One day in the fall of 2013, I listen to two co-workers talking. One is a guy from Northeast China who’s 24, the other one is a woman in her mid-30s who has a 3-year-old child. She tells us how hard it is to find a place in a kindergarten in Shenzhen. The guy says: […]
Category Archives: Small talk
One day in the summer of 2013, I go to the hairdresser. The guy who washes my hair asks: “Are you from the US?” I: “No, I’m from Europe.” He: “I see. Americans like to fight. They like to go into war with other countries.” Do you think that this is a popular view of […]
I’m at the grocery store. When I’m done with choosing the groceries I want to buy, I find a corner with massage chairs where I can sit down and wait for my husband (he went to another store and is the one carrying the backpack to store our groceries in). After a short while, an […]
In celebration of publishing the 150th blog post on China Elevator Stories today, I’ll take a look at the top 10 posts, posts 101-150: 10. Guest post: “My wife thinks I have a lover” A repair guy talks about his relationship problems with guest poster Marta’s boyfriend. 9. “Are you pregnant?” One of my co-workers asked […]
One day in December 2013 I’m at work. One of my female coworker points at my belly and asks: “How many months are you pregnant?” I: “2.” She (seemingly shocked): “How come your belly is already that big with only 2 months?” I: “That’s because it’s afternoon and I ate a lot today.” On a […]
One evening in September 2013, I take a motorcycle cab back to my place. The driver asks me where I need to go. I tell him the name of the closest bus stop (which is also what I would usually tell cab drivers) and get on the motorcycle. While driving, he asks: “What’s the name […]
I’ve climbed 18 of Tiger Leaping Gorge’s 28 bends when a guy in his 40s with a horse crosses my path. While he walks by, he looks at me and says with a friendly smile: “You’re beautiful.” I’m out of breath and he comes to a halt, asking: “Do you want to ride the horse […]
