Goodbye China! One Week Left!

Remember when it was summer and we hiked the Great Wall? That was cool!

There is something about “going on study abroad” that feels very exciting. You do a ton of prep work, you raise money to pay for it, you say your goodbyes, and it all feels rather surreal. At first everything is a blur of excitement, and it is only after the initial reaction to your new environment that reality comes back into the picture. I don’t know if other people are like this, but when I thought of China I thought of wise old men, courtyards with mulberry trees, and grasshoppers. I always imagined a sprawling land filled with soaring mountains, gushing rivers, and bright blue skies. I pictured people busy with their own lives and streets crowded with bicycles. These are the kinds of things that programs on PBS and the History Channel show you, but like most things on TV, much is not entirely true. China does have blue skies and rolling mountains. The people are busy and there are old wise men, but the image portrayed by the West is really, really skewed.

Oftentimes people will say “China is taking all our jobs!”, “So-and-So moved his company to China!”, or the ubiquitous “Oh you are studying Chinese! Isn’t that really hard?”. What these questions all lack are an understanding that China is more than just the picture of China painted by Western culture. Everything we talk about China is on a macro level, and rarely do conversations get into the life of a person in China. I know that I had this problem prior to coming embarking on study abroad because my daily experience with Chinese people was almost none. I study Chinese language, and I learn about issues in China from my sociology class, but actually living among the Chinese has taught me that there is so much more to learning that what you can get from a classroom. The routines we develop, our mannerism, our stresses aren’t really shown for the world to see very often, so it is hard to really understand a person until you become familiar with their everyday life.

I met my Chinese roommate and thought he was nice. I didn’t know him, and he didn’t know me, but he appeared to be like many other Asian guys I had met. He likes basketball, he is in college studying Finance, and he is usually pretty quiet. Pretty stereotypical Asian guy, right? After getting to know this guy, I’ve found out the struggle he faces in finding work, in living away from his family, and other aspects of becoming an adult. We shared meals, talked about our interests, and overtime I realized that although I saw him as a guy like me, I neither took into account his life experiences, the ties he has to family members and friends, nor had I considered this about the people on the street I see every day. I guess that is what immersion does to you. You begin to experience the little things that make a person or place unique. I was started to finally see Chinese people like that because it struck me that while we speak different languages and have different customs, we are all really the same.

 

This guy right here is awesome! My roommate this semester. I hope I can learn to study as diligently as Weiwen 郑帏文. 

Food can bring people together, but it is the relationships and stories we share that keep us connected. Thanks Wang Tao for the fun cooking class, and everyone for sharing a fun memory!

I came to China to study Chinese language hoping to find out something about what “Chinese life” was like. I thought to uncover some amazing truth that would help me write a senior thesis, and cultivate my cosmopolitan mentality. No doubt, my first impression of China clashed with the world I saw from America. Beijing is a crowded, dirty city. Yes, Beijing is teeming with growing businesses and vibrant culture, yet is also stinky and choked with fog. The traffic sucks, the people are loud, the streets are chaotic, and the food is too oily. My school work is hard, my homework is at times overwhelming, and the beds are not what I’m used to back home. I fought so hard to justify the existence of the China I held in my mind’s eye that I was blind to the real life of these people, until that ideal slowly crumbled away under the stress to reveal a community of families, friends and strangers all living and working in the same space; adapting to a rapidly changing world. You could say I have learned a small bit of what Chinese daily life is like, except like the most important things, it did not happen as I expected it to.

Right now I feel more vulnerable than ever about China. You know that feeling of getting hurt doing something you love that makes you question why you love it in the first place? That is pretty much where I am at now. Coming to China has rocked my foundations, and shaken my aspirations. I know I like China, and am interested in various aspects of it, but exactly what those are and what that means to me in very muddled. I have to go back to America in less than two weeks, right as I am getting a hold of the most basic ideas that make China “China” and it all is very upsetting. It seems unfair to get to this point only to leave. I came with a question, and am leaving with a hundred questions. I can try to find as many opportunities to keep learning as much as I can about what this country, and hopefully discover what it is that makes my curiosity tick.

I learned in my Classical Chinese class that “learning without thought is labor lost, and thought without learning is perilous”. My time in China has been invaluable to me. I have learned so much about this country, myself, and the direction I want to go it. China has managed to dispel my illusions (despite my best effort) and show me a nugget of truth. Good timing too since I plan to graduate in two semesters! I better make the most of what I have gained. Hopefully I won’t lose all the Chinese I worked so hard to learn these past four months. Most importantly, I am not going to forget the people here who have unwittingly put me through the most thorough mental and physical wringing of my life. Hell, I lost over 30 pounds here! As I bid goodbye to my classmates, roommates, teacher, and friends, I am reminded that the world is still a very big place, with lots of avenues left to explore.

We like to party! Smuggler's anyone?

Thanks to everyone who has been reading my posts and sharing my journey. I look forward to seeing my friends back home and continuing to graduation. Made some last friendships, and met some fantastic people. This trip was the realization of a lifelong dream of mine, and I am proud to say that it has been a resounding success! From me to you, much love and best wishes!



Eric Anderson

Goodbye guys!

Really glad to have met Marin! We became good friends here.

Putting my Chinese to the test teaching a lesson at a local middle school. These kids were so great!

PS: I have several posts of Chinese Chinese Food in progress, so I'll be sharing those in the next few days when I get more time to write. Lots of yummy things to share with y'all!

PSS: I took a Chinese painting class this semester and have a wonderful collection of art to show you! That'll be coming up soon as well as the departure episode of 2013: A Beijing Odyssey!