another note on china

for the record, the picture on the box of hair dye is not the color your hair will turn out. mine was this lovely milk chocolate color on the box. my hair turned reddish. now it's not terrible, but it's not what i wanted. i mean my hair is still fabulous. just sayin'.

and suddenly late fall/winter has swooped in on us. it's actually quite chilly out. and of course, none of my clothes fit, which i am so pleased with. yes, losing weight is okay, but when you need to punch new holes in your belt every 2-3 weeks, and if your not wearing a belt you can take your pants off without unbuttoning them, it gets damn annoying. and the clothes here are still too small for a normal sized person. namely me. there is no gap dammit!!! i have to wait until bejing for a good stor or two, i hope. or korea. it's so frustrating.

and for now, that is all i have.

keep reading...

hello

so i know that my family gets worried when i don't blog for awhile, but how much bitching can i do about china?

yesterday, we went to a grocery store. i was done and was sitting on a bench right past the checkouts. i was of course minding my own business as everyone and their brother stared at me, the white girl. i had no idea i was so fascinating. i guess i am prettier then i thought. anyway, all the sudden this woman comes running up with a child. she then whips down his pants and stands him on a trashcan not even a foot from me, and let's him pee in the trashcan. i almost threw up. how is it that a 6000 year old culture can't find a damn toilet? or figure out a waste system? or have drinkable running water? or use a kleenex? i am a bit grossed out now, and i hope you are too. welcome to cheenay.

kisses

keep reading...

seasons

thus far in the amazing cheenay, there has only been one season. damn hot! yes, for me that is a season. take the hottest, most humid day you can imagine, add about 15 more degrees, and turn off your a.c. yup, we work in heat like this, in a theatre, where they refuse to turn on the air conditioning. cheap, the chinese are cheap. and a lot of them do not wear deodorant. why don't we all take a moment and reflect on that...



your moment is over. and let's chat for a bit about work ethic. you know in the states it's usually the asian kids who are smart and diligent, and make the good grades, while working 3 jobs. not so much here. the guys who work for us at theatres are super lazy. don't get me wrong, they can lift damn near anything, if you can find them to wake them up.

we're in nanjing. for those of you who know a little basic chinese history, nanjing is also known as nanking. one of the largest massacres in history. 300,000 chinese killed by the invading japanese army. it's sick. look it up on wikipedia. shocking stuff.


on a lighter note, i'd like some mail. cards, letters, photos. whatever. i am just putting that out there.

keep reading....

Cheenay is the new china

chee-nay. oh the chee-nay.

we left hangzhou,(pronounced hang-joe), and now we're in nanjing. we have semi smart locals. yea us! they really don't like listening to women here, so i get to raise my voice a lot. and i may have scared a guy last night into the point of not speaking. oops. i would have felt real bad, but i didn't. the idea of "saving face" here is something i have to try and get used to. if you yell at, or purposefully embarrass some one, that person loses face. i try to control it, but sometimes you just have to throw out the f word to get your point across. (sorry mom, but i am not saying it to you.) and they all understand the f-word. i am just rambling at this point.

but not to worry, i have found the starbucks. life is good.

keep reading

touring

touring is a very lonely business.

don't worry folks, i am okay, but sometimes it gets really hard. i think it is because i am in china, and talking to the lady in the grocery line behind you is impossible. saying hello is damn near impossible. yes, i know how to say hello in chinese, but then the conversation is over. i think i am getting too old for this shit. and it doesn't help when i read the paper from home, and all i really want to do is see my family, or go to a razorback game with my nephew. or even go to wal-mart. ugh.


on another note, i would like to reiterate, squatty potty's suck! and the street cleaning trucks here play music, like an ice cream truck, which i find very odd. and it seems i am incapable of taking pictures. i take my camera with me everywhere, but when it comes to actually getting it out and using it, i just don't. that's weird, isn't it? i am writing as if i am having a conversation, but nobody talks back. okay, off i go to eat chinese food, or as rachel says, food.

keep reading...

a family post

to my family at home

mom, brett, rachel, nancy, jerry, and the man, seth,

i miss you all very much. send me mail. send me pictures. send me anything.
and make sure the man never forgets his crazy aunt!!!!

i love you all, and can't wait to see you,
paige

i have to go to the bathroom

two words you'll never hear in the english language in a normal conversation:

squatty potty

let's all take a moment to reflect.




are we done? good.
a well raised southern lady does not discuss bodily functions. you had better say excuse me if you burp, and god forbid you should pass gas. in china there are no holds barred on any of it. burp where you want, and pretty much anything else. there is a concept here of a squatty potty. unless i am camping i feel there is no need to squat, but in china a lady is expected to do just that. in whatever she has on. a nice dress, jeans, shorts, whatever. and usually there is no toliet paper. so far the disgustingness of it is winning. all public restrooms are this way. hotels have real toliets though, thank the good lord. and the skill of a squatty is something most chinese women master. we, americans, not so much. i am not saying i have a problem, because i have camped a lot, but some of my co-workers are at a complete loss of how to master the skill. now i understand why some urinals are a challenge for men. and why sometimes after an asian person uses the restroom, there are footprints on the seat. i hate the squatty potty. it is an evil invention. and they never flush right. who is in charge over here? and why haven't theymoved into the modern century. i am just sayin'

keep reading...