Week 24
on Tina's Journal (China), 07/Aug/2009 14:53, 34 days ago
I am now into my 6th Month in China. Where has the time gone? I have learnt and am still learning so much about the Chinese way of life and truly do feel quite privileged to have the opportunity to experience life here. Despite the challenges (there are many on a day to day basis) on a personal level I feel it is all worth it. There are aspects of some people's behaviour here which I find at times annoying. The blatant way'foreigners' are stared at, or laughed at when trying to communicate can seem very rude. Today for example walking down the street I was calledlaowai(foreigner in a derogatory manner) by a young man which was meant to be offensive as my friend Jiang Yun Qin confirmed. To be honest when some people behave like this it has nothing to do with Chinese attitudes generally only some people's attitudes which we might find anywhere in the world. However, for me personally in China it is the first time I have experienced a form of racism directed at me for being'different' to the norm. Generally, most people here have made me feel very welcome and especially the people I have come into contact with through work really will try their best to help. I think sometimes when we have bad experiences in a country that is not our own, we can mistakingly taint the whole nation the same way. We meet nice people and not so nice people wherever we may be in the world. The most frustrating issue for me in China is the lack of free expression. Continual blocking of social networking websites and any website the government feels it should stop because it does not like what it hears or sees is so disheartening. I am still updating this blog through my e-mail account as I cannot access it directly, only through a proxy which is not always reliable. But it runs deeper than this as many people do not express their opinions, especially about anything political, in everyday conversation. From my observations in the state schools teachers do not know how to guide children in free expression. I feel thankful for the education I received as a child and to know I have my own mind with my own ideas which can be expressed. Something so basic and simple I have taken for granted all my life I now appreciate and cherish much more than I ever did before. I just wish that people here were nurtured more to believe in themselves and recognize how important and significant they can be in their own lives. One of the things I love about China is the way groups of people get together in the Squares in the cities to dance or exercise. Walking through the park in Beijing you'll see people doing Tai Qi, or in the park in Kunming a group of ladies dancing elegantly with umbrellas (photo), Century Square in Simao in the evening groups of middle-aged women doing'keep-fit'. I think it's a fun way for people to get together and socialise and puts a bit of'life' into the city. I also love the care freeness you find in people such as the bus driver who decides to stop at the side of the road and buy himself some mushrooms with the passengers on board and the fact that he lets you take all your excess luggageandfind a space for it! I love the way you order food in a restaurant and it's cooked from fresh there and then. Or the many stalls selling and cooking delicious food on the side of the street.I have been told that six months into a placement is the difficult time where you might feel you want to pack it all in, the novelty of being somewhere different is wearing off and you're basically fed up. Well, I can say that yes, some things do annoy me here and perhaps more than when I first arrived BUT I am not ready to leave and look forward to the new term and the challenges that will unfold :-)