Bird walking and other China-isms

So Bernard and I were going to meet up with some friends to go rock-climbing and we had to venture out to China-China. You see, where we live is pretty “English” friendly and urban-chic. There are little pockets of what I like to call China-China where you forget you are in a big city like Shanghai.

So we subway an hour’s way up to Hongkou Football Stadium (which sounds pretty city-esque) and climb up the stairs to a very pretty area. Green grass, cute little stubby trees, seniors doing Tai Chi, and other China-isms – my favourite? The bird walking.

 

Bird-walking?! Yes. So we were walking through this tiny little green park area and we saw some cages on trees so we investigated. Straight up, some adorable old Chinese men were sitting on a bench and just chilling out with their birds. Still puzzled, I walked up to a tree and gazed. 

A man then walked up beside me with his bird in its cage, hung it on a tree, and sat down on the bench. Another man got up from the bench after a solid amount of time, came to a tree, said something in Chinese to his bird, lifted the cage off the tree, and walked away. Bird walking!! Much like people bring their dogs to dog parks and let them run around leash-less, in China, old men bring their birds outside for a little fresh air to chill at the bird park!!! I absolutely love it! Every day I am astounded at the sweet and darling things I see in China. It’s a different life over here, but in sooooo many ways it’s just the same. There are so many simple pleasures. I respect it.

<<Bernard being  like "wtf is this?" 

                                                                                                          ^ Men chilling on the benches                                                                                                  watching their birds.

Another simple pleasure that I do not respect is children doing their business on the ground and the ass-less pants. Yes, they exist. I don’t need to see child ass! I just don’t. Also, breast-feeding is cool, but getting in an argument with a woman who is breastfeeding on the subway and being squirted at with her breast milk… a little much. This didn’t happen to me! I didn’t even see it! My friend told me about it; but you know what? I believe it. Girrrrl, we in China. Where the level of WTF is off the charts. And sometimes (like in the case of the bird park) I just LOVE it.

P.S. I'm a terrible person! I should blog more. Sorry mama! I love you!!!

Yours,

Sarah "isn't it Wunderful?"

<< The bird park :)