Culture

How fascinating the differences in culture are. To name just a few:

I used my first squatty potty yesterday. It is a plumbed sink-like vessel in the floor that flushes. Your legs go on either side and you squat. It is the bring-your-own-TP kind. Thanks to a patient of Don's, I collected TP roll ends for months before this trip. Children are customarily clothed in split pants for ease of elimination via squat. We saw it live and in person in Beijing. Walmart had racks of split pants.

Amy didn't go for Cheerios, or the new-age cheerio, the Gerber veggie-puff. They were like ethnic foods and she wasn't familiar with them. It was only because we were trying to fiber-load her, and because I was half-joking, that I fed her a little cabbage with my chop-sticks. She scarfed it right down, and kept reaching and grabbing for more and scarfing, as though it were very familiar. She also ravenously ate this fish-cake type food that looked exactly like snausages.

Did I tell you we can't drink the water in China? You brush your teeth in bottled water. You can only drink bottled water. Boiled water is okay, and hot pots to boil water are supplied in every hotel room. Every bottle of formula we prepare is heated, bottled water and we carry a thermos. We rinse the nipples, etc. in cooled, boiled water. You can't take a swig in the shower. Adds to the challenge!

The cultural differences, the time differences and the whirlwind travel
schedule are what make this both exhausting and spectacular."