Articles
articles on china elevator stories
150. “in china, parents don’t want their kids to do any household chores”
My father-in-law shares his viewpoint with me over lunch in Shenzhen.
149. “i’ll only marry if i meet the right guy”
I visit a Chinese friend in Yunnan.
148. “that young guy doesn’t have any manners”
I take a bus in Shenzhen together with my mother-in-law.
147. “make sure to get enough rest and watch cartoons”
I chat with a co-worker in Shenzhen.
146. “i don’t want to keep the baby”
A Chinese friend tells me this in the spring of 2014.
145. “he had to suffer discrimination in north korea”
I chat with my Chinese father-in-law.
144. “pregnant women can’t eat chinese hawthorn”
The owner of a fruit shop in Shenzhen won’t sell me Chinese hawthorn.
143. chinese ghost festival
The ghosts of ancestors are believed to visit their relatives on this day.
142. a not-so-safe drive to the airport
Min takes me to the airport in Kunming.
141. 5 cultural differences connected to water
I find out that people have many different perceptions of water.
140. gender prediction: does carrying a boy make a difference from carrying a girl?
People guess my baby’s sex.
139. getting rid of ghosts
My Chinese husband gives me advice on how I can get rid of ghosts.
138. things my mother-in-law told me not to do during pregnancy
My Chinese in-laws stay with me and my husband in Shenzhen for a few weeks during my first pregnancy.
137. book review: "good chinese wife" by susan blumberg-kason
“Good Chinese Wife” is a story about an American woman who finds herself married to an abusive Chinese man.
136. “has your skin turned darker after becoming pregnant?”
I chat with a co-worker in Shenzhen.
135. express mail boxes
Shenzhen gets new express mail boxes.
134. “why are you going to the 12th floor?”
A little girl starts to chat with me in an elevator in Shenzhen.
133. “you’re going to have a boy!”
A Chinese co-worker in Shenzhen thinks I’m going to give birth to a boy.
132. “i’m afraid my mother will get lost on her way to the market”
My husband worries about his mother, who is new to Shenzhen.
131. dietary suggestions for treating mild anaemia during pregnancy
I receive different dietary suggestions for treating mild anaemia.
130. inviting ghosts into our home
I put my umbrella onto the balcony outside my apartment in Shenzhen to let it dry.
129. my family of five
I pick up pictures at a Kodak store in Shenzhen.
128. “you have to be nice to your mama”
I chat with a co-worker in Shenzhen.
127. “did you know that hungarians are descendants of the chinese?”
A stranger in Shenzhen chats with me about history.
126. 365 days ago, i was really nervous
My husband and I tied the knot one year ago.
125. msg wars at christmas
While I’m in the kitchen looking for the right spices, I find MSG hidden behind other spices.
124. mold, mold, mold
My husband and I find out we have a mold problem.
123. “you should have a baby boy”
A co-worker in Shenzhen wishes me a boy.
122. “i’m thinking of breaking up”
A Chinese woman asks her boyfriend to give her money for her birthday.
121. my experience of being pregnant and living with the in-laws
My in-laws stay with us in Shenzhen during my first pregnancy.
120. “i went to kindergarten for 7 years”
I listen to two co-workers talking.
119. “americans like to fight”
I’m at the hairdressers and talk to the employee washing my hair.
118. “you can take apples right out of these boxes”
Where can you get the freshest apples in a Chinese supermarket?
117. “will your mother come here when you give birth?”
An elderly Chinese woman talks with me about my life in China.
116. 1980 or the year that my in-laws tied the knot
What was dating like for my in-laws?
115. wearing radiation-proof maternity clothes to get a seat on the subway
Radiation-proof maternity clothes are common in China.
114. “my friends are eager to meet you”
Being introduced to people in China is different from what I know from Austria.
113. up to the mountains and down to the countryside – my mother-in-law, the educated youth
July 1975, my mother-in-law is sent to the countryside in what is called the “Up to the mountains and down to the countryside” movement during the Cultural Revolution.
112. “how come your bump is that big?”
A co-worker in Shenzhen asks me this question.
111. “after we’re married, i still want to see her as my girlfriend”
A couple in Qujing tells me about their view on marriage.
110. “in europe, every family owns at least two cars”
One evening in September 2013, I take a motorcycle cab back to my place in Shenzhen and chat with the driver.
109. “oh my god, i’m going to be a father!”
It takes my husband a few weeks to realize he really is becoming a father.
108. men not allowed to enter
One day in mid-November 2013 my husband and I go to a women’s and children’s hospital in Shenzhen.
107. “don’t go on the streets to do something stupid”
A friend of mine receives a call from her Tibetan mother.
106. “it has hit me really hard that he has a girlfriend”
A co-worker in Shenzhen confides in me a story of being unhappily in love.
105. “you shouldn’t eat too many tangyuan when pregnant”
Eating sweet glutinous rice balls is a Lantern Festival tradition.
104. “the hospital is cheating us out of our money”
After getting back the results of the blood works and confirming that I am indeed pregnant, the next time I see the same doctor she sends me to do blood works again.
103. a dragon’s fate
Everytime my husband travels somewhere or takes on an important task, it rains heavily.
102. “sharing the same room”
A doctor in Shenzhen tells me of the three things I have to avoid during pregnancy.
101. “does austria also have birth planning?”
I take a cab to the airport in Shenzhen and chat with the cab driver.