Chinese Coworker is Pregnant

After my trip to China, my eyes were opened to a new world, most especially, a new work culture. I am so interested and fascinated now, regarding my Chinese coworkers that I work with daily. They think differently. They act differently, they respond differently. They live in a completely different world.

I don't often ask personal questions of my Chinese team, but sometimes I do. If they have a National holiday, which is not often, I will ask 'What are you doing with your days off?' I often get responses such as 'Oh Liz. China is just mountains, water, and mountains. Sigh. There is nothing here.' Or in regards to the week (plus) they get off for Chinese New Year, they save money the whole year, just to be able to travel home, which can take 2-3 days to even get home, just to turn around and come back. It is nuts.

Regarding Chinese New Year particularly, I had no idea that factory workers leave for CNY, and we don't know if they are coming back. They can come back and reapply for their old job, or they can apply for a new job in another place. Normally, the slightly more educated workers come back, but that is not always a given. At my company's factory I visited, it was nice and clean. The workers are working from 7 or 8am, until about 7 or 8at night. They work Saturdays. They stay in dorms on site. Their lives are work. It is crazy.

I have a merchandiser on my team in China, who specializes in suitcases. She manages a lot of projects for me, and is considered valuable to the team. When I visited in December, she was sick, and had just gotten married - so it was rumored she was pregnant. I just found out on Friday she was pregnant, and this is how our Skype conversation went:

Elizabeth Jones: Ok. Enjoy your weekend :)

Elizabeth Jones: Any special plans?

GP-Tina: i need to go to hospital

Elizabeth Jones: Why?

Elizabeth Jones: Are you ok?

Elizabeth Jones: (You don't have to tell me)

GP-Tina: Haha, good news: Pregnant

GP-Tina: i thought you should already know this

Elizabeth Jones: Oh wow!

Elizabeth Jones: Congrats!

GP-Tina: Thanks

Elizabeth Jones: How far along are you?

GP-Tina: more than 5 months

Elizabeth Jones: Wow! Great. Do you know if it is a boy or a girl?

GP-Tina: i don't know

Elizabeth Jones: Will you find out, or is it too early?

GP-Tina: Hospital couldn't tell every mother the baby is a boy or a girl

Elizabeth Jones: How does it work in China? how much time do you get off work when you have a baby?

GP-Tina: I will leave end of May, or Middle of June

Elizabeth Jones: And wow, no one knows in China if it is a boy or a girl before you have it?

Elizabeth Jones: And when will you be back?

GP-Tina: Maybe will come back next year

Elizabeth Jones: Ok, wow! Are you and your husband excited?

GP-Tina: of course

GP-Tina: heihei

Elizabeth Jones: Great news. Are your families happy?

GP-Tina: Yes, all of them ask me to leave earlier and back to hometown have a rest

GP-Tina: But it seems that that will be too relaxing, maybe will feel that the time is slowly

Elizabeth Jones: I can understand that.

GP-Tina: yes

Elizabeth Jones: Do women in China normally come back to work after they have babies?

GP-Tina: yes

GP-Tina: always

GP-Tina: just 2months rest after baby is born

GP-Tina: then come back to work

Elizabeth Jones: Ok. But you will take more time?

GP-Tina: yes, i want to spare some more time with baby

GP-Tina: It's too far away from my hometown and Shenzhen

GP-Tina: My mother can't spare too much time with baby due to her health

Elizabeth Jones: Ok, so you go home to be with your mom/family?

GP-Tina: yes

GP-Tina: my husband's home is near to my home

GP-Tina: so i can visit my own mother every 2-3days

Elizabeth Jones: Great. We are very happy for you

So it seems amazing that the mother's are seemingly unable to find out the sex of the babies! Of course, my team is sad at the prospect that Tina may not be returning to work after the birth of her baby.

After this conversation, I chatted with Tina (her chosen English name) more. She asked me to send a picture of myself, and I asked why, and she said for memories, so she can show her baby who her friends were.

So very touching.

Danish Dentists

I am very protective of my teeth and how they look - possibly because my dad has worked in the industry for a long time, and I have been fortunate to have some work done :)

It is interesting, that Europeans think Americans are a bit manufactured. And they think all of us have extremely white teeth. And straight teeth - their strategy is that they don't get work done on their teeth unless they have to - sort of, if it's not broke, don't fix it mentality.

While living in Denmark, I have continued to get my regular dental work done when I go back home. Healthcare is free in Denmark, but that does not apply to dental work - and it is fairly expensive.

It was interesting at a lunch at work recently, I overheard people telling the following two stories:

*One woman's dentist used to serve beer in the waiting room, instead of coffee, because he did not like the smell of coffee breath when he was working on his patients

*Another woman's dentist used to give shots of snaps (this is like, 100-proof grain alcohol...yuck!) around Christmas time; apparently they recently stopped because they had elderly people taking 1- to 2 shots, and then driving home, which was not a good combination.

Crazy, the relation of alcohol to daily life!