I have been enlightened by a couple of things just this week. Today, I learned that there are two different words for eyelids in Mandarin. You can actually have one or two eyelids. Since the almond shape eye is common the eyelid is used as the distinguishing factor rather than the shape of the eye. People say that having two eyelids can make a person more beautiful. I am now paying closer attention to differences in eyelids.
The whole nose topic has to really do with the old adage – you want what you can’t have. I learned that people get cosmetic surgery to make the bridge of the nose more prominent. And more than one person has complimented my nose for its beauty. HA! I think placing my nose and beauty in the same sentence is unheard of. I am always shocked when people say this to me in China. Alas, small people that appreciate a more prominent nose!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Japan: The Side Trip Part 1
Japan: The Side Trip - Part 1
If you happen to be on this side of the world, I recommend you pay a visit to Japan. Yes, there is a wonderful massive country to explore in China, but Japan is will be WELL worth the visit. Save up your pennies, yuan, euro's because you will probably spend it all and then some. The warning was made very clear to me that although Japan is a beautiful unique place, the country is dead expensive. Dead = more expensive than London, Oslo, NYC...I am guessing that is why it can make it to the top of the world's most expensive city every year.
Thanks to my friend Kay, we had a packed itinerary. When I touched down I can already feel a more civilized surrounding. Clean became an understatement when I travelled around. I was trying to look for a word after staying in Tokyo a couple of days and just basically said this: the place is kept so that anyone can pretty much walk barefoot in the city. I know the Japanese like to walk barefoot at home so I am guessing common practice should be try and walk barefoot everywhere.
Back to the itinerary topic. If I can give a piece of advice when visiting Japan, spend at least 2 weeks. I only had 10 days and packed as much as I could in. So here is the notorious checklist:
Kyoto - to get a feel for "old Japan"
Tokyo
Kibuki
Fish Market - fresh off the docks at 5am - Sushi for breakfast?
Roppongi Hills - a good view of Tokyo from the top
Harajuku - to see all of those outlandish teenagers all decked out and grab a crepe
Ginza
Shibuya
Kamakura and the coastline
Hakune - for the natural hot springs and view of Mt. Fuji
Thanks to my Japanese friends, I got a great taste of local cuisine, prayed to many buddhas, and got the scoop on cultural in's and outs. Many people will try to ask how China and Japan are different/similiar. I don't think even a blog can sort the differences out. I will keep my mouth shut on that topic and let you see for yourself!
If you happen to be on this side of the world, I recommend you pay a visit to Japan. Yes, there is a wonderful massive country to explore in China, but Japan is will be WELL worth the visit. Save up your pennies, yuan, euro's because you will probably spend it all and then some. The warning was made very clear to me that although Japan is a beautiful unique place, the country is dead expensive. Dead = more expensive than London, Oslo, NYC...I am guessing that is why it can make it to the top of the world's most expensive city every year.
Thanks to my friend Kay, we had a packed itinerary. When I touched down I can already feel a more civilized surrounding. Clean became an understatement when I travelled around. I was trying to look for a word after staying in Tokyo a couple of days and just basically said this: the place is kept so that anyone can pretty much walk barefoot in the city. I know the Japanese like to walk barefoot at home so I am guessing common practice should be try and walk barefoot everywhere.
Back to the itinerary topic. If I can give a piece of advice when visiting Japan, spend at least 2 weeks. I only had 10 days and packed as much as I could in. So here is the notorious checklist:
Kyoto - to get a feel for "old Japan"
Tokyo
Kibuki
Fish Market - fresh off the docks at 5am - Sushi for breakfast?
Roppongi Hills - a good view of Tokyo from the top
Harajuku - to see all of those outlandish teenagers all decked out and grab a crepe
Ginza
Shibuya
Kamakura and the coastline
Hakune - for the natural hot springs and view of Mt. Fuji
Thanks to my Japanese friends, I got a great taste of local cuisine, prayed to many buddhas, and got the scoop on cultural in's and outs. Many people will try to ask how China and Japan are different/similiar. I don't think even a blog can sort the differences out. I will keep my mouth shut on that topic and let you see for yourself!
Cactuses and China
Back to Writing!
Yes, they can be used in the same sentence here in China. Who would have thought? Basically my office is filled with medium sized catcuses on people's desks and one day mine looked a bit sad. My boss and I got into talking about the poor cactus and she asked me if I knew why it was sitting on my desk. I might have shot her a dumbfounded look because in the back of my head I didn't know what she was getting at. But then she said Chinese actually think that the cactus provides a defense against the computers radiowaves? Oh! Wow, I thought to myself very interesting. It sounds like an old superstition. The physical nature of the plant looks like it can protect anything?! Hmm..that is just a guess.
Yes, they can be used in the same sentence here in China. Who would have thought? Basically my office is filled with medium sized catcuses on people's desks and one day mine looked a bit sad. My boss and I got into talking about the poor cactus and she asked me if I knew why it was sitting on my desk. I might have shot her a dumbfounded look because in the back of my head I didn't know what she was getting at. But then she said Chinese actually think that the cactus provides a defense against the computers radiowaves? Oh! Wow, I thought to myself very interesting. It sounds like an old superstition. The physical nature of the plant looks like it can protect anything?! Hmm..that is just a guess.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Babies, Babies, Babies...
