Shopping

Although China is famous for its large population, the Chinese themselves seem to be continuously surprised by the realities of living in a crowded country. Any excursion is guaranteed to include the phrase "Wow! So many people!" I often notice people shaking their heads when confronted with a crowd and then overhear them saying "Ugh - waaaay too many people" or asking no one in particular "How can there be so many people??" Luckily, I am culturally aware enough to nod my head wisely in response, as opposed to launching into my master's thesis on China's population issues and policies.

Why do I bring this all up, you ask? Well, both this weekend and last weekend I went shopping with some friends, bringing me face-to-face with what seemed like a non-negligible fraction of China's 1.3 billion people.



At no point during my shopping experience was I more than an arm's length away from a stranger. While out shopping, Chinese girls like to link arms, or even hold hands, something I had always thought to be a cute way of showing affection. In reality, affection has little to do with it. After about five minutes in the market, I was clinging to my friends for dear life, fearful of being swept away and lost in a maze of small clothing stalls.

Despite the crowds, I was able to make several successful purchases to help ease my transition into the world of Chinese fashion.

- blue plastic backpack. Although my friend encouraged the purchase of a backpack with a classy "Snoopy" design, I politely declined in favor of something a bit more conservative.

- brown boots with pom-poms. These were a steal at only $7. Nevertheless, I noticed when I brought them home that they're not exactly the same height. Oops.

- black "mop" scarf. So named because of its uncanny resemblance to the common household cleaning implement.

- gray skirt with pleather detail and fake pockets

While I admit that I initial harbored some misgivings about how my new outfit would be received, I was overwhelmed by the number of compliments I received when I wore it yesterday. Apparently pom-poms and pleather are in this year.

You heard it here first.