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Published: August 31st 2008
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The first indication that I'd returned to the United States came when I opened my computer to write this blog and realized I would have to type in English. That was over two weeks ago. Each day, I summoned the courage to crack open my Macbook, and timidly tap out a letter or two. The past several days have brought colossal victory as my grasp of the Roman alphabet returned and I realized that the meaning of each word was distinguished by pronunciation only and not accompanied by one of four tones.
Cue victory music.
Everything in the United States is different from China. People drive differently, greet friends differently, decorate their homes differently, even sneeze differently, (although I have to say, I'm not at all adverse to the American method of covering the mouth while snot and mucus explode out of various extremities at 90 miles per hour). Although I've dealt with reverse culture shock thrice in the past, the feeling is somehow magnified this time around. This time, I've returned to the Motherland with the intention of settling down and pouring my hard-earned money into the sluggish economy, just like a good American. The trouble is, I
don't feel like one.
Over the course of the two years I was in China, something inside me shifted-- and it wasn't just the result of a late-night snack of oily Beijing street food. I've become so aware of just how small the globe has become. Globalization isn't a theory anymore, it's a reality. I felt as though I had to choose between my allegiance for the land of my birth with the democratic values I so value and my culture-and-history-steeped second home that welcomed me with open arms. When the May 12 earthquake struck Sichuan province, it was so real to me. I grieved then, and grieve now, for all my Chinese sisters and brothers who perished on that terrible day. The Chinese family with whom I lived in 2005 became my family away from home, and with that intimacy, even strangers on the street ceased to be faceless pedestrians I could ignore. They became real people with their own heartaches, triumphs and joys. China stopped being a country and became a land of people.
As my Chinese improved, so did my relationship with my Chinese friends and family. I felt free to open up to them,
to share my dreams, hopes and fears, and they did the same with me. Thinking objectively about it, it seems surreal to me that my connection to these people in China was built and maintained entirely by speaking Chinese. I'm proud of what I've accomplished for myself, yes, but prouder still of what the people of China have accomplished in thirty short years since Deng Xiaoping's Reform and Opening Movement was instated. China still has massive obstacles to overcome - there is no denying that fact - but the truth is that the people, and government too, have come a long, long way. That was vividly demonstrated by the Opening Ceremony for the Olympics in Beijing on August 8, 2008. While some critics have dismissed the ceremony as being all show and no substance, and small scandals have emerged, such as the substitution of a little lip-synching girl for the real singer deemed not cute enough for international television, I disagree. Yes, the Chinese government spent an extraordinary amount of money, time and manpower to bring the Games and ceremonies together. Yes, some of the tactics employed by Olympics and government officials were less than perfect. However, I see the
Games, and especially the Opening Ceremony, as an enormous gesture of friendship towards the outside world that Chinese leaders kept out for so long. They are ready to be accepted on the international stage, and while it will take time, I sincerely believe that the government does want to work with the international community on its issues of human rights, freedom of the press, freedom of religion and other democratic ideals. It may not happen in the timeline most desired by Western officials, but China has never done anything by the book. It will happen on China's time.
Now that I've been back in the United States for a month, I am focusing on finding a job. I'd ideally prefer to be based in a large metropolitan area, such as New York, San Francisco or Chicago, with good public transportation and a large Chinese community. While I am looking for my first job based in the U.S., the fruits of my labor with another job were revealed via UPS delivery this past week.
While in Beijing doing post-graduate studies of Chinese these past six months, I took on a six-week contracted assignment to edit the English translation of
a book about Chinese legal development. Published in Chinese by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Academic Press, the book was then translated into English by editors at the Academy for publication in the United States and other English-speaking countries by Brill USA, Inc, which is based in Boston.
The task was monumental. The book itself was a 320 page manuscript, and the English translation was quite poor. I found myself constantly referring to the original Chinese in order to understand the English! "Chinglish" is still an enormous problem in Chinese publishing presses and media outlets, which is why native speakers such as myself are brought in to smooth things over before final publication. It was amazing to see my name in print in the acknowledgments section of the book, which will soon be in reference libraries around the world. It read, in part:
"Special thanks and commendation is reserved for Merritt Wilson for revising and editing the initial translation to meet international standards of high-level academic English. Her retranslation of the yearbook is one of the principal reasons these articles are now internationally accessible to readers who cannot read the original Chinese version."
I was unbelievably lucky to receive the assignment, which allowed me to network within the Chinese academic world and gave me great references and additions to my resume. Whenever I am in Beijing, I never know what to expect, and that is one of the greatest things about living in China. Each day is truly an opportunity to grow and expand your horizons. I only wish that everyone would have the chance to live abroad as I have. It was truly the most incredible experience of my young life.
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Thai
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I liked your opening...it made me laugh out loud..haha. I'm sure you'll find YOUR job...it would be silly to pass you up :-).