Survivor GuangZhou
I haven't been blogging recently for a couple of reasons, mostly it's because my new experiences are happening faster than my cognitive mind can disect and organize the events.
The second week of work is coming to an end as i struggle to adjust to my new surroundings and the cultural differences. The first thought that comes to mind when i think of this is 'i've made it through the second week'. I would prolly be deluding myself and you to say that things aren't a bed of roses but i'm learning alot. From what i've seen, this Tian Xia which is quipped as a place between Heaven and Hell is alot to closer to Hell.
If you travel by land to China, you will discover that the smell hits you before you even catch a glimpse of the Border. It's a mixture of smoke, purid smell of rubbish that has been left out in the open too long and the faint hint of urine and feaces that probably is residing in some drain.
At the border, survivor China starts rolling as you watch yourself being jostled to the first queue in immigration by the sea if human bodies that surge forward. Then as you try to prevent yourself from being pushed into some funny smelling guy wearing an off-white shirt that looks suspiciously like it hasnt been washed ever, you have to figure out whether this was the right queue and if not, how to get to the right one. Patience is one thing that one just learns naturally when line. You have to switch off if you have enough space as the line snails along, yet once it starts moving your senses has to be alert to quickly mve up to prevent scolding from loud Chinese people or have your place cut.
Then i was stranded without a bus back from SZ to GZ cus they don't take advance booking and so i had to wait for each bus to come in and see if there were any seats after the bus had picked up passengers from other locations. The ticketing girls were fierce and those buying the tickets are HKers or Chinese who were pushy, loud and demanding... for a mousy Singaporean i knew i had to act fast: either i would have to sleep one night at the bus station or just pretend im an aggressive Hker or Chinese who demanded service but topped of my demand with a smile. I manage to get a seat after an hour of waiting and gave myself a pat on the back.
Thats just one of the many incidents that have occured since my arrival...but going back to my afterthoughts i would say i keep human through some great friends who listen to me vent and my guardian angel who makes me laugh. From others, i've heard words of encouragement of 'you'll make it' and 'it will get better' fly my way. Those who believe themselves to be pretty tough would throw in reality checks of 'life's tough' or 'i thought you were better than that' and frankly i would like to say thank you but i don't need anymore cliche words of wisdoms. This is China, this is tough. It is nothing like anything anyone who has only known Singapore all their lives could ever imagine.
When i leave (and trust me anyone who did not grow up in China will leave eventually, even if its to retire) what would i have hoped to achieve or have gained? I honestly do not know. For now my philosophy is to follow a great quote from a good article i read about China being like Everest: One does not conquer, one survives it. | 
