Random

Over the past week and a half, and yes I can’t believe I have only been in China for that short of a time, I have realized that I like to document what is happening by what I have done. For example, I feel that the only note worthy things to talk about are actions and places like going to the Bund, walking through back alleys, setting up my classroom, getting lost in the streets, trying to find cereal in the grocery store, etc., but I am realizing that these things are important to remember but it is even more important to note what I am learning. As a teacher, or soon to be teacher, my job is to teach so that my students will be able to apply what I am teaching to the real world. If they memorize a bunch of words but can’t hold a conversation then my teaching has been worthless. This applies to me too, if I can only remember the places I visited but can’t take anything away from the experience then these experiences are merely going to be pictures in my memory without any meaning.

In the short time that I have been here I have realized that it is impossible to know everything. I have been to Mexico and the U.S. and have been able to communicate b/c I know the language so the easiest of tasks were doable, but the same does not apply in China. I know what I need but I have to figure out how to do it. I know that I need to get soy sauce from the market, but knowing what type to get or even if it is soy sauce is a task. I know that I need to get to the Metro stop, but finding the right bus or giving the cab driver instructions is another issue. Through these remedial tasks I am finding that I have to depend on others more than before, and that it is ok to do so. At home it is often difficult for me to admit that I don’t know how to do something or that I need help, but if I don’t ask for help here nothing would get done and I would be lost, figuratively and literally.

Language is a funny thing. For example, today I wanted to order iced coffee and got hot coffee. Since it is hot and humid the thought of drinking hot coffee was not appealing so I had to figure how to tell her. So I pointed to the menu that said “cold” thinking that that would help, but it didn’t. My friend Laura and I sat trying to figure out what to do, till we found where they stored the ice and pointed to it, and she understood. Language is definitely the biggest barrier that I come across but despite this barrier I have learned that there are two things that every culture understands: patience and a smile. I have to be patient knowing that I don’t know Chinese so I will get things that I didn’t want or expect. But even more important, I am grateful for the patience others have with me. The lady that helped me at the coffee shop was able to be patient enough with me to try to figure out what it was that I wanted, many cab drivers have been patient as we try to tell them where we are going in out very broken, mispronounced Chinese. Smiling is also crucial. It is amazing how any smile, no matter who it is from, will make situations more bearable. When dealing with language barriers the best thing is to remain positive and laugh about it. Also, people are a lot more willing to help if you are smiling instead of standing around with an angry look.

Simplicity is sometimes the best things. Two things that I love are sports and eating good food, but in China there is nothing better than the simplest of these two things: running and peanut butter and jelly. I LOVE soccer, but it is not always the most accessible sport. To find enough people and fields (although there is a field at the school) is not always easy, but running requires only my shoes and myself. No matter where I go I will always be able to run. There is nothing better than a good run to relieve stress and to get in shape. Not to mention, running allows me to see things that I normally would not. Driving sometimes makes things fly by too fast so that I can’t really see what is outside, walking is really good, but I find that I only walk in places that have things that I want to see or do or to get me from point A to point B, but running takes me to places I would not normally go and allows me to see things that I would not see. When I am running there really is no specific destination so I am free to go anywhere. Shanghai is basically flat, so is does not matter where I run because I do not have to decide if I want to do a hill run or not because they are all the same. As a result, I can run in different areas, areas I wouldn’t walk to because there is no attraction to see or something to do, which allow me to see sights that I would miss out on. Sure team sports and other activities are great, and I would love to be back on some soccer teams and out on the beach playing volleyball, but the assurance that I can run allows me to accept that I cannot do these things. Now you may be wondering what the heck peanut butter and jelly has to do with anything, but nothing beats the good old PB&J. Don’t get me wrong, the food in china is REALLY good, not to mention cheap, but it gets old and sometimes the oil is a little too much and something basic is the best. What I have been enjoying most are my PB&J sandwiches for lunch. There is something so comforting knowing that it is easy to make and you can’t go wrong. I do love going out to eat with large groups and ordering enough food to feed a small army that spins on a lazy susan in the middle of the table as chopsticks attack the plates, but I also love coming home to my apartment and making a PB&J sandwich almost just as much.

I am realizing that there is so much out there and so much to learn and experience. There is so much more that I can say, but will stop here for now. If you read this far I applaud you because it was a lot of rambling, but at times I can be somewhat contemplative J