Cultural observations

The blog has been a little self-centered recently, so I wanted to add some recent observations about the people around us.

First, it has been quite interesting to watch people at Happy Valley. The park is a little expensive by Chinese standards, so the subset of the population we see there is not representative of the whole country. We've noticed:

• Some overweight Chinese people. There are very, very few obese Chinese people in general (better diet, more exercise) and Rachel and I are often complimented for "not being fat like other Americans." But at the park, there are some with bigger bellies - surely a sign of the growing affluence in the urban populations. Is this the beginning of the Fattening of China?
• Some tattoos. We see new tattoo parlors cropping up in the neighborhood, but the water park gives us a peek at more and more men who have tattoos. This used to be taboo, so it is interesting to see more using body art as a form of expression.
• Matching swimsuits. It is not uncommon to see couples wearing complementary outfits when they go out on dates, but at the water park we have seen lots of same-sex relationships donning identical swimwear. Maybe it is the ultimate sign of friendship to head to the water park with the same trunks as your best bud....?

Also at the park, it is fun to watch people's reaction to rides. I wonder if many have never been to this type of park before, because many will wait in line for the ride but chicken out at the last second. Some people get strapped into the ride, but have second thoughts and ask to be let off before the ride begins. In the water park, some will climb to the top of the slides, but get scared and go back down the stairs. The best, though, is to watch when the roller coasters return back to the station - it is a good bet to say that every trip will have at least one girl nearly in tears because they got so scared.

In other news, we got together to play Catan tonight and Rachel and I each won a game. Allmen domination! We went to the tailor yesterday, and Rachel is having some clothes made - including a Chinese dress. It will be ready in a week. Also, we received new living room furniture from Ikea. We still have the old stuff here, so it is cluttered right now. But that will soon be gone and I'll post some pictures.

-alan