First Day in BJ

Just some random musings while running errands this morning.

• I thought I'd be okay getting around, but at the police station and bank, I was totally lost (and I speak Chinese at home! ) Maybe it was the Beijing accent? I'm hoping it's just the bureaucratic lingo that I didn't understand.

• The cash economy here is kind of frightening. When I was at the bank, this woman ahead of me took out tens of thousands of RMB, perhaps more. At Bank of China (and I think most banks in China), the tellers are seated behind walls of glass, and you speak to them through mics. Everyone else sits in the waiting area with their numbers waiting to be called. Unfortunately, the mics are really loud, so you and every one else can hear what's going on, including the stacks of bills flying through the money-counting machines. After she's done, the woman just gets up and carries it out in zipper-less tote bag!! Apparently, people take out cash to buy cars and even houses! I wonder if the Chinese are nervous about carrying so much cash, or if they just accept it as it is.

• Beijing is a lot cleaner than I remember. Still dusty (I have a feeling I'll be wearing glasses more often than not), but it was sunny today and you can see the sun! The sky isn't exactly cobalt blue, but it could pass for light blue with a grey-ish tint. So much better than five years ago, when you couldn't see more than a few miles on a "clear" sunny day.

• There are crosswalk buttons! Few and far between, but they exist now! So today, instead of jaywalking, I pushed the button, but then there was a police officer who jaywalked in front of me, so I just followed him...haha.