My Sisterland

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The official countdown has begun, both for me and for China. For China, the Olympics will open in Beijing in 44 days; for me, I will be leaving China and moving back to the United States in 35 days.

The Olympics will open here in Beijing via a spectacular ceremony on a very auspicious date, August 8, 2008, or 8/8/8 at 8:08 PM. Eight is a very lucky number in Chinese culture. Chinese is a monosyllabic language, utilizing four separate tones to indicate differences in meaning between words with the same pronunciation. The word for "eight" in Chinese is "ba", which sounds similar to another Chinese word meaning wealth or prosper. Placing 88 side by side also resembles the Chinese characters for double happiness, which are often used at wedding ceremonies. While eight is lucky, four is unlucky, because the pronunciation for four in Chinese, "si", has the same pronunciation as the word for death, although the tones are different.

I will return to the U.S. on a rather indistinct day, July 30, at 4:05 PM. Luckily for me, I'm not a big believer in Chinese superstition, so the 4:00 departure time isn't a concern. However, I can hardly believe that my departure is just five short weeks away. This semester was a windfall in terms of how much my Chinese has improved. I made friends from all over the world. I've grown attached to my teachers. I've settled into my apartment and, though sometimes lonely, for the most part enjoyed my first experience of living without a roommate.

How can it be time to leave already? It feels as though I only just arrived. People ask me why I chose China, why I wanted to study Chinese, what the fuss is all about. I can't even begin to explain what China means to me. China is where I truly became independent, grew up, and ventured away from the nest and out on my own. China is where I put aside all my insecurities about speaking perfectly and just spoke, learning along the way. China is where each day is a history lesson, each interaction a language lesson, each city its own world. I can't imagine not choosing China, or not speaking Chinese.

And now I can't imagine leaving.

It's true that China and I have had our moments. We haven't always been the best of friends, especially when I first arrived in 2004. China was still a stranger and I was too timid to reach out and embrace her. Our relationship has grown in layers over the past four years and we've become an interconnected pair. China has allowed me to serve as an ambassador for my country, allowing people who otherwise may not have had the opportunity to learn about the United States and American culture to do so. On those rare days when I've fallen down, China helps me back to my feet the next day. I can never stay mad at China for long.

I'm so interested to see how China will change after the Olympics in August. These Games are being touted as the very first Green Games, which sometimes seems terribly ironic to me when I look out my window and can hardly see the high rises across the street through the thick cloud of pollution. Then, on other days, the sky is blue and cloudless and I can marvel at the Chinese technology that allows the government to shoot silver nitrate-filled rockets into the sky, thus controlling the weather.

I recently came across an article that stated the following: "Had the Olympics been held last August, the air quality in Beijing would have been in violation of the World Health Organization standard every single day." That's a pretty bold (and scary!) statement, especially given the fact that I was in Beijing at that time last year. It doesn't surprise me, but is a bit disconcerting when you take into account the number of athletes that will be breathing in copious amounts of that air while they compete. The International Olympics Committee has not ruled out the possibility of delaying certain events if the pollution level is too high on any given day. However, the Chinese government has put several contingency plans into place. During the games, factories will be closed. Cars will be permitted to drive on pre-assigned days depending on whether the license plate ends in an odd or even number. All government vehicles will be off the streets of Beijing throughout the games. All of this is done to ensure the best possible air quality for the 500,000+ athletes, coaches and spectators arriving in August. All we can do is hope for the best.

And I truly do wish the best for China. Despite our differences in opinion regarding such issues as Tibet or Taiwan, we're pretty inseparable. I just know that as I board that 747 bound for the United States, my heart will be breaking. China has become my second home. My sisterland. A place that will always hold a piece of my heart. It's my greatest hope that I can come back someday. I can't imagine how much China will have changed by the time I return; it's amazing to see the difference four short years can make. For now, I still have five weeks left in my beloved China, and I intend to make the most of them. I will be forever indebted to this country, the people, my teachers and the experiences I've had while living abroad. I would not be the same person I am today without them. For that, I will be eternally grateful.

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Comments

[MeiKeLi]

I think you will be back before you know it. So many businesses are in China it's impossible to avoid for long :)