My first trip within China

I just spent 15 minutes searching for my Passport, and located it, so I am off to Shanghai today after work! I'm excited. I'm going to try to post from there - I'm bringing the Mac, so hopefully that works out! TGIF, everyone. Talk to you soon!

From Pizza Hut to "I don't know what"

Today I was part of a day-long session to try figure out how to position a new product for Olay's Natural White line. This is a line of products that helps women have "fairer" or lighter skin. Asian women aspire to a very light skinned look, so these products are some of the most popular products on the market here. I remember thinking this was strange when I first heard of it when I started working on Olay, but I've gotten more used to the idea now. 

During the meeting, we learned about a lot of ways, other than using products, that younger Asian women achieve fair skin with the desired "rosy glow" on their cheeks. Traditional Chinese Medicine says that eating Chinese dates helps promote blood circulation and therefor can help you get a rosy glow. Also, eating black skin chicken (?!!!), donkey skin gel (!!!!!!), and snake soup can help. I actually heard a consumer talk about soup that was "moisturizing." 

After discussing these delicious home remedies for skin, it was time for lunch! The picture (top) above is of the group eating the Pizza Hut pizza & McDonald's that they served for lunch. I have to admit, I was excited. 

But, the more interesting cuisine today came at dinner tonight with Iris, JC, and Sylvia. They took me to a Hot Pot restaurant which is a bit like fondue - you cook a bunch of raw food in a center pot, dip your cooked item in a little sauce, and then eat it. It was a delicious, though somewhat scary: raw fish paste balls, minced raw pork balls, tofu wrapped raw fish, raw beef, raw oysters, mushrooms and some other veggies... It turned out to be a really delicious meal, but I have to admit that eating meals here is often like putting on the brave face that I use in the back of taxi cabs.... I'm always a bit worried this could be "the meal" that makes me sick! 

Off to bed! Goodnight and hope everyone is having a good week and staying warm!!!!!!!

"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.

I need sleep :)

Hi! While things have been going really well over here, one thing that hasn't is sleeping! So, I've just returned home from dinner and instead of writing a blog entry, I just wanted to say hello to everyone and thank you all for emailing me and calling and generally just keeping me in touch with home while I'm so far away. Every little bit has been so great! I'm very thankful! 

So, I'll leave you with a picture of the dinner I had tonight with my co-worker, Iris. We had Indonesian food - spicy, delicious, and reminded me a bit of my favorite restaurant in NYC: "Fatty Crab." 

Hope everyone is doing well - I miss you a lot. I'll likely be heading to Shanghai this weekend, so I'll be excited to share some snapshots from another city with you. 

In the meantime, I'm hoping for more than 4 hours of sleep tonight!!!!!

In a place that is "extraordinary," nothing is every really ordinary!

Today was a slow day - the few things I had on my calendar were cancelled, so the day was pretty much mine to read and catch up on documents that the team has shared with me. It was the first time I have not been running around from meetings to lunch to more meetings to dinner... and it felt strange! I thought to myself... on a day like today, what have I done that is new? What can I share on my blog? And you know what, I came to the thought that even if something feels ordinary here, it is definitely still 'extraordinary'. I'm in CHINA. So, with that in mind, I thought I'd share some aspects of my evening....

1. A trip to the grocery store: There is a massive "Hypermarket" near the office, so I ventured there tonight to pick up some tea and bottled water before going home to cook dinner. What a sight! People everywhere. Masses upon masses of them. Chinese New Year decorations everywhere. Masses upon masses of them. Rows and rows of frozen fish - not covered or packaged, just there for someone to scoop out of the bin and take home. Sensory O-V-E-R-L-O-A-D. I had been thinking of working out tonight, but the stress and anxiousness I felt in that store burned enough calories for one night! (nice excuse, right?) The store sells everything from high end cosmetics to appliances to any grocery item you could ever imagine. New York is crowded, but China takes that concept to a whole new level. 