2007 is the Chinese year of the GOLDEN PIG. Those 99.9% of Chinese that follow superstition believe that it is a very lucky year according to the calendar. This basically means that it is time to have a baby and indeed it is time! Approximately 18% of my company is pregnant. In a country that had a strict one child policy for many years and just started to open it to 2 children, there will be a baby boom in 2007..Mark MY Word. I have never seen so many round tummies. And China just started to control the birth rate..hmm.
Laugh of the Day
Emails that can be passed to you while you work for a chinese company:
Good morning Estee,
Could you explain to the meaning of Bull Sh-ting someone, thanks.
Best regards
Bessie Ma
DEPT: TBC-GP
EXT: 6636
Good morning Estee,
Could you explain to the meaning of Bull Sh-ting someone, thanks.
Best regards
Bessie Ma
DEPT: TBC-GP
EXT: 6636
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Organizational Behavior
I was thinking the other day, how on earth can I really express the organizational differences that I am experiencing. To make this as clear as possible, it is important to understand there is one major difference with that in the West: cheap labor.
So here is this long-winded flow chart of where the differences stand. Maybe compare to what you experience in the office and see if these are really differences. Perhaps they are not the same for you:
Cheap labor = more employees --> which in turn decreases the scope of job tasks --> effects the way Chinese think on a strategic, holistic level because of doing only a set amount of taks BUT makes them a very efficient and GREAT at execution --> BUT can't get them to think on a broader level (being creative, expressing ideas, being innovative, etc)
This whole flow chart can explain most of the middle management and entry-level employees. I also found the same experience when working in groups throughout the Shanghai MBA courses. It continues to follow through with the communal vs. individualistic cultural difference. "Power in Numbers?" It is certainly obvious in my organization. It has been 4 weeks and I have already been named some sort of creative wiz?! It doesn't take much people.
Forward Thinking
I think that the multinationals coming into China are slowly changing the way of thinking to a more individualistic way, based on the employee incentive schemes - more western organizational behavior thought processes, etc. This principle combined with the newer generation of Chinese just coming into the marketplace will progress. Most of this new generation were the first to be brought up as single children and are highly competitive.
So here is this long-winded flow chart of where the differences stand. Maybe compare to what you experience in the office and see if these are really differences. Perhaps they are not the same for you:
Cheap labor = more employees --> which in turn decreases the scope of job tasks --> effects the way Chinese think on a strategic, holistic level because of doing only a set amount of taks BUT makes them a very efficient and GREAT at execution --> BUT can't get them to think on a broader level (being creative, expressing ideas, being innovative, etc)
This whole flow chart can explain most of the middle management and entry-level employees. I also found the same experience when working in groups throughout the Shanghai MBA courses. It continues to follow through with the communal vs. individualistic cultural difference. "Power in Numbers?" It is certainly obvious in my organization. It has been 4 weeks and I have already been named some sort of creative wiz?! It doesn't take much people.
Forward Thinking
I think that the multinationals coming into China are slowly changing the way of thinking to a more individualistic way, based on the employee incentive schemes - more western organizational behavior thought processes, etc. This principle combined with the newer generation of Chinese just coming into the marketplace will progress. Most of this new generation were the first to be brought up as single children and are highly competitive.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Company Basketball Tournament
The basketball tournament has begun! The one sport that everyone loves in this vertically challenged country is basketball. Basically all of the mill workers come out to throw down their best basketball moves. If they don't play then they all watch. It's a good excuse to get some sort of a break from the double shift.
So I am on a team with only one guy who speaks English. So now I really get to practic mandarin and body language at the same time. There are some taller players, but they are few and far between. I feel like I am back in junior high school playing recreation b-ball. I rate the level of play a high school level at best. I am not complaining, it really works for me. Men play like boys and funny enough the sound of long nails trying to claw at the ball is a regularity. Yep, many of the men have longer nails than I do.
The only bugbear I have is that females are not athletes in China and I fall into this category that girls can't really play sports...hmm. At least I feel this way..slowly I will prove them somewhat wrong. I mean, girls still sit side saddle on the back of motorbikes/bicycles/you name it...SO we are a long way away from tough and rough sports becoming more of a "ladies game."
So I am on a team with only one guy who speaks English. So now I really get to practic mandarin and body language at the same time. There are some taller players, but they are few and far between. I feel like I am back in junior high school playing recreation b-ball. I rate the level of play a high school level at best. I am not complaining, it really works for me. Men play like boys and funny enough the sound of long nails trying to claw at the ball is a regularity. Yep, many of the men have longer nails than I do.
The only bugbear I have is that females are not athletes in China and I fall into this category that girls can't really play sports...hmm. At least I feel this way..slowly I will prove them somewhat wrong. I mean, girls still sit side saddle on the back of motorbikes/bicycles/you name it...SO we are a long way away from tough and rough sports becoming more of a "ladies game."
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