Hmmmm....

I don't have much to complain about in terms of where I live. For all intents and purposes, I've got it pretty good. I live in a gated community of low-rise buildings (six floors max).  I'm on the top floor, in a two bathroom, three bedroom apartment that I share with another girl.  There are no elevators, BUT I now have whistle-worthy legs, as I like to call them.  AND access to a rooftop. Come Chinese New Year, there's no better seat in town for the fireworks display. It's like 360 degrees of non-stop, colourful explosions.  And it lasts 2 weeks.

The grounds are well-kept with lots of manicured trees, grass and flowers, and I am within walking distance of the river, which is a beautiful spot for running, biking or walking.  I live close to a few fruit and vegetable markets, there are a couple of import stores within walking distance, and lots of good restaurants with cheap food!

Not to mention, almost everyone who teaches at the school lives nearby. (what comes before Part B? Part-A!!! ) <---if you don't get it, say it out loud.  Warning: it's a groaner!

Sure, we sometimes have to deal with power outages, water shortages, bugs, and the occasional intrusion to check the water or gas meter and then then a request for immediate (cash) payment.  But it's a place where I feel safe - unless it's Chinese New Year and I'm foolish enough to go out when there are industrial-strength fireworks going off anywhere there's an empty space.  And tons of little kids simply holding these "ticking time bombs" in their hands... 

Seems so wrong to me, and yet ... they're okay with it here.

Pyrotechnics aside, in short, I've got it pretty good and I'm happy. And it doesn't always feel as though I'm in a country that is not my own.

But then every once in a while I get reminded that I'm not in Canada anymore.  And it's usually because something happens, and I can't even begin to understand why.  First, because anyone who is in the know doesn't speak English, and I don't have enough Chinese to ask the all mighty "why?" And second, because this culture is - and to a certain extent always will be - foreign to me. No matter how hard I try, it is very difficult  for me to think like a Chinese person; my view of the world is very much tainted by my own culture.

This was brought home to me in the last couple weeks when I found out that the gates to my complex would no longer be opened by our guards; we would need key cards to get in. And out, too...

It used to be that the guards would stand by a button, see us coming and press the button to let us in or out.  My foreign-looking face was a dead giveaway that I was a "safe" person; I have never been questioned when entering or exiting my own complex, though locals often are.  

Okay, using cards to go into the complex makes sense.  This way, the guards don't have to question people as much. Although, if they're anything like the gate guards in a nearby complex for which I don't have a key card, the guards won't care if one waits around and sneaks in with someone who actually lives there.

But why do we need to use a card to get out, too? That just doesn't seem logical to me. "Nope, you're not supposed to be here without a card so you'll have to ... stay trapped inside ..."  Uh-huh. Makes complete sense...

Actually, you can always sneak out when someone else who has a card comes in or out... again, guards don't question much.

 

We were told this new entry and exit process would start on September 3, which is next Monday.  But then an email went out today telling us that it was actually going to start today. 3 days early. 

I suppose it's a good thing that I asked the school secretary about the key-card acquisition process last week (our landlord didn't give us any), and that we got them the same day.

I suppose it's also a good thing that I grabbed my key card on my way out to run tonight, or I may never have gotten out. Unless another person happened by (which is more likely to happen than I'm letting on).

I just have to say, I pity the poor guards, I really do.  I think for some of them, the highlight of their job was pushing the button to let people in or out and receiving their smiles and quiet "xie xie!" (thank you!).  Tonight, when I ran out to the gate while headed to the river, the guard, as usual, stared at me, but he didn't smile and didn't reach out to press the (no longer existent) button.  He just told me I needed a card.

He seemed so ... sad, with nothing to do.  And I wonder if he was bored.

You know, I have never seen a guard with a book. As far as I can tell, game playing amongst the guards doesn't happen.  So they'll either sit inside and stare at their cellphone or stand next to where the button to open the gate used to be.  

Force of habit? Muscle memory? Hmmm... maybe ....

I'm not sure what the rationale is behind the new procedures.  Maybe it saves the guards from something. But from what?  The energy exerted it takes to salute a tenant and push a button?  Carpel Tunnel Syndrome?  Will it keep them warmer in the winter because they will no longer have to exit their hut for everyone and their dog?

At any rate, there's not much I can do except accept what is being done. And always make sure I have my card with me.

At least the card works through my wallet so I don't need to fish it out all the time.

That's one less thing I need to do.