China Girl

china girl

 

Chelsea is getting ready to leave (this Saturday) for China. She will be studying in Suzhou, Jiangsu. Which is near Shanghai.

Since she has been home she has gone to the Chinesse consulate to apply for a visa, has gone to the doctor for a check up, has unpacked her suitcase from studying in San Francisco and gobbled camembert, baguettes, pain au chocolates… yogurt.

 

 I asked her, "What are the ten things you should know about China?" and before she could answer I started my own list, "1. The Great Wall, 2. One Child Policy, 3. Chopsticks and Rice, 4. The most Populated Country in the World…

But before I could rattle off the rest of my top of head list, Chelsea interjected, "I heard that tampons are hard to find, since most Chinese women do not use them."

I didn't see that one coming. Did you?

Of course I went online to see if that was a truth or a myth, and in doing so find out about: One Thousand Year Old Eggs, which has nothing to do with tampons, and I looked up how to write, "Tongue in Cheek Blog" in Chinese: "舌头在脸颊博客". I easily get off the track as you can see.

Tampons are hard to find in China so the internet says.

 

 

china girl filling forms

 

While Chelsea filled out forms for her stay in China, I took to the internet looing up information regarding life in China:

Such as how to say: "Hello my name is Corey. Can you tell me the way to the brocante?"

——–

Teasing aside China will soon start the second half of her great adventure of learning and discovering abroad. Oh that Lucky China Girl!

 



Comments

37 responses to “China Girl”

  1. Haha…look at the comment above. But don’t click on the link. Stupid spam!
    I foresee a trip to China for Corey! I can’t wait to see if you find a brocante there. Happy New Year!!!
    ______________
    Thanks Meredith, I deleted it.

  2. ha-ha, it has been almost 10 years since I live in Hong Kong and I’ve never heard about ‘hard to find tampons’ in China. but HK is not exactly China and there is no problem with that here. so just let me know and I’ll mail them to Chelsea 🙂
    btw, shanghai is a good place to find a lot of antique shops and I mean with real stuff not fake that are a plenty in China .

  3. I have heard of this a few times before from female travellers to China. Toilet paper also. It all depends on where she goes in China…this is a country that has been sealed off from outside influences for many years. Her citizens have known extreme poverty and hardship. It has only been these last few years that Western influences have been allowed. There are vast differences between her various cities and regions. Some are very Westernized, and others are like stepping way, way back into the history books…
    By the way, what is Chelsea studying? I am quite intrigued by her decision to study there.

  4. jend’isère

    French chain of Carrefour is where my English ex-pat friends do much of their shopping in Shanghai. Sometimes a diversion from local markets may be worth the detour.

  5. Well now that’s a practical girl, I had no idea. I’m so excited for Chelsea. It appears she is no longer blonde. I was on a blogging break over Christmas so I may have missed the transformation back. Will you be able to visit her there?

  6. Good luck Chelsea
    Much love and many blessings
    I love Asia as does my Son of course.
    Fabulous travels ahead Corey
    Love you
    Jeanne♥

  7. Shanghai was for me both the most fascinating and the most accessible (as a westerner) of the places I visited in China. I posted about my family’s experiences in shanghai a couple of months ago, here:
    http://athousandmiles-k.blogspot.com/2010/10/shanghai-dreams.html
    Perhaps you and Chelsea might be interested to take a look. I think she will absolutely love this city, and should feel right at home in its elegant French Concession (quarter)! Good wishes to her for a wonderful stay …

  8. My son, Jack, is originally from Jiangsu. He would love to go back someday to try to find his sisters. This is a wonderful opportunity for Chels, my recommendations are, always go off the beaten path, wear skirts-it’s difficult to navigate the “squat” toilets in jeans.
    jackie
    bliss farm antiques

  9. A bright new adventure for a bright girl. Oh lucky China!

  10. We loved Shanghai! An awesome skyline. The one thing that comes to mind is I was not prepared for the icy cold wind! Chelsea can always pick up warm stuff there, the shopping is great. I wish her safe travels on her amazing journey.

  11. Chelsea is going to have such an adventure in China. I was there two years ago. Suzhou is called the Venice of China with wonderful canals and little shops. Such a different culture with very warm people. Tell her to pack some protein bars since as much as you might love Chinese food it is much different there.

  12. Will she be living with a family (of only 1 child) or staying at a university in a dorm with a roommate? Sounds like packing will be “fun”….lol!

  13. Chelsea, safe travels and God bless!!
    Happy New Year!

  14. What a lovely and varied education…lucky, lucky Chelsea.
    Happy New Year to you and your family dear Corey.

  15. An adventure to be sure! I think she will find life is very very different from America (and France too)and will likely appreciate these countries much more after her China experience. I wish her well.

  16. Toni Mason

    Hi Corey, please tell “GodMother” to stay safe and we will be thinking of her!

  17. Brenda L from TN

    What fun!!! Can she take tampons with her? How long is she staying? What is she studing? Where will she stay? A home? School? Hotel? Is she going with other students?
    Please have a safe trip Chelsea and keep your Mother updated (and us in turn).

