Revitalising the "activist" in me

A part of my CET experience that I have come to really enjoy has been the planned outings that the CET staff for each program organizes for everyone to attend. You obviously aren't required to attend, but most times the activities are a lot of fun, such as attending an acrobatics performance or a hiking trip along the Great Wall! The events are no charge to you as a student, which is awesome, but what I think is better is that you have a chance to hang out with all of your classmates doing something other than study Chinese for 7+ hours each day. This weekend several of my classmates and I participated in a hiking trip whereupon we and members of the non-profit NGO called 自然之友 Friends of Nature picked up trash at a popular mountain recreational area on the outskirts of Beijing. I think the place was called Fragrant Mountain, and regardless of what exactly it was called, the place was incredibly beautiful, full of pines and deciduous trees everywhere, rocky outcroppings of black stone, thick undergrowth, and rugged steep trails. The hike itself was very challenging, and I didn't bring the best shoes, so I was a bit uncomfortable near the end of our trek. While the difficulty in some places was higher than I cared for, I most enjoyed being able to get away from the hustle and bustle of Beijing. 

Any last words, trash?

After reaching the top we started our trash pick-up, walking comfortably down a wide, paved walking path where I had the opportunity to strike up a conversation with one of the ladies who volunteered with the NGO for a long time. We spoke about how the organization started and what they do. I learned that Friends of Nature was founded several decades ago, and regularly go on excursions to clean up various sites in the Beijing area. I love that this organization exists in Beijing and is so passionate about cleaning up the environment because from what I've seen in my little part of Beijing there is garbage EVERYWHERE! The waste problem in China is not one to sneeze at. One of the first things I noticed when I arrived at CET was nearly everywhere I went I saw wrappers, paper, empty cigarette cartons, plastic bags, and food waste. It really surprised me! I remember learning about pollution in my third year Chinese class, and thinking "Oh, this is a problem. I wish that I could remember this vocabulary so I can pass my test", not thinking that waste was really that big of a deal. You could say I was very naive to the severity of the problem.

Looks pretty, huh? That trail is was deceptively difficult.

As we continued on our clean up route, we passed enough Chinese patrons for me to notice the stares and occasional comment about foreigners cleaning up trash. It could have been a strange sight to some. Honestly, if I saw a group of twenty foreigners in my town walking around with bags, gloves, and grabbers I would be a little surprised too. The attitude toward littering I have been able to observe in China is either: carrying it to a trash receptacle is not worth it, everyone else is doing it, or lack of education of the importance of not littering. There are days when I go out to buy lunch and see someone passing toss an empty cigarette pack on the ground as he passed by and I am suddenly surprised by this. As if I had never seen it before. Thinking about that during the walk made me appreciate what we were doing a little more. It felt satisfying to know that what I was doing would help keep that small part of China trash free. It was a feeling that I haven't had since I stopped actively volunteering during my sophomore year of college.
 

The first thing I thought of was a Bob Ross painting. So pretty!

An aspect of college that is more and more important each year is involvement in some sort of community volunteer activities. In America the race to bolster resumes, scholarship applications and the like starts in college, and ideally lasts through college. As I'm sure every current and former college student can attest to, finding time for volunteering can be challenging, especially when you have to worry about an upcoming lab assignment, midterm test, or essay that you still haven't finished. From 2008 until mid-2012 I actively volunteered as a mentor and community organizer for a local LGBT youth organization in my home city of Boise, Idaho, and I was in love with it! Doing something that you are passionate about and skilled at can be incredibly rewarding. The thrill of networking with cooperating organizations, helping young kids, and working in a team to plan events was such a fulfilling experience for me that I treasure dearly. Despite my love for the work I was doing, I eventually got "activist burnout" after a deeply disillusioning experience with several of my partners. Since then the appeal of "activist" or other volunteer responsibilities had all but evaporated.  



At the end of our cleanup we had amassed over twenty full bags of garbage. When we started I remember thinking about what a girl from my environmental sociology class would have said. "Let's fill every bag before we finish!" she would have said, her passion permeating the group around her. We came across a makeshift dumpster of the side of an intersection where our path met with another. Several food vendors had set up carts, selling their wares, and apparently had made use of the site for their waste disposal. It took a nearly an hour to get it all in bags, which was perfect timing because it began to rain slightly as we made our way down the hill, a full trash bag per person. 

CET and FON doing our part to clean up Beijing.

While home, a soft bed, and the chance to rest our tired feet was most likely on everybody's mind, thinking back on the activity makes me feel proud of the work that we accomplished. While preparing for study abroad it can be easy to not think about the variety of different opportunities you will have; I certainly didn't expect to be reunited with my former love of activist work! I don't know if I'll become as invested as I once was in volunteerism, but this activity definitely got me thinking about what I can do to get involved when I return to my school in the States. I think I will peruse the list of student groups available at UofM, and find one that suits my interests. It'll be nice to get involved again. That's all for this week! Have a good one!


Eric

Getting out of the city briefly put smiles on everyone’s face.