one of her teachers claimed that Beijing (and China) are very dirty. Well, I would invite that person to come over here to verify that if not extremely clean but, for sure, Beijing is cleaner than Rome. I think that people get always the wrong idea of dirt when they see some run down places or places that look older. You can go to Southern Italy or Malta and get similar impressions. So many stereotypes about this country, and those who got them would be better to feel ashamed of the place where they live that, allegedly, should be a 1st world country.

Talk later Me Ol' Chinas! byebye from Beijing Airport, Ziajian!