Week 5

So, I have a Word document (password protected of course) on my desktop which is entitled ‘stuff for blog’. Basically anything that I find interesting, weird, unusual etc goes into the word document and then I use it to write these posts.

Currently it reads: Sleeping on desks at lunchtime, early lunches/dinner, Daniel Bedingfield, turtle, Internet, Truman show, immaturity, expat shopping, and Heinz Salad Cream.

So I’m not sure any of them would make a full blog post so let’s go through them here one by one instead:

Sleeping on desks at lunchtime – I already mentioned this one on Facebook but I find it totally bizarre. It is perfectly normal to put your head down on your desk at lunchtime and have a little snooze. Considering we’re supposed to work 9-6 but most of the Chinese guys turn up at 10, it seems a little bit excessive to me.  However I quite like it. When I was hungover back in the old days, having a little kip would have sorted me right out. It’s also the position of it that makes me giggle. It is literally ‘I can’t keep my head up any longer.’ Hands down my sides trailing over the chair and head face down flat on the desk in front. For me personally, I’d be worried I’d start snoring or dribbling or talking – especially if you were dreaming about something you shouldn’t be dreaming about…

Early lunches/dinner – this is a weird one. It seems to be that lunch is at 11.30/12 and dinner is at 6 (ie some people have both at work). I’ve had lots of co-workers tell me don’t ever go to a local restaurant late as they will have ran out of food as everyone eats so early.

Daniel Bedingfield – bet you haven’t heard that name in a while?? I just found it funny that someone here has ‘If You’re Not The One’ as their ringtone. As in that whiny, nauseating, annoying hit of his from about 12 years ago (feeling old yet??)

Turtle – not content with having a kitten in the office, someone else has a turtle. It lives in a fridge salad drawer (not in the fridge I might add) under someone’s desk.

Internet – actually that would make a whole post. Let’s leave that one for now.

Truman Show – more of a very strange thing that happened but clearly I thought it noteworthy as I wrote it down. Firstly, there is a digital clock on the metro train I get every day that is stuck on the 14^th June 2014, which was the day I flew out here. Secondly, on Tuesday, I nearly got ran over by an Audi with the numberplate ‘NS’. Do you ever feel like you’re in your own version of the Truman Show?

Immaturity – bit of a mass generalisation but girls here seem very immature (note that I said girls not women). It’s perfectly normal for girls in their late 20’s early 30’s to wear pop socks and jelly sandals with glittery butterflies on them with frilly mini skirts. And if they fall out in the office everyone has to take sides and they will scream (and I mean scream) at each other. It’s like being back at the High School sometimes.

Expat shopping – by this I mean food shopping. There are supermarkets that cater purely for expats, and they are normally located on the bottom floor of expensive shopping centres with names like ‘City Super’ and ‘Ole!’ (with the exclamation point). They’re clean, polite and hugely expensive. On the other side I went to a Carrefour yesterday (like a French Hypermarket) and it was loud, dirty and people all over the place. And assistants just stand in the aisles so every time you walk down one they pull stuff off shelves and try and put them in your basket. That’s quite weird. But the difference in cost is massive, so I’ll be going to the loud dirty place from now on.

And finally Heinz Salad Cream. You can’t get it anywhere!!!!!