  18. oh i hope she has a great trip !!!
    oh and re: tampons…i found this:
    Generally speaking, there are tampons in China but only 1 kind, the O.B. made by Johnson, which already exists for more than 10 years in almost all supermarkets here in China without great attention, and other brands in thoses shops for foreigners.
    Read more: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/tgreider/1/1267872067/tpod.html#ixzz1A5USHUGu

  19. How wonderful to see your children embracing the world, and thus to see you in them!

  20. Tampons? Another reason I’m glad I was born male, besides not having to worry about my hair, or what blouse goes with what skirt. Oh, and there’s that high heel thing. I don’t know how women do it.

  21. Tampons are hard to find because the women believe it’ll cause them to lose their hymen, and thus, their virginity. They’re hard to find in Vietnam too. I don’t know about the rest of Asia, but I imagine it’s similar.
    Eating vegetarian might be a little hard for Chelsea. Lots of steamed breads and buns and things like that might be a substitute for baguettes? 😛 Also, she should try and explore Chinese vegetarian cuisine with faux meats that often mimic the real thing but are made from wheat gluten and soy products.
    What an adventure she’ll have! You should visit Corey. I’ve heard Shanghai is known for antiques and silk. And my favorite – xiao long bao, steamed soup dumplings, but that is decidedly not vegetarian.

  22. What a fantastic opportunity for Chelsea. I wish her much success, hope she has time to see the sites, have some fun and keep her mom updated. Wishing her much luck and she ventures out – be safe. And as a mom I can only imagine the emotions you are feeling right about now. Thank goodness for technology!!

  23. You left Chelsea no other choice of romantic, exotic adventures to take… France was already taken! Her daughter will have to go to the moon for her blossoming.

  24. Your post made me think of David Bowie’s China Girl…. Oh,oh,oh, ohoo little china girl. Have a great ime Chelsea.

  25. Rebecca from the pacific NW

    Love all the tips from readers. And this makes me glad that I’m past that stage of life where one must consider tampons. Or “tampoons” as a friend and I called them, referring to their harpoon-like nature.
    Corey, pls answer the questions above (below) because they made me curious too: for example, what’s she studying?

  26. What wonderful adventures Chelsea is having this year. Wish her well and happy travels.

  27. Safe travel chelsea!

  28. My friend is in Shanghai now. She just sent me a smilebox of all the sights and neat shopping areas. She is visiting a family who has a daughter Chelsea’s age. She is about to do an internship in NYC! Maybe they will meet before she embarks on her adventure in New York!
    Good luck, Chelsea. May the force be with you!

  29. tell her to stock up!!!
    what an adventure.. hard as it is when our baby girls spread there wings.. we can sit back and look at what a wonderful young woman that we have helped to create and mould xoxo

  30. Ni Hao Pengyou,
    Number 1 Daughter will enjoy her time in China. We lived there for three years, and our son lives in Shanghai. I don’t think she will have much trouble finding anything. And Corey, if you go, no problem finding Chinese brocante-but especially in Beijing.
    Marjorie in Monterey

  31. Good luck to Chelsea!
    I started studying Chinese and Japanese language more than 20 years ago but never got the chance to go there…
    I’m looking forward to your reports on her journey.
    ((About the tampon thing; maybe she might consider about using those lunette or mooncup thingies? I have no experience with that either, but maybe if o.b. are really hard to puchase there (and maybe considering the environment) it might be worth a thought.))

  32. Hello. I stumbled upon your blog… Love it.
    I have a daughter around Chelsea’s age….
    She’s a sophomore in college and
    will be studying in Paris this summer.
    I was struck by the similarities between
    your blogging and my thoughts…or, of all
    moms and daughters everywhere really.
    I miss her so much, but she is at such
    an exciting stage in her life….
    Best wishes in China Chelsea. It’s a wonderful
    place. I have two young nieces adopted from
    China.

  33. My best wishes to your daughter. I’m sure you will keep us posted about her new adventure!

  34. Corey, I left the link to your post open, and Rob commented on that Chelsea is going to Suzhou. He reminded me that we were to go there when we were in China but we missed our train. It is supposed to be in a series of villages near lakes? Anyway, really pretty. Rob had some cards printed up before our trip with name, place you are staying, etc. with English one side, and Chinese other. We found it helpful.
    I know she will have an amazing experience. ps. don’t take the all night SLOW train.

  35. I learned the tampon thing the hard way, being stuck in China with no help in sight! I had a Chinese guide and she didn’t even know what I meant! I showed her the last one I had and had to motion to her what to do with it and she was horrified. Needless to say, I never found one and they only have giant thick pads from the early 90’s, not even the nice ones you get here. Definitely have her consider the Diva Cup on her travels, she’ll be glad she did.
    Hong Kong is a different story, it has pretty much the same amenities we have here.
    As for eating vegetarian, she should learn to say she’s a buddhist so they don’t look so confused about her not eating meat. I was asked why I was ‘so unlucky’ to not eat meant. Being Vegetarian in China was a nightmare for me. I’m sure the major cities are better than the industrial towns I was in.

  36. I lived in China for two years in Hangzhou, and yes, it was difficult to find tampons. The only tampons available are the OB ones which are like little naked mice. You can only find them at major supermarkets.Otherwise pads can be purchased easily at any street store.
    TP is easy to find, but it is not provided at public places except westernized spots like Starbucks and some McDonalds’.

  37. You could send her a diva cup and she’d never need to buy tampons again 🙂

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