If you’ve been reading along for the past 2 1/2 years, you know that the number one perk to living abroad, for our family, is the travel. Our trips not only provide a much needed respite from the hectic place China can be, but they also open us up to different cultures, histories and ways of life.
We have made the rounds in Southeast Asia, for sure! In fact, the kids have now visited more countries than they are years old – and we still have a few more to hit! As for Rob and me, well, we have a few more countries to go before our countries traveled reaches our age – if only our age would stop climbing…
On our most recent Spring Break trip – it occurred we now travel like we’re Chinese! There are so many things that we’ve come to expect when we travel, a lot of them because we’re traveling from China – read on for my top 5 ways we travel like we’re Chinese.
5. Four Vacations a Year? Yes Please!
Because the kids attend an international school, they not only get US holidays off from school, but they get Chinese holidays too. So, we not only look at December and Spring Break as big travel windows, but we also look forward to Chinese New Year (Jan/Feb) and Chinese National Holiday (October). We’ve been spoiled with these extra breaks, I’m not sure how we will re-adjust once we’re back in the US!
4. What does that say?
Smart tourist destinations all around Asia cater to Chinese travelers as they increasingly have more disposable income to take overseas vacation . As a result you see more and more signs in Chinese regardless of where you are. This isn’t a big deal – you would expect this. The difference for us, we actually know the difference between the Chinese, Korean and Japanese characters, and to our delight, can even read a few of the Chinese characters. Do you know which language is which?
3. Hmm…I’ll take the rice?
Despite living in China for the past 2 1/2 years, Chinese food isn’t my favorite. We’ve tried all different regional varieties from Cantonese, to Hunan, to Sichuan, it just isn’t my first choice. Lucky for us when we travel, there is usually a Western food option readily available, except for on the plane – there is only Chinese food – and plane-quality Chinese food at that! The funniest thing – after dozing off on many flights, I wake up to find my pickiest eater – Robby – chowing down on the “rice and chicken’ that is inevitably served on every China Southern flight we take! Robby will ALWAYS eat the rice :).
2. Deplaning – Taking your life in your hands
If you’ve traveled to China, you know that lining up is sometimes just a suggestion. Most places indicate a line should be formed, but in many situations, it is deemed acceptable to ignore the line and walk right up to be served. This is most evident once the plane lands; there is no orderly aisle by aisle deplaning, instead, people are rushing to get off the plane, often standing in the aisle before the plane is parked, pushing past folks in the aisle without regard for politeness. The first time I saw this it took me aback, but now, I am ready! Rob or I will stand in the aisle and, to the dismay of folks behind us, block any and all efforts to run over our children. And, if necessary, we push back and say “deng yi xia! (wait a moment) ?!? When we do fly in the US, I usually have to say out loud to myself and to the children that we are in the US now, just to remind myself to reinstate my manners:).
1.No Smoking, No Durian, No Squatting
One of the funniest things that reminds me we are traveling from China are the reminders we get. On our most recent trip to Malaysia, I spotted this sign in the hotel room, and it made me chuckle. Only in places around Southeast Asia is eating durian, a large tropical fruit with a spiky, hard outer shell and distinct, strong smell, as serious an offense as smoking! The reminders never end :).
As a reward for actually reading to the end, checkout some of our pictures from our latest trip to the beautiful Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. It was a magical place!
(Star) Transition 