Arriving from a city of 80,000 people to a city that has a larger population than Canada was a big change for me. The way of life seemed much different to me when I saw the things people ate, their way of life, driving in taxis, and even shopping.
I don’t mind trying to eat things once to experience how they taste. The worse thing I tried so far is pig brains. Just thinking about it makes me ill. I don’t know who keeps ordering it when I go out, but I can’t eat it again. I always look for Western food even if it costs more. When I go out for lunch, I usually go out and try all of the restaurants around my office. We have found a few nice places to eat for a reasonable price.
No one seems to have manners in Chongqing. You have to fight for everything including ordering food, getting in an elevator, and even getting a taxi. No one seems to care what they do, who they bump into, or budge in front of. I will be waiting in line to order food when someone just comes walking up to the counter in front of me and orders when I am at the front of the line. You have to ignore their ignorance and be patient if you plan on being in Chongqing for some time.
If you need to go anywhere and you finally get into a taxi, the driver can understand you if you speak in the right dialect. Even if you learn traditional Mandarin, you still need to speak the local Chongqing language to some people. It just takes time to learn important words. On the road, everyone seems to drive wherever they want. They can pass people on the wrong side of the road, drive the wrong way down one way streets, and create their own lanes when you don’t think it’s possible. When it’s busy, they make three lanes out or a two lane road. I don’t understand why there aren’t many accidents with no rules. I have driven a car in China, but not on a busy road. It seems too dangerous.
When I shop, I have to bargain for the price. You can use different tactics to get the price you want. You can say it’s too expensive and say a much lower price, then say you don’t want the item and pretend to leave. That usually gets them to agree with your price. You can usually find the same item somewhere else, so they know it’s easy to lose your business.
I think I have adapted to this life. It’s been hard to get used to, but now that I can get around by myself, I find this city more interesting to live in than Beijing.
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