As a foreigner in China, there a few things I have come to learn during my short time here. Aspects to daily living that are distinctly different from life as a foreigner in Korea.
1. You are a celebrity
For many of your students, you are not the first foreigner they have seen. But for every two students who have spoken to someone from abroad, there is one who probably hasn't. Good example, yesterday I had lunch with three freshman girls, and I was the first expat they had ever met in their entire life. Talk about a humbling moment. Today while at the printer store, one of my freshman boys saw me, and came over to say hi. He then asked to take a picture with me. While most of your students are eager to talk despite their shyness and curious, there will always be a few who will try to either sneak a photo of you during class, or even out right ask to take a photo with you. Don't be surprised, they have never seen anyone like you before.
2. You become brave
When you cross the street, the cars do not always obey stop crosswalk lights. If you want to walk across the road, you have to simply start walking between cars, standing in the middle to wait if necessary. You also have to buy fruit and vegetables from street vendors. If you are like me, where you came to the country knowing only how to say hi, then this formerly simple task morphs into a large undertaking that can be terrifying. Wonderfully enough, there are many, many Chinese who want to talk with you, even if you can't speak Chinese, and are willing to help you out as much as they know how to.
3. Your preconceptions break down
Take everything you thought you know or understood about China, hold it in a box in your mind. Got it? Now take that box, and throw it in the trash can. China is nothing like what you think, and every day I find myself surprised by the people, food, culture, friendliness, and willingness to help. A senior student, a girl I had met once randomly while with my coworkers and eaten dinner with, not only helped me to buy train tickets when I went to Beijing, but also physically went with me to the train station. Simply just to help me so I wouldn't get lost. Not that I thought people would be mean, but that is above and beyond what I have experienced anywhere else.
4. You learn to understand
In America, we act. We must do things NOW, at this VERY minute. We hurry, hurry, hurry, and have trouble understanding how other countries can not only be different, but settle for what we see as less than adequate. Yet while talking with students, you began to see the world through their eyes, how familial relationships are of the utmost importance, hard work is a natural part of life, and accepting that China is so large, things progress slowly sometimes. You begin to realize that the pace of life is simply slower, and maybe that's not such a bad thing, despite what we think in America.
5. You are humbled
Unlike in America or even Korea, nothing here has English. Virtually nothing at least. This means, when you want to mail a letter, you have to ask a student to help you. When you are with coworkers who both speak Chinese, you sometimes have to sit while they talk in Chinese to waitress or your Chinese coworkers, asking for translations when it isn't rude to interject. You have to learn to simply laugh when students ask how you get around without knowing the language, trying hard to not feel embarrassed by the truth that it is actually very difficult sometimes. Life here knocks you down a peg, and when you don't know something or can't understand, which may be often in the beginning, you can either suck it up and go along for the ride, or sit proudly in your apartment by yourself.
6. You learn to listen
Students will talk to you, if you wait. I have been honestly shocked at how much they share with me. The reason? You are a foreigner. You are not one of their friends. You are SAFE. Often we find it easy to half listen to each other, muttering "uh-huh" while they speak, scrolling through facebook on our phones. Focusing on what a student really says, proving they are there 100%, will give them the safe feeling they need to begin speaking to you. And wow, when they speak, they SPEAK! I have been shocked by how much some kids have shared with me already honestly, and though I feel unworthy of their trust, and don't usually know what to say, I just remember that more times than not, speaking is not always about being understood, it is about being heard.
I know I'm missing stuff, but that's what I have so far. Life is good here, though overwhelming at times! (In good ways!) I have a break next week, and feel grateful for the chance to rest halfway through my semester so far. When I had my first skype session with my US boss this past Wednesday, he commented that I was the only one really smiling. I acknowledged yes, and stated that the reason was because I had just finished a class only a few hours before. Teaching makes me happy, and I love strolling into a classroom and seeing 30, 40, or 50 kids staring back at me, all smiling, excited, eager, nervous, and anxious for the chance to learn in my class. It is the best feeling in the world. It is amazing, how easy it is to love every single one of your students, even ones you barely know.
Always,
Rita
