At the end of every school year since moving abroad, I have written a final post that summarizes my feelings and emotions at the close of he year. The years in Viterbo were dreamy and idyllic, the year in Rome was difficult due to the fact that working at AOSR was such a challenge. This year's post is less about what I've done and where I traveled but the five things I've come to realize/learn about China in its current state. Let's start off with the serious and end with the more personal.
1. You Never Say to Yourself, "WOW, that was smart"
What do I mean by this? Well, when you go to places in Europe, especially Germany and Scandinavia, there are often times things you see or things that are created (the Velib in Paris is one example, or how bike paths in Copenhagen) that make you go "WOW, that's a really smart and creative solution." That even happens every once in a while in the United States (I can think of the bus tunnel in Seattle or the idea of the "livable cities" movement). But here in China, I've never had that come into my head. It's always....."why can't they simply solve this problem." For instance, in the alley that I take to get to the main road, cars are parked on the sides of the alley making it impossible for cars going in opposite directions to get past each other and everyone is just jammed in and it's just a mess. Why don't they turn it into a one way? But let's take this onto a larger scale. China is a huge country and what it does impacts the world. It has the opportunity to be a leader in so many things. But it continues to simply move ahead with economic growth for the sake of economic growth without thought to the consequences of its actions. They keep constructing these huge towers of apartments but do they think about whether or not there is demand? Will people be buying them? Where will the water come for everyone's showers? China is full of smart people but not thinking about smart solutions.
2. You Rarely (I don't say never) say to yourself, "WOW, that was a kind gesture"
Everyone here is out for themselves. End of story. I rarely have come across people who think about how their actions have on other people. It's the story that you try and teach kids. Look around you, does what you do or want to do, have affect on others around you? It's as if everyone here is trying to grab a piece of the pie and stuffing their faces without thought to how it affects those around them. It comes into play in the smallest of ways. For instance, at the swimming pool, how many times have I been sharing a lane with another person, split down the middle when all of a sudden I bump into someone head on because they were the third who simply got into the lane without informing me or my first lane partner. It is how we go through intersections. There is no rhyme or reason. Everyone out for themselves. Cutting, weaving, swerving and jousting to try and get through. No one works together to make it go smoothly. It comes from the fact that everyone seems to have some ulterior motive. In business, there is no transparency. It is rare when there are personal relationships with the people you do business with. Only a couple of the eating establishments I go to regularly know me and greet me personally. Back in Italy, that was EVERY place I went, I was in a relationship with that person. I am surprised when I have a nice interaction with someone, it's not the norm.
3. "West is Best"
This is a country that is obsessed with things Western. Western brands, western foods. Why is it in the Beijinger (the local expat magazine) or Time Out Beijing (another of the same) they are always telling you where the best new Mexican/Italian/French restaurant is. Why is it always about where the next new opening of a western brand name store will be? Why isn't there an emphasis placed on where the best types of Chinese cuisine are found? Why isn't there a high end brand name Chinese clothing line. I would totally go out to a "Banana Republic" type store if it had Chinese styling. How come I can't find anything like that here. I came to China to experience some Asian/Chinese things, but I am bombarded by things Western. It's like the culture is being eaten alive by the culture of the West. Or this could be the fact that I didn't search hard enough. I do admit this might be the case.
4. "China is NOT Homogenous"
Boy, did that idea get shattered right away when I started speaking Chinese here in Beijing and everyone looked at me funny. The southern accent I speak with was like a foreign language to local Beijingers. China is a huge country and it is full of people of different backgrounds, different language skills and different looks. You look at a map and think that everyone within the political boundaries of China must look Han Chinese. Well, nope. My trip to Xinjiang in the fall opened my eyes wide to the fact that some people are politically Chinese but they are ethnically something not Chinese, but say, Uyghur, Mongolian or some other ethnic minority. This country is not a homogenous behemoth and has the same melting pot issues that places like the United States have as well. China is largely Han, but it's a patchwork of different people and languages and that makes it an even more interesting place to live and travel.
5. "WOW, that dude is HOT"
Back in the United States, I generally wasn't attracted to Asian men. But somehow for some reason, here, in their natural habitat, I've almost had whiplash just checking out the guys. Perhaps it is that there is simply a larger sample size here which gives greater number of good looking men. But it's also that these guys are taking up working out and aren't out trying to prove anything (I'm guilty of that back in the US, where I'm always trying to act more Western and not be who I really am) and so they just seem much more comfortable with themselves. It's been fun to check out the eye candy. And there's been some sampling as well!
