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Published: September 10th 2007
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Great Wall
Absolutely gorgeous day on the wall As i sit at the desk in my room in my apartment in China, I gaze out the window at the scene 18 stories below me. The children at the bilingual school near my apartment complex are circled around the flagpole as the Chinese national anthem blares from the loudspeakers and the national flag is jerkily raised to the top of the pole by bright-eyed youngsters. The never-ceasing sounds of construction crash through the still-cool morning air as silver-haired women begin their morning exercises and grandchildren watch from strollers parked nearby. Recently, a Chinese flute player has been added to the morning ambiance; the lilting music echoes through the complex and serves as a soothing alarm clock.
This place has become my home. I know the family who runs the store where I buy my bottled water; I see the same 3 elderly men sitting together on a bench at the time I leave for work; I know I can expect all the babies and their mothers out socializing around 6.30 PM each night; the same surly girl who saves her one smile of the day for me because I say "xie xie" sells me imported cheese; everything has become
so familiar. As strange as it sounds, I am feeling nervous about going home. I worry that I won't fit in. Of course, this fear must sound ludicrous; after all, I am an American born and raised. However, as the saying goes, "when in Rome....". Thusly, for all intents and purposes, I have become Chinese. "Chinese? You? With the blonde(ish) hair and green eyes?" you might exclaim. Though I previously eschewed so many of those less than savory Chinese habits, such as spitting in the streets, I have found some have become necessary. For example, when waiting for some scintillating event to occur, I find myself pushing and shoving with the best of them in order to ensure I am able to squeeze in the door. Drop your chopsticks on the floor and require a new set? I can shout "Fu Yuan(er)! (Waiter!)" as loudly and obnoxiously as the guy next to me who's blowing smoke in my face. Thankfully, I have yet to acquire the odd habit of pushing the 'door close' button in an elevator as others are trying to get in, but I have shamelessly done a few snot rockets way back during those frigid winter months.
Great Wall
Mutianyu section With the impending Olympics (333 days and counting), many of these habits are being officially banned or modified by the Chinese government. Cnn.com had a picture of Beijing residents "learning" how to line up to wait for the bus. It sounds ridiculous, but the truth of the matter is that many people here do need to learn these new habits. Officially, smoking is banned in public places such as offices, restaurants and the like but no one pays attention to these ordinances. More than one of my colleagues have taken pictures of restaurant patrons smoking directly under a no smoking sign! With a population of between 15-20 million (depending on how many migrant laborers are in the city for Olympic-related construction projects), policing is a very difficult job. Many of the security guards or other authority figures look like mere boys to me; so skinny that their belts are looped around their tiny waists twice. It will be interesting to see whether these 'uncultured' habits disappear before the Games.
Olympic fever is clearly felt in Beijing. Slogans and promotions are everywhere. The Beijing Olympics mascots, the Friendlies, are splashed across city buses all across the city. These five
Blue sky, Mom and Dad!
I told you it did exist. cuddly creatures, named Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini, are supposed to represent 4 of China's most popular animals: the fish, panda, Tibetan antelope and the swallow, as well as the Olympic flame. (http://en.beijing2008.com/37/03/column211990337.shtml). However keenly the residents of Beijing may be feeling the Olympic spirit, this is not the case in the whole of China. Most of the Chinese population continues to toil in the rice paddies or grow crops, making just enough money to survive. The big cities on the east coast of the country are booming; the villages in the central and western parts of the nation seem frozen in time. It's hard to say whether they will ever catch up with the economic explosion being experienced by their kin to the east. This separation of rural and urban life continues to be one of the big problems China faces for the foreseeable future.
Despite some of these obstacles that China has yet to overcome, I really do love living here. I feel conflicted when I think about returning home. I've finally settled into my life here, my routines, my habits and my job. I've made friends at work and in the neighborhood. I know my
way around the city. The prospect of moving back to the United States for a few months is a bit daunting. It feels like moving to a foreign country in some ways. The life I led there doesn't exist anymore. Aside from the obvious, which is that one of my grandmothers is no longer with us, other aspects of that life have changed as well. I'm no longer afraid of change; without it, we aren't able to learn and grow. That doesn't mean that it is easy, however. Writing about my trepidations, joys, adventures, sorrows, experiences and life here over the past year has been a therapeutic way for me to handle the transition from adolescence to adulthood. It hit me today that I have been living in a foreign country on my own, making my own decisions, handling my own finances and working my first full-time job. It was like a jolt to realize that I have finally become independent. It feels good.
I'd like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the things I'll really miss about China while I'm home for a visit, and also some of the things I definitely won't miss:
More blue sky
I haven't seen puffy clouds like that since I left the States in October, 2006. Clouds here are usually stringy and contain smog. TOP TEN THINGS I WILL MISS ABOUT CHINA
1. Being immersed in Chinese language, culture and history every day
2. The opportunity to climb the Great Wall on my day off
3. Outdoor markets filled with every type of food and product imaginable
4. Elderly people doing Tai Chi in city parks in early morning
5. 10 RMB movie stores (that's just over a dollar!)
6. My friends here, but especially Thai and Seven
7. Being awakened by Chinese flute music outside
8. All of the historic places in Beijing, like the panjiayuan, Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, Summer Palace, etc.
9. My students! (surprisingly enough....)
10. The amazing feeling I get when I think about the fact that I've made a life for myself on the other side of the world from home.
TOP TEN THINGS I DEFINITELY WILL NOT MISS ABOUT CHINA
1. Lack of vegetarian options.....enough with the tofu! Bring on the hummus! Veggie burgers! Anything!!
2. As much as I hate to admit it, being a tree-hugging liberal and all, ....I miss having a car. So convenient!
3. Censoring my speech. As teachers, we are not supposed to discuss "the three T's":
Taiwan, Tibet and Tiananmen (1989).
4. The pollution.
5. Smoking. According to some statistics, over 80% of the population smokes (!).
6. Not being able to drink water directly out of the faucet. The Beijing government maintains that tap water is safe for consumption, but I don't know anyone who has been brave enough to try it.
7. Pushing and shoving whenever an attempt at lining up is required. It's getting better, however.
8. The lack of personal space. People stand much closer to me in China than in the United States, and I'm still not used to it after a year.
9. Hard mattresses. They're supposed to be better for your back, but I disagree. I miss my mattress from home!
10. Being charged 'foreigners' prices'. I bargain hard and get better prices than most of my fellow laowai, but it's just not the same.
As I wrote those lists, I found myself having a more difficult time thinking of things I won't miss about China than things I will. It seems that my next step is clear: return to China. I never imagined that by the time I had attained 23 years of age, I would have
spent 6% of my life living overseas. It can be difficult, frustrating and aggravating at times, but it is also wonderful, fascinating and exciting. I am looking forward to returning to my native country to see family and friends, celebrate important holidays and get my bearings, but I am also anticipating the return to this place that has become my second home.
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Thai
non-member comment
Yes I made the list!! Ok me!!..hahaha. Funny how the things that differences that you've had with China are the same ones that you've grown to love (well at least some of them). But enjoy your time home...you will be sorely missed and can't wait for you to come back :)