June 26, 2016

Friends,

The culture of China is wonderfully unique. Today, I thought I would capture some unique Chinese observations / experiences I have noticed:

1. The coffee in China is Nescafe 3’n 1 packets. You get the cream, the sugar and the coffee grounds all in one. In the larger cities you will begin to see the occasional American coffee shop. The Chinese like their tea, and are not so much into coffee.

2. Traffic etiquette is so different than the US. Honking the horn in America is done out of a near state of rage. Here, honking horns are an emotionless polite exchange that you hear every 30 seconds.

3. The Chinese government has amazing toll roads. They are extremely well kept and smooth. I would put them up against any country.

4. Smoking is hugely popular in China. So many men smoke. I would estimate at least 50%. Not sure why…

5. A small city in China is 2 million or less. Today we arrived in Nanjing, population 14 million. Yesterday we were in Shanghai population 28 million. These cities never seem to end. They are building apartments and high-rises in Eastern China everywhere I look.

6. China has skyscrapers everywhere. What looks like a downtown is often not the actual downtown. The skyscrapers of Shanghai and Nancheng are stunning.

7. The storefronts in Chinese cities are endless and they are amazingly compact.

8. Cars from all over the world are seen in China. American cars fall way behind German cars in popularity. For some reason, Buicks are a popular American model that I am noticing. There are car brands here I have never seen before.

9. The lack of sugar in the Chinese diet is very noticeable. I wonder if that is why there is way less obesity in China?

10. For many Chinese, exposure to the sun is a big concern. They often wear oven mitts on their hands as the ride around in scooters to protect their hands.

In the past several days, I have made significant contact with Christians who are interested in attending Christian schools in the US. We are now in conversations on an App called WeChat. Everyone is on WeChat in China, and

I am enjoying the opportunity to carry on conversations with Chinese people. You can translate your messages easily from English to Mandarin.

Here is a picture of a coffee shop presentation in Nancheng.

Today is Sunday. It is a day to worship the Lord in Nanjing, China. I look forward to this opportunity. Then Monday, tomorrow, we take a bullet train, with cruising speed of 200 mph, back to Beijing. On Tuesday, I fly back to Chicago.

Xiexie,

Wayne