大家好!
Since my last post, I went on a trip to Le Shan and Emei
Shan (mountains), I’ll put photos at the end of the post.
Today, I’d like to chat with you all about frustration I’ve
experienced while abroad. It’s a very general topic, but it’s not something I
think I’ve touched on in previous posts. I’d like to share some frustrations
I’ve felt, as well as frustrations I’ve avoided.
First and foremost, it’s been frustrating not being with my
fellow Pios during the loss of another leadership student, and I send
well-wishes to everyone affected by the loss.
Secondly, I’ve felt some frustration handling things at MC
from the other side of the world. Don’t take for granted how easy it is to walk
into your professor’s office when you need to talk to them, or always being
surrounded by people who can get you to the right answer. I am probably much
more worried about registering for classes right now than I would be if I were
at MC this semester, and I am dealing with this while being exactly 12 hours
ahead of everyone.
Mostly, I want to talk about how I’ve been able to avoid
other kinds of frustrations while in China. When learning a foreign language,
there is quite a bit of uncertainty and risk-taking involved. Even doing simple
tasks that would be a cinch in the US can be intimidating in China. For
example, I recently got my hair cut and colored in a salon, and it was a nerve-wracking
experience. Going to the salon in the US is something I enjoy (despite the
awkward small talk), but salon vocabulary isn’t exactly something you learn in
a Chinese class, and I was afraid they wouldn’t understand what I wanted. The
experience went much more smoothly than I anticipated, and it was at least
partially due to my obvious foreignness. People tend to be more patient with
me. One of my friends is Chinese, but was raised in the US, and I am in a
higher level of Chinese than she is. When we go out together, people usually
try to speak to her first and are surprised when I respond to them instead.
On the other hand, sometimes I don’t have to say anything at
all. I’m dealing with a bad cold this week, and I didn’t bring any American
cold medicine. My program director wrote down the name and brand of Chinese
cough syrup on an index card, I walked into the pharmacy and handed them the
card and some money, and left without saying anything. (As a side note, the
cough syrup is magical and provides instant relief and the US needs to get on
this).
I knew before I came
to China that I would stick out obviously as a foreigner, but I didn’t consider
any advantages that would have, so I wanted to take the opportunity to share my
thoughts with you all.
Anyway, here are some photos of the Le Shan Buddha and views
while hiking Emei Shan:
