XXL is too small for me

When I left the US, I thought I could lose a couple pounds, but I didn’t think of myself as extremely large. However, after going shopping around here, I have begun to describe myself as “big boned”. It’s a combination of being taller than the average Chinese woman and having a wider frame. As a result, I can’t even fit into their XXL sizes, assuming that the store even carries that size. I’ve seen some very cute shoes here, though there is no point in me trying to find some for myself. Though a few expats have told me where I can find “normal” sizes. Thankfully I can get tailor to make suits and coats to fit me perfectly. Fashion here is very interesting. I’ve seen women in boots, brightly colored leggings, shorts and a winter coat. It’s also not uncommon to see someone walking on the street in pajamas.

It’s also interesting to see how common dogs are wearing clothes. Laura said she saw one in a suit. I’ve seen them in clothes that look like jeans with a shirt and a sweat suit. Carlo heard that they dress up their dogs because their pet is like another child to them, since they can only have one child.

I packed perfectly for my trips to Nepal/Manila/Hong Kong, and I fit it all into one suitcase. I now wish that I packed another suitcase with warm winter clothes. When I was packing, the temperature here was in the 40s. It feels so much colder! I'm not alone in thinking it's cold. One theory I heard is that it’s related to the humidity.

Even though I’m big boned, I’m in good shape here. I probably have actually lost weight. I walk everyday to the metro station and take the stairs instead of the packed escalators. There is no such thing as personal space here. In the metro station, people will stand in line for marked entrance to the train. As soon as the train arrives to the platform, the lines disappear and everyone pushes to get on the train. Pushing is also common behavior. I’ve made the mistake of traveling on the metro during rush hour. People will literally push as hard as they against everyone else to get on an already packed train. They will also push to get out of the train. Imagine twenty people wanting to be first to get off the train and you’re in the middle. Laura mentioned that she had an experience where she was trying to get out of an elevator, but people wouldn't let her off. As a result, she had to go back up in order to get back down. I've learned to be aggressive.