Packed in

I have become used to taking the bus. So much so, that I really don't think about the crowds or other quirks of public transportation here in Suzhou. But like my other recent attempts to show you more of a complete picture of our life here, I thought I would show you a fairly normal sight on my morning commute:

While I am not the only foreigner on the bus, you can see that I am definitely in the minority. Today it was raining and so the bus was particularly crowded (some who might normally use a bike or e-bike in nicer weather opt for the bus in the rain). But there is a saying in Chinese that is commonly heard:

中囯人太多了.没办法.

(Zhongguoren tai dou le, Mei banfa. MEANING: The Chinese people are too many. There is no solution.) I think that pretty much sums it up!

Waiting in Line

I am trying to bring you more pictures that capture our everyday life. Here I am standing in line to pick up Tori from school. The school is ahead on the right (though not visible in the picture). When I pick her up, I scan a card on a machine (each family is issued several cards) and that way they know exactly who is at the school at any given time. Another thing that I think is a great idea is that to communicate with the parents, they send text messages (granted they are in Chinese, but it just becomes a way to practice what I am learning). That is often the way that I communicate with the teachers as well. But back to standing in line. . . I tell you, many times, this song runs through my head: "One of things is not like the others, one of these things doesn't belong..."

Morning Communte

Just another morning commute for all of these people (this photo was taken as I was waiting for the bus). . .

Even though there are more and more people driving cars in China, the bike and e-bike are still the most popular ways to get around. Did you know that there are estimated more than 120 million e-bikes used in China? Isn't that crazy?! It is estimated that there are about 200,000 e-bikes used in all of the United States. I have read that between 700,000 and 800,000 e-bikes are used in Beijing alone. This number is hard to gauge because there is no license required to operate them. I have been pondering buying one. But in the meantime, I have been borrowing a friend's while they are back in the U.S.. Can you imagine me (with several kids) on one of these?