The last week has been the first time in China I can say things have started to feel routine for me. I am aware that this is a big step in my experience here; however, in so many ways I am struck by the many wonderful surprises I have experienced since my last blog so as to make my experiences completely stand alone in China. I had an awesome weekend catching up with the foreign teachers in Beibei. Finishing the Brothers Karamazov has also allowed me some interesting reflection. I also experienced watching my first Tai-Chi class in Rongchang. Along one of my late night walks I was met with multiple questions that I could not have prepared for answering beforehand in Chinese. Further, my iPod finally perished, and I was allowed for the first time on my runs here in China to experience a whole new wealth of stimuli. This has really elevated the level of my perception and observation to an all time high here in China which is quite interesting for me. It seems that adding new stimulus into the mind always piques the brain’s interest level.
First of all, the trip last weekend to Beibei really captivated my excitement from its inception. I had not been to Beibei since I arrived in late February, and I was interested in seeing how the campus looked now a few months later. I was fortunate enough to have packed my running gear so as to be able to take a couple early morning jaunts around campus. The foreign teacher’s apartments where nearby so it was not be a great distance to travel.
Meeting and talking with the other foreign teachers was fun as well. Most of the group is moving on next year to other jobs. Two plan on teaching a third year in China but at a different institution; whereas, many of the recent college graduates from CSBSJU are thinking of teaching of going back to America to find a job.
The end of Dostoevsky’s novel summoned a great interest in me for reflection. For the past week I spent multiple hours each day reading this novel. I was struck by the three different levels of the story. In the first level you have the ebb and flow of a classic epic drama. The second level encapsulates the dramatic psychological analysis of people, decision making, and interactions between one another. The third level is the most interesting piece for me though due to the over arching societal implications it has. Dostoevsky’s analysis of differing major schools of thought at the time in the world (mostly European) dictated flawlessly into prose is a true work of art. His character analysis of existentialism, realism, religion, atheism, socialism, etc illuminates the reader to the scholarship of the time. The ending was a little sad for me knowing that he never was able to write a sequel to the novel. I spent some time researching him personally, existentialism, and other ideas due to his works which help to illuminate more ideas as well for me.
Watching my first Tai-Chi class was truly riveting for me. During one of my late night walks I saw on top of what looked to be a large balcony alongside the river several people beginning a weekly Tai-Chi class exercise. Having never before watched an entire Tai-Chi performance I decided that I was going to take a break from my walk and watch. I was struck by the beauty, balance, power, flexibility, and agility of the athletes. Overall, the performer’s almost perfect synchronization to the music was inspiring of awe. I also enjoyed the different pieces of equipment which were utilized by the performers during their exercise. Swords and fans were added to the performance which added to my awe and the beauty of it.
Unknowingly, along this same walk I was about to be ambushed with questions from well wishing Chinese. I guess my evening was doomed to distraction, or as I like to think was fortunate enough to experience the many diversions of living in a foreign country. I greatly enjoyed my ambushing and would have had it no other way. To this effect, I 90% of the time embrace diversions of any sort in China. I find that the variability of such diversions makes them all the more interesting, challenging, and worth-while.
Upon reaching my destination I began to reflect things on my two different journals. As I was just finishing my thoughts on my time on The Brothers Karamazov I noticed that a Chinese man was standing no more than two feet from me intently staring at my writing. I have become accustomed to this and usually take no notice of it anymore. However, five minutes later the same man was back again looking as if he was quite interested in talking with me. By this point my Chinese is getting better but nowhere functional enough to say very much. I can tell people what I do, where I’m from, how tall I am, how old I am, what I teach, and after that it gets kind of dicey so to speak.
On this occasion I was thrown a wild card in the form of an unlikely translator. A woman in her mid forties came up and started talking in pretty good English to me. I was quite taken aback and realized that I had experienced another time when it can be dangerous to judge a book by its cover here in China. Through her, writing (I had my journals and pencils available), a little Chinese, body language, and luck (I always like this one) we were able to communicate a little bit for the next hour or so. Several different groups came up and tried taking with me. Most are all younger in age; whereas, the older people just talk to themselves in Chinese about me. In either event I am always happy to try and communicate with each and every person here in China. On a quick digression note, I also love saying hello to all of the children I see. There genuine curiosity and demure nature around me makes it all the more heart-warming to see them build up the confidence to say hello back to me. In this way, I always try and do the right thing by exporting good cultural exchanges.
The death of my past iPod has been a mixed bag for me. At times I am still very sad to see it go; however, I am also quite pleased with the increased level of my attentiveness to my surroundings. The loss of music has allowed me to witness things in such a new light that it feels in some ways as if I have just for the first time been to Rongchang. The added stimulus has made my runs reinvigorating and fresh as well. Listening to my body while I am running has added to the natural feeling of my experience. In a month I will be able to get a new iPod while in Seoul, South Korea. I know that I will not have to worry about spending too much time without my iPod if I do not want to; however, I may decide that it is better to not always be “plugged” in as well in the future. Wishing everyone the best from China!
Erik
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