So my wife and I have moved to China to study Mandarin and enjoy Chinese culture. One thing that we have noticed is that there are hundreds of bikes, literally. So we have been debating on whether or not to buy a bike. Taking taxis here is really cheap but, several taxi rides a day can add up. So this week our friends have let us borrow their bikes. It has been a little bit daunting trying to remember how to ride bike, not on a little suburb street but in a city of about a million people. I rode a bike a little in college so it has only been a few years since I rode a bike but my wife hasn’t ridden a bike in almost 14 yrs. The basics did come back fairly quick, but basic can only get you so far when you are needing to cross a major intersection and there are cars literally coming at you from all directions. Needless to say that we are doing ok and with only one mishap. On the second day we decided to get up somewhat early and ride out to the university and back to get some exercise but to also make sure we were familiar with the roads to get to school if we indeed decide to purchase bikes. The entire way there and back we have no problems, but then we are maybe 100 meters from our apartment and there is an older gentleman (80’s) going very slowly. This particular road had a section off bike like with a fence on one side and about a foot tall curb on the other. So I pass the man with no problems and the next thing i hear is the bell on my wifes bike ring and then a crash. My wife got scared trying to pass a man in his 80’s going really slow, she said, “I just forgot how to use my brakes and decided to jump off and walk around him, but when I did I fell.” Well I am just proud of her for braving the crazy streets of our city. The jury is still out on whether or not to buy bikes, let me know what you think we should do.
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When I think about starbucks and coffee shops in general, I think about open acceptance and people from all walks of life doing life in one place. I know that the church today is trying to be like coffe shops. They desire to be a place were all walks of life come together. But recently I experienced something I never thought I would. I have to go through bouncers to get into the starbucks. They actually were screening people and would not let just anyone in. I know that this measure is due to the World Cup here in Germany. But why is it that circumstances outside the building cause us to screen who can come inside the building. Why must we set up bouncers outside our doors and be selective about the crowd that gathers there.
P.S. This is a picture of my wife with the bouncers outside of Starbucks
