"When in Rome...."

I'm thinking by the time I return to New York in February, I may have assimilated a bit to the China culture and perhaps adopted some new habits, customs, etc. The ones I am considering....

1. Sleeping in meetings: We had a 4-hour training session today with Jane Quelch who runs operations for Saatchi Asia. She commented at the beginning of the meeting that people would likely fall asleep during the session which I thought was a joke. But, more than a few people did. And it's FINE to do that here apparently. I imagine this doesn't happen all the time in all types of meetings, but it is generally accepted that if you are bored in a meeting, you can nod off. REALLY? I think this would be a nice way to hurry meetings along in the States....

2. Sleeping at your desk after lunch: I was warned on my first day not to be surprised if I saw people openly napping at their desks, especially during the 2 hour period taken for lunch. I have seen more than a few people doing this, and you know what, I like it. They don't close their doors or hide in any way - they just sleep openly and have a peaceful siesta in the middle of the day. We could probably all use this once in a while!

3. Elevator etiquette: It doesn't exist here. There are always too few elevators for the throngs of people waiting to get where they need to go. Doors open and EVERYONE rushes in, regardless of the lack of room left inside. It's every man for himself. Also, I've noticed elevator doors close EXTREMELY quickly - like 2 seconds after they open. Again, every man for himself. This 'doors closing quickly' phenomenon would be helpful at Saatchi NY where the doors seem to take an eternity so that everyone (even if they were outside on the sidewalk when I got in the elevator) have a chance to make it in! :) Ha ha. I won't take this custom back to NYC. Finally, I got into the elevator the other night in my apartment and there was an older man inside. When he saw me, he turned and faced the back corner of the elevator!!! I have yet to determine if this is something that is common, but boy was it awkward to ride down 35 floors with the man behind me staring at the wall! For those who have been in China, is this something you have seen before?!

4. Cell phones, wherever and whenever you please: Yesterday in focus groups for Natural White, the young woman who was being interviewed had her phone ring. Instead of quickly and embarrassingly silencing it as might happen in the US, she picked it up and proceeded to have at least a two minute chat with her friend as the moderator looked on and listened to the conversation. I was told this is extremely common, especially with the younger people here - they are connected at all times via whatever form of technology they can access. The very same thing happened in the second focus group we saw. So interesting! I recall one time I talked on my cell phone in my apartment elevator in NYC and got the worst stares you could ever imagine. I love the contrast!!

Halfway through week 2 here in Guangzhou all is going well. I did finally get a full night's sleep last night, so maybe that is improving. I've booked my trip this weekend to Shanghai, so I'm super excited about that, and I'm also counting the days until I meet up with Brian in Tokyo on the 24th!!! C-A-N-N-O-T W-A-I-T. Then, Colette is coming to visit! She's going to meet me in Hong Kong after I get back from Tokyo and hang with me for a week. I couldn't be happier.