Impressions of China

I haven't complained about much in a while and it's time to complain. I'm in China and I have plenty to complain about. Of course, I do enjoy visiting China but there are things that can be improved in any society.

Rules are to be obeyed.

Of course, no one actually obeys any of the rules. My favorite gripes involve people cutting in a line while buying tickets as if the rest of the people don't exist. The whole concept of waiting in a line seems totally foreign. Let's just go up to the front like the line doesn't apply to us.

In the US, a tollbooth involves a tollbooth and a single file of cars. In China, you got the same tollbooth but several lines of cars jockeying for position trying to cut off someone from the other lanes. It's like merging in hell. Those shoulders on the freeway? Use them for passing - it's a waste otherwise.

It's rude to stare.

Unless, of course, you're staring at a foreigner. Some places have more foreigners so you get fewer stares, but go out where there are few foreigners and you'll know what it must be like to be a celebrity as you get everyone looking at you, or rather, blatantly staring at you.