2. Cab ride home: I've gotten pretty good at this. I act confident getting into the cab, say "Ni hao" to the driver so he knows, at the least, it's not my first day here, and then try not to look worried in the back seat as he zooms through the streets. New York taxi drivers are crazy, but Guangzhou taxi drivers are at least a few notches above that. You can usually find me gripping for dear life in the back seat as he darts across lanes and avoids cars that seem to be coming straight at us. I am usually scanning the horizon trying to locate my building in a sea of tall buildings hoping that we are driving in the right direction. Just as I'm CONVINCED we are not, we pull around the corner and I see that very familiar HSBC outside of the apartment gate and I feel better again! (MOM - please don't get worried. This way of driving just seems to work here - they have their own rules and somehow we get where we're supposed to go.)

3. Laundry: And finally, the fun topic of laundry. Andy (the guy who is in NY taking my place and who normally lives in this apartment) has a maid who comes twice a week, so you don't have to feel bad for me in this department. That said, it is still an interesting experience. We only have a washer here, so I came home tonight to find all of my 'clean' clothes hanging out on the covered balcony blowing in the breeze (I see this outside of nearly all the buildings in the city)..... given that this is a very polluted city, I can't imagine my clothes are still clean. I mean, what - oh - what would happen to us if we hung our clothes outside in NYC? Lord knows our apartments get dusty even with the windows closed, so I can only imagine. So, the clothes have come down to finish drying inside, and I'm just going to be thankful there was a washer! :) 

Finally, I just 'cooked' for the first time tonight (pasta), so I also thought I'd share a picture of the kitchen here. 

So here I am on an 'ordinary' night that has still been quite the adventure. This experience forces me to keep my eyes wide open at all times, and I know one thing for sure, I will so appreciate the comforts and relative 'calm' of NYC when I return! 

Spoiling myself

A few girls in the office told me that their favorite things to do in Guangzhou on the weekends are to get a manicure/pedicure and a Thai-style massage. They insisted I should do this over the weekend and stopped by my office at 5pm on Friday to make sure I had made an appointment. Of course I had - I'm not one to refuse spa treatments. So, today (Sunday), I woke up at 10am and had my nails done at this cute little nail place: cost of a 2 hour manicure/pedicure, about $25. 

Tonight, I ended my day with a Thai-style massage which was incredibly relaxing. I got my own private room with a shower and dinner (!!) and a 90 minute massage for 288 RMB, so $40. Overall, a very positive experience - I will definitely be getting another (or 3) more massages before I leave here. 

After my nail appointment, I met up with my friend Jodi's dad's colleague and his wife for coffee. Jodi's dad does a lot of business in China, so when she told him I was coming, he asked his friends from Guangzhou, Ken & Betty, to meet me to show me a bit of the city. 

Betty, Ken, and I met up at Starbucks in one of the GIANT shopping centers here and chatted for about two hours. It was very cool to hear their experiences living in China, especially since Ken had spent most of his life in Toronto and had also previously worked in advertising. He is currently involved with a factory that produces component parts for machinery in the Guangdong Province (where Guangzhou is), and interestingly, he said they've recently had to lay off 2/3 of their workers. The pace of business has really slowed. He said he is planning to move up to Shanghai after the Chinese New Year to open a restaurant... one that exclusively serves french fries. I could go for that. 

Here are a few pics from our few hours in the mall. One picture is of me trying this "head massage" device that is said to alleviate headaches. Ken & Betty insisted I should try it - they own one and love it. I COULD NOT keep a strait face long enough to enjoy it. 

After that, JC (my co-worker, the head of the Olay group here) and I went to a summer palace/residence on the outskirts of the city. It was a beautiful day, and this was a peaceful way to spend a few hours. I feel like I got to see quite a few different sides of the city this weekend thanks to Ken/Betty, Sarah Yana (yesterday's trip to the markets), and JC. It is so nice to have familiar, friendly faces in a big city like this!

Some photos from my day with Sarah

Just a quick sample. The rest are posted on Shutterfly: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QaNmbZuzcs5m (cut and copy into your browser). I have posted a description for the pictures below in the next post.