1) Don’t drink the water.
Even the locals do not drink it without boiling it. As someone who loves tap water back home, this is rather irksome to me. But upon some evaluation, I can see why it does not bother the Chinese to have to boil their water. Tea. They love tea, and drink it all the time. Not iced tea, boiling hot tea. So, they would be boiling the water for the tea anyway, so no time wasted for them! To make it easier for us crazy cold-water drinkers, though, most places have water coolers. “But you have to pay for that water! Water should be free!” you might say. Yes, I agree, but when one 18.9 Liter container of water costs the equivalent of $1.50, it is not too bad…
2) Don’t walk outside barefoot.
This one makes me sad, as I love being barefoot. However, even for my love of the ground beneath my feet, I won’t walk around outside barefoot. People do.. nasty things.. in the streets here…The least indecent being constantly spitting and leave trash everywhere. I’ll let you use your imagination for other things.
Now, here is where it gets interesting. Shoes are also seen as very dirty things. Kids don’t like sitting on the floors of the classrooms inside. And I’m pretty sure they probably wear shoes around their own houses. You see, here they have the mentality that the ground is dirty and nasty, so who cares if we make it dirtier- as long as we don’t have to touch it. In the West, we have taken the whole if you keep it clean in the first place, then you don’t have to be scared of the dirt outside. Well, some of us…
3) Don’t leave your bike unlocked.
It will be gone the next day most likely. New, shiny bike? It’ll be gone. Covered in rust, wheels will barely move? Probably be gone too. Locks don’t even mean that it is safe- they can be cut off! My bike was a decently priced, basic, new one (about $50). Knock on wood, it has made it 1 month without any issues.. going for 12!
Even the locals do not drink it without boiling it. As someone who loves tap water back home, this is rather irksome to me. But upon some evaluation, I can see why it does not bother the Chinese to have to boil their water. Tea. They love tea, and drink it all the time. Not iced tea, boiling hot tea. So, they would be boiling the water for the tea anyway, so no time wasted for them! To make it easier for us crazy cold-water drinkers, though, most places have water coolers. “But you have to pay for that water! Water should be free!” you might say. Yes, I agree, but when one 18.9 Liter container of water costs the equivalent of $1.50, it is not too bad…
2) Don’t walk outside barefoot.
This one makes me sad, as I love being barefoot. However, even for my love of the ground beneath my feet, I won’t walk around outside barefoot. People do.. nasty things.. in the streets here…The least indecent being constantly spitting and leave trash everywhere. I’ll let you use your imagination for other things.
Now, here is where it gets interesting. Shoes are also seen as very dirty things. Kids don’t like sitting on the floors of the classrooms inside. And I’m pretty sure they probably wear shoes around their own houses. You see, here they have the mentality that the ground is dirty and nasty, so who cares if we make it dirtier- as long as we don’t have to touch it. In the West, we have taken the whole if you keep it clean in the first place, then you don’t have to be scared of the dirt outside. Well, some of us…
3) Don’t leave your bike unlocked.
It will be gone the next day most likely. New, shiny bike? It’ll be gone. Covered in rust, wheels will barely move? Probably be gone too. Locks don’t even mean that it is safe- they can be cut off! My bike was a decently priced, basic, new one (about $50). Knock on wood, it has made it 1 month without any issues.. going for 12!
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