Kitty in China: My Life as an Orphan

I'm all alone again since my mom and Rod left after a very short stay in Xi'an last week. They were only here for three days (after spending a few days in Beijing), so I tried to show them everything that was good and exciting about my life in Xi'an.
The best part of their trip was just spending time with them, since it had been over seven months since our last meeting. We had a lot of interesting conversations about life in China and differences from the West, which gave me a good opportunity to vent about certain things that remain frustrations. The really interesting part for me was the incongruities they noticed that I had long since accepted or forgotten about. Here are a few examples:

The fact that there is no organized system of lines.. anywhere. It's first come, first serve, and even if you are surrounded by a gaggle of old ladies trying to make their way on to the bus, an elbow to the ribs would not be out of place to get yourself to the front.
The lack of heat in most buildings. Unfortunately, my mom and Rod arrived here a few days after March 15, the day the heat was shut off by the central authority in Beijing. This is a country-wide policy and has nothing to do with the actual weather conditions. (In fact, only a few days before the shut-off, I was running the air conditioner along with the heat, because it was so warm outside). During my mom's stay, however, the weather was anything but pleasant. It was cold and rainy, so we were forced to do as the Chinese, that is, wear more clothing.
The excess amounts of food. I got used to this a long time ago, that there is always too much food at banquets and other dinner parties with friends. It's a way to show your generosity and prosperity. My mom and Rod just saw it as a waste.
My favorite thing and something I have been meaning to write about for a long time: crotchless baby pants. Until the age of 4 or 5, children walk around with a huge split in their pants, exposing their bums and nether regions. At any given moment, you may see a child squatting at the side of the road or next to a tree, relieving themselves for someone else to clean up later. Lily, my Chinese friend, also informed me that parents can train their children to pee at the sound of a whistle, sort of a Pavlov's dog thing. I was happy to learn, however, that diapers are used at some occasions when I was sitting next to a mother and child during a two-hour flight.