anti-Dryer but pro-Pajamas

It's Tiffany again, I thought I'd share a few observations about the cultural differences between China and America I've noticed over the past few weeks:

It seems to be very common to wear pajamas out in the open at any time of day. It's quite entertaining to see people at any time of day on the subway or walking down the street going about their business in full on PJ attire. You've got to give it to them, at least they're ready for a nap at a moment's notice! Pictures of this to follow.........

Clothes dryers don't seem to be 'the Chinese way'. Even though the city air leaves quite a bit to be desired in terms of cleanliness, Chinese people feel the sun 'sanitizes' clothes. As we are in quite a crowded city and few people have yards or balconies to hang their clothes on, you often have to duck when walking down streets to avoid getting hit in the head with a melange of boxers and bras. I haven't gotten the guts to hang our personal items on our balcony yet, as I have nightmares about my underwear being blown about the city. Needless to say, I think we'll choose the 'less sanitizing' option and dry clothes by hanging them inside our apartment.

Considering the lack of modesty displayed by their laundry habits, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that their bathroom habits are also quite 'open'. But I was still surprised when I walked into the ladies' bathroom today and found an older woman sitting on the toilet with the door wide open. I immediately apologized (for what I'm not quite sure) but she just started talking normally and continued to speak to me while I used the other stall (my door closed of course, hers still wide open even while I was washing my hands). My co-workers told me that this is quite normal with the older generations, as they see no real need for privacy and rarely close the door even in public restrooms.

Other things that seem to be different in normal daily life include a lack of ovens, microwaves, and dishwashers. Apparently, they're not big into reheating food unless it's on the stove!

So that's it for now, Happy Moon Festival and have a great weekend!