Funny New Habits...

• Hometown:  I've never used the word 'hometown' so often.  It's SO COMMON here.
• Avoiding contractions:  Expats naturally stop using contractions when talking to the Chinese.
• "It's okay":  Hao hao hao....everything is okay, always, no matter what....
• Na li?:  If someone pays me a compliment, the polite response is 'Where?' as if I didn't know the compliment were aimed at me.  I like it a lot.
• Shuffling feet: Confident, planted strides are a good way to slip on wet marble and die.
• Blocking/pushing:  Lines? What are those for? Everyone just pushes to where they need to go, like salmon jumping up a fish ladder*
• Passport 24/7:  ID-checking is a common occurrence, so I carry my passport all the time.
• The many uses of packing tape:  Hanging decorations? Broken radiator? Leaky sink? Irritating neighbor?  Packing tape.
• Walking in tandem:  Gal-pals are more physically affectionate here, more demonstrative.  You become really good at walking in sync with one another.
• Lame handshakes:  A firm handshake in China is perceived as brash, commanding, or suggestive.  Some men still have a hard time shaking a woman's hand.  My handshake has adapted to the climate (all things, to all people, right?).  My grasp is currently settled somewhere between "My fingers don't really work" and "Eew, I don't want to touch you."
• We've been told that 'laowai' means 'good old foreigner.'  Rumor has it that 'laowai' could possibly mean 'foreign devil' instead. =D

* The crowds of people always makes me think of salmon because everyone is always bumping into one another.