Life in China

What can I say about living in China after almost 9 months? I am not sure. It is so very different, and I quickly found that people simply do not think in the same way as I do. I remember thinking when I was still in America, that if ever a misunderstanding should occur, then I could simply explain it away. What I have found is that it is not always that simple. Sometimes, people believe things, and they will not easily be swayed by an explanation. All people believe certain things about life and human nature, and Chinese people are no different. I am quite sure that my behavior in China is quite puzzling to Chinese people, as their behavior sometimes is for me.

Sorry, the above paragraph may seem a bit like rambling, but it is just something that weighs heavy on my heart, and causes much of the hardships that I face in China.

In many ways, I have a very easy life in China. What makes things difficult is getting involved with the community. This is difficult for me to do sometimes. My Chinese is improving, but the accent that I am learning is best understood by people living in large cities such as Beijing or Shanghai. I have great difficulty understanding the local people. I am conflicted with the understanding that, many times, I am the only foreigner that they see on a daily basis. In some cases, I am the only foreigner they have ever met. Because of this, what I say and do will have a lasting impact upon how they may see foreigners in the future. I understand this responsibility, and try to act generously and kindly. At times, this is difficult because the behavior of the Chinese people can be difficult to tolerate. It is not so much that the behavior is bad, but it is just that it is very repetitive. They ask the same questions, and say the same things. After 80 times of hearing the same thing over and over, it is difficult for me to appear genuinely interested in what they have to say.

The English language has a huge influence on the culture in China. It is interesting to observe how Chinese people have attempted to adapt English into traditional Chinese culture. Often, the result is strange. Sometimes, it is quite funny. There are the signs written in Chinese, with the English translations underneath. The problem is that the translations are not very precise, and in some cases, I cannot understand what is being said. For example 'Keep near, settling the civilization' is intended to mean to keep near the urinal when using them in the restroom. Sometimes, Chinese building will have Chinese writing and also pinyin. Pinyin is the Chinese sounds spelled out using Roman letters. The result is often a really long word that looks, perhaps, something like this; 'baodaoshifeihongdengzailuobingguan' no spaces or capital letters. When I first saw this, it looked quite strange to me.

There is so much to say, but I am too tired. I will write another blog someday. I am not going to make promises or anything. I now know I should not do that. If I do, I may end up not keeping my word. Anyhow, good night.