What to bring to China

I apologize for the lack of posts recently.  However, between cranking out final exams, moving into a beautiful Oxford condominium, and doing a whole lot of nothing in the raging megopolis of Kingwood, Texas, not too much China-related or post-worthy action has really taken place in the past couple of weeks.  I'm leaving for China at 7:25 a.m. this coming Wednesday- that's less than one week away.

Rather than dwell on the perplexities of international travel and culture shock or spend one more second studying Chinese characters, I'd rather devote this post to a topic so familiar to Americans: Shopping!  I sure have conducted many purely American-style shopping trips as of late, stocking up on personal hygiene items, power converters, and every other conceivable necessity that I couldn't go to China without.  Target, Wal-Mart, CVS and T.J.Maxx have all seen their fair share of this particular Ole Miss Chinese major.  As a result, the major occupier of my time this past week has been... drumroll please... packing!  Fitting all of my recent purchases into my beautiful, sturdy Samsonite carry-on has been quite the challenge, but the packing puzzle is coming together nicely. Here's a fuzzy look at my progress so far:

 

Where does it end?
A week's worth of clothing, sacks of granola bars (it helps to bring some packable American snacks to ease the transition to Chinese food three meals a day), three-blade razors, a pocket filled with Clean-and-Clear face wash, shampoos and conditioners, Off (for those pesky Qingdao mosquitos) and toothpaste, a pretty towel, my trusty travel 240-volt hairdryer purchased at the Qingdao Carrefour last summer, and a journal are just the start of it. Movies and books, running shoes and peanut butter, perfume and Q-tips have all found their places.

I've spent so much of my time and energy buying things, wrapping them in plastic, and squeezing them into this suitcase that I've almost lost sight of why I'm bothering to pack for China at all. At first glance, a repeat visitor to the Middle Kingdom ought not to bring anything. Why, you ask? Because everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, from combs and shampoo to suitcases of every "name brand" and size to women's clothing and every flavor of Pringles that probably never crossed your mind is so darn cheap in China. That's why my bag seems pretty small, and why so many times I think of an item to toss in and correct myself: wait, I can just buy this over there.

But there is a noticeable gap between what commonly shows up on American shopping lists and what actually stocks the shelves in Chinese grocery stores.  Herbal essences shampoo, Oreos, hair dryers and peaches are all easy enough to come by.  Going to China is not, by any means, like traveling to sub-Saharan Africa or the middle of the Amazon.  However, certain everyday items we take for granted aren't readily available in most of China.  Over-the-counter medicines like Tylenol, Benedryl and Pepto Bismal, TAMPONS (pads are all over the place, but still...), deodorant in any form, and any dairy products are simply not to be found.  Razors and shaving cream are tough to track down, too. 

Here's one last, loving look back on some of those items I'll surely miss this summer... sighs.

 

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, most blogs and scores of other web sites are all blocked from the average Joe in China, thanks to the Great Fire Wall of China. At first, this knowledge was of great concern to me, especially regarding this blog- but, as it turns out, there are plenty of programs on the Internet that help expats, businesspeople and students like myself stay connected with Western social media. If all goes as planned (crossed fingers), I'll be blogging and facebooking daily throughout the summer.

Instead of taking you to amazing drugstores like the CVS mentioned above, looking for the cure for a cold or a headache might take you to a Chinese pharmacy, a fascinating but rather scary place filled with such lovely remedies as powered ginger root and various kinds of tea. We had the opportunity to visit one of these places in Qingdao last summer- no Tylenol there, for sure.

A sampling of 西药 (xi yao, or Eastern Medicine) at a "drugstore" in San Francisco's Chinatown :

There certainly is a distinctive foreignness, or 异国风味, in so many aspects of Chinese culture and life. However strongly I keep clinging to my hamburgers and private cars, Targets and suburbia, these last two weeks of America have readied me to plunge back into that Chinese-speaking world on the opposite side of the globe. I feel rested and recharged and ready for new adventures and new possibilities.  Here's hoping that more and more pictures and stories and memories will find their way onto this blog in the weeks to come.