Howard and Debbie Hand (Scott's parents) arrived in our city on Monday!!! We have been talking about their visit for months and months now- and they are finally here and it feels so surreal! We've eaten local food but we're mostly cooking western food in our house so no one gets what I call "the china gut". (that's self explanatory, right?)
So now it's Friday and they've been here four nights and I gave Debbie this little interview....
What has surprised you the most?
Gosh... I would say probably the disorganization. The traffic, people don't stand in lines- they aren't necessarily courteous and wait their turn. There is no order. Also the sanitation- people just disregard trashcans and things like that.
What is the best local food you've had?
Oil-poured beef and gung bao ji din (kung pao chicken)
What has grossed you out the most?
The smells- the sewage and some of the food that they cook on the street has a horrible smell!
What is the most interesting thing you've seen in the city/ countryside?
When we went out yesterday into the countryside the farmers... the way they have to water their gardens with buckets. They have acres of crops and they have to water with a bucket and carry the pails on their shoulders. I felt like I was looking through a National Geographic magazine.
How is the jet-lag?
I think it's better now after 4 days. At first I felt real sleepy during the day and I took naps... but then I would wake up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep. I forced myself to stay awake yesterday and I was able to sleep last night.
What are you going to tell all of your friends about?
I going to tell them that a lot of the life here is sort of primitive- but there's also things that are very modern like cell phones and T.V. There's a guy outside watering his acres and acres of crops with a bucket but people are walking around talking on cell phones and driving new cars. And there are people living in dumps but they all have TVs. I will also tell them that people are friendly, but they are in awe of us foreigners because it's something they aren't accustomed to seeing.
I would also tell them that we are very wasteful in America... living here you have to use things sparingly. You use your napkin twice and you don't throw away your tin foil. There's so many things that you can't get here and you have to travel to another city or even ask your family to send you and you want it all to last. You might have to wear your clothes more times because it's such a chore to wash and dry.
We take for granted a lot of conveniences that we have in America- here, you have to turn on your hot water heater for a shower and you have to unplug the fridge to use the microwave. You have to heat water to wash the dishes- there's so much stuff we're accustomed to that we don't have here.
What's been your favorite thing to do?
Just sit and talk to ya'll. Hahahah I enjoy walking around and seeing the sights but of course the best part has been visiting with you.
How would you describe our dog?
hahaha ferocious looking with her under bite (Scott at this point says "mom be nice! Adrian, come here! Lick her in the face! Grandmaw doesn't like your dog hairs and Grandpaw doesn't like you at all. Poor girl!" )
I think she's obedient- she's very friendly and she doesn't lick- I hate a licker! haha
That's all for now, folks! Tune in next week for Howard's' interview!
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