unique observations about beijing - part 2

couples shirts
not too long after our arrival, we began to notice the prevalence of couples in the city donning matching-top attire for their days out and about together. after much observation, we've decided that this phenomenon can be separated into two segments – matching shirts and true couples shirts. couples shirts are not only alike in color and scheme, but they tend to include graphics or messages that independently make little sense, but when paired with the shirt of a significant other, breathe life into phrases like "from ocean..." and "...to desert" or "always and..." (on her) "...forever" (on him). the matching shirts, on the other hand, seem to be a slight step down and are best described as two people wearing the same shirt, one in a woman's size and one in a men's size. the most basic version of matching shirt is just a t-shirt, perhaps with the same logo, but we've also witnessed the upscale versions, which are more like his and hers j. crew polos. sean seems to feel that acquiring a set of these for our own wardrobes would be a fabulous way for us to assimilate, whereas I believe they'd be put to better use as a new trend in wedding gifts for our friends (jd & iheart, beware). we'll see who wins out on this one...and I wouldn't bet on sean if I were you. I may not be any sort of fashionista, but I know bad taste when I see it.

underground subway races
as we've shared with many of you, we love the subway system here in Beijing. one of the things that is pretty great about it is the number of transfer stations between all of the lines, which makes it super easy to get many places in the city. the stop closest to our house – yonghegong – is a transfer station for lines 5 and 2. the entrance I use every day is actually for line 5, but I walk underground to get to line 2, which is what I take to work. the most refreshingly hilarious part of every morning for me is when I reach the bottom of the escalator to the line 5 platform and turn the corner to climb the stairs for the line 2 tunnel at the same time that a line 5 train is arriving. you can see behind the plastic barriers that people are smashed up against the glass windows on the train, jockeying for position nearest the seam that separates the sliding doors, and as soon as they open, it's as though a pistol for the start of the 100M dash just went off...men in full business suits with rolling briefcases and women in high heels with monster work bags over their shoulders start throwing elbows as they are sprinting (I don't just mean fast walking with a couple light jog strides here and there...I mean a full scale sprint) out the doors and down the platform to get to the line 2 tunnel stairs. god help those who happen to be unaware of their surroundings when those doors open – nose buried in a book or peering down at their ipods to change the song or sending a quick text to a friend...your ass will get knocked to the ground and there will be no apologies – I've observed it many times already. it's seriously one of the most hilarious things I've ever seen – I watch it every morning and it never fails to make me laugh out loud.

the active 65+ generation
maybe it's because we never paid much attention to this kind of thing in the states, but we are totally awestruck by how active the older generation here is. it's not the "ladies in the neighborhood cul-de-sac with their matching sweatband/lycra/hoodie outfits for a quick morning gossip speed walk session" kind of occasionally active; it's hard to describe, but it's prevalent and consistent and is impossible to ignore. there are "adult" exercise parks – sort of like playgrounds for grown-ups without the merry go round – virtually everywhere (akin to the old huff n puff in Shelton or the meager remains of the pull-up bar and sit up board stations along the lakefront path in Chicago), and they are always full, an almost no one there is without gray hair. the Chinese version of "hackeysack" is not a game for the young – I don't think we've seen anyone under the age of 50 playing it, but there have been substantial groups of people in every park we've visited who are kicking their heels up. the activity has this amazing community aspect and it sometimes feels like these impromptu gatherings of people who just want to be with and around other active people. I've watched women who have to be in their 70s teaching other women how to do lunges, and it's incredibly common to see clusters of older men standing around swinging their arms or slapping their triceps to "get the blood moving." there is always a group people doing stretching exercises on the garden path or pairs playing badminton (without the net) anywhere there is enough space. there's this trio of older gentlemen that I pass almost every morning who all carry canes walking – albeit at barely faster than a snail's pace – up and down our hutong. I don't know why it feels different here or why we continue to be amazed by it – perhaps it's just hard not to notice it when we are living in a country that has such a large population, but regardless, it's a very cool element to the culture. on a slightly-related note from sean: maybe it's just our neighborhood, as we live near a senior center, but I'd say that about 75%-80% of the time I've seen someone with a wheelchair, he/she is pushing it from behind, rather than riding in it. I don't mean to say that this is someone pushing an empty wheelchair; no, this is someone who is clearly pushing his/her own wheelchair.

individually wrapped
when we first started shopping at grocery stores, we were super impressed by the fact that if you wanted a plastic bag, you had to pay for it. if you asked for a "dai zi," the checker would pull a bag off the roll and scan the bar code on it to charge you. we thought this was awesome – an ideal tactic to ensure that people used cloth bags and a great way for a country of 1.6 billion to contribute to the "green" movement. then, we experienced the ridiculous phenomenon of plastic on everything. buy a box of cookies...each cookie inside is wrapped in its own sealed package. buy four apples...they're wrapped in plastic on a styrofoam tray. move in to a furnished apartment and your used TV is wrapped in plastic. suddenly the absence of plastic bags in the grocery store doesn't seem so much a way to support the environment, but a means for offsetting the insane amount of plastic being used everywhere else in the country.