Transcribed and Translated: January 2014

1.31.2014

Renting a boyfriend/girlfriend for the Spring Festival

As time got closer to Chinese New Year this year we began asking friends what their plans were for the holiday. As the country pretty much shuts down for 10 days, the tradition is for everyone to go back to their hometown and spend the time with their families and follow the traditions of celebrating the New Year (fireworks, banquet dinner, giving money in red envelopes, etc). However, over the years many of our friends have expressed that they were dreading going home because of the pressure they would receive from their families about not making enough money or not being married yet.

Due to the pressure of getting married, within the last few years the idea of renting a boyfriend/girlfriend to go home for the holiday has become very popular. Below are some articles I've found about this:

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/536610/20140131/rent-boyfriend-1-day-solves-problem-single.htm#.Uusobne1akQ
"Take my daughter!" Parents post pictures and ads of their children to try to find a spouse for their child. I highly recommend watching both videos on the page.

http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2014/01/rent-a-lover-this-spring-festival/
-This guy offers 1 million rmb (roughly $165,000) for a female to escort him for seven days. Special bonus was included if she had a Phd and/or was a virgin. Requirements included holding a bachelor's degree, not weighing more than 50kg (110 lb.) and was cute looking. Over 5,200 girls responded to his post offering their services.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/17/world/asia/chinese-mother-newspaper-ad/
One mom placed a full page ad in the Melbourne newspaper ($2465) in Australia begging her son to come home for the holiday promising she won't pressure him to get married anymore.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-02/08/content_11963739.htm
Defending the practice of renting someone to take home

http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2013/07/chaoji-shengnu-episode-20-rent-a-beau/
Renting a 'loved one' on taobao.com (equivalent to craigslist or ebay in the US)

26 Weeks!

We had our first appointment at the Fu You Hospital in Xiamen. Its the hospital we plan to have our little one in! During the appointment I almost cried just being so thankful to be in such a clean, organized, and well staffed hospital (compared to my experiences in Xining)! The nurses and doctors were so kind and it was so orderly! David and I were very impressed! Its also really reassuring knowing many of my expat friends have also given birth there and have had good experiences.

I had the glucose test and some blood work done. They just called a few hours ago saying all the results came out normal. Very thankful! Our little one and I are both growing and I’m at the weight I’m supposed to be (thanks to all the good food in Xiamen!). Lately, David and I have been learning a lot about hospital procedures, labor, and vaccinations. In China, most women opt for c-sections because its more convenient to schedule them and its what the doctors really encourage (they believe its more predictable even though it takes moms longer recover and the hospital makes more money from a bigger procedure). Also, vaccinations are done differently here so we’ve been having to do a lot of research about how to make the right decision for our little one (slightly different shot schedule along with different types of vaccinations are offered compared to western countries).