When you know, you understand...

Many of us often fail to understand people, situations, environment... and why we fail to understand, many times, it is because we fail to know. Profound?

Shanghai is a vibrant city but to really live here is not quite the same as holidaying here. It takes a lot to live here and so I am full of admiration for those who have survived here. This is not a place for the weak. It takes a lot of acceptance, love, patience and kindness to live in this city. Just like the other day, I was buying things at a huge store, there were many staff standing around chatting away but only one cashier was serving a long Q of customers. Frustrations, blood reaching boiling point but what can I do but to remind myself what the pastor preached on Sunday - "be patient, there is nothing you can do to change their culture." (Close friends will remember, many years ago at Malaysia, at one of the restaurants, yours truly was so impatient with the food, snail crawling out from the kitchen, actually went to the kitchen to bring out the food to serve everyone) Yes, I am such, if I can do to change the situation, I will but... in this case, I can't but to be PATIENT. One mama whom I know, who is always travelling with her husband and kids on his job, she is a true blue, seasoned 'relocated' mum. She said this one thing, "I have been to many countries and have stayed here for the past six years, this is the most trying country to live in."

Remember in my earlier blog, I wrote about how grown ups - adults peeping in public and I found that to be utterly disgusting. I couldn't hold on any longer (I have been afraid that he might feel offended), I decided to ask Mr Zhou as to why the men especially, like to peep in public. He explained to me that these men are not Shanghainese, they are people from other poorer province. To them, getting a job in Shanghai is like finding a pot of gold. Most of these people are truck or bus drivers and they work very hard to earn a living. Back in their village, most of their houses are not fitted with lavatories, they just do it in the open, so to them, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Even if they do have lavatories, there are no flush system, hence no habit of flushing after use.

I now know and I now understand. There is nothing I can do about them but there is something I can do about myself ... be tolerant, be accepting. So, don't be surprised when you next see me and I am no longer type A!
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
Wisdom to know the difference