Karaoke

One of the things I enjoy about Chinese culture is Karaoke (a.k.a. KTV). Imagine walking into a place with 20-30 sound-proof rooms, in which there are U-shaped sofas that seat 15 people and people sing to each other for hours. Alcohol was drained, pistachios were eaten, and eardrums were broken because of my bad voice. On the other hand, the Chinese friends that I've sang with tend to have beautiful voices, probably because their language is tonal and they have tuned-in ears. 

Singing, I have found, is a beautiful form of self-expression. Some people dance, some people paint, and some people sing. And this highlights one of the fascinating things about living abroad in China, which is the opportunity to see how other express themselves. At times, to be honest, it's been frustrating because Chinese are generally more reserved, making it difficult to make meaningful connection with my friends. It takes more time, generally, to get close with my Chinese friends and to get them to open up. Yet, it's proven worthwhile because of the quality of friendships.