Manners Schmaners

People keep on asking how I feel about Chi-land... I mean, hello, I am in a land where I speak almost none of the language (well, if you count being able to point and do some Tarzan-inspired sign language then I'm quite ok). The one thing that I can't help but noticing though...is that people in China have very limited patience..and manners.

No, I'm not complaining. I just find it very interesting. Growing up, my mum will scold me if I forgot to say thank you or using harsh tone toward people. Here? Everyone is pretty much shoving, spitting or yelling at each other. Scared the life out of me. My first thought is that living condition shapes people's culture. Having heard so much about how bad it was in China during their closed economy period, I assume that most people who do all the no-manners thing are, well, less fortunate. They become rough and "pushy" in relation of survival.

I was wrong.

As I stayed here longer, I noticed that people who does all-of-the-above are (mostly) quite wealthy. I see the exact behaviour in high-end shops (they have great shopping centre here by the way) as well as the fish markets. Now this makes my head spins. These people are educated but they have no comprehension of personal space and respect.

Then it hits me. This "wealth" and economy growth happens just in the past 10 years. The call it the big leap. So now people in China have money, but they still act like they don't. They're instinct are still in survival mode even though their quality of life have improved and is sustainable. It's really interesting (and sad) to watch. I remembered how Chinese immigrant have truckloads of stereotypes just because of this. They are good people, they just haven't learn to switch their "survival-of-the-fittest" panic mode off.

So what do I do? Every time I queue I will make sure that I kindly remind people not to cut lines. I will be generous, and I will not be tired to show them kindness. I resolve to not shove people when they body-blocked me to get in the lifts (unfortunately, I might have a few occasions where I slipped... Especially when I was tired and/or PMS-ing). Sure, I've got a few stares and sometimes people are pointing and laughing. Yes, it is tiring and frustrating to feel as if we are a weird circus animals. But today in was queuing to discharge Andrew from hospital, and I asked politely for people behind me -who was pretty much breathing on my neck- to stay behind the yellow line. And when it was his turn I saw him telling the people behind him to do the same.

That makes me smile :)