Ni Howdy!

Book excerpt: Author Desi Downey had never been out of the States and rarely out of the Midwest when her husband's job was transferred to China. Without a clue--and virtually overnight--Downey was thrust into a new and bewildering existence. Ni Howdy is Downey's nitty-gritty, down-to-earth, and hilarious account of how she triumphed over the trials and tribulations of becoming accustomed to daily life in a foreign country. From the horror of her first encounter with the primitive "squatty potty" to the difficulties of grocery shopping, Downey paints a vivid and humorous picture of her experiences. With no-holds-barred candid wit, Downey writes frankly about herself, her fellow expatriates, and the Chinese people, zeroing in on both the differences and similarities of two vastly different cultures. Dispelling all those old stereotypical myths about East vs. West, Ni Howdy brings two incredibly diverse cultures together with laughter and heartwarming anecdotes.