The Thing is...

So here's the thing...about living in another country for an extended period of time. The thing is, the Chinese people do things which seem so incredibly different from the way I do things. I get irritated with it, and then I convince myself that ALL of the people of China do EVERYTHING differently. I am quick to judge, and I become less objective. It's difficult for me to stay objective, because after being here for a while I have embraced this culture, but I have also embraced my own even more. (You'll probably think I'm a horrible person after reading this blog, but I would like to be transparent here). So, the other day I saw a girl eating an ice cream cone and for some reason I thought she was eating it the wrong way. I thought, "She doesn't know how to eat an ice cream cone." Instantly I wanted to smack my mouth because I completely and totally judged her based on appearances, AND it was about an ice cream cone for cryin out loud!

The other thing is...not speaking the language but being expected to is frustrating. Me, Stan, and Kevin (don't know Kevin? Click here) have tutors but we've only met with them a couple times. Short story: The other day I was sitting at the front of the classroom. It was break time in between classes and I was looking down. I heard the word for "teacher" said in Chinese and I looked up. Two students were standing to the side of me, both boys. One of them said a long string of Chinese words to me and set a packet down in front of me. The packet had only Chinese characters written in it and it was about 8 pages thick. One of the boys kept gesturing to the paper and looking at me. I looked at the back to see if there was a place I needed to sign. Nope. So I told him I couldn't read it. He spoke more only Chinese. Then he laughed. Then he said, "You...a...can'ta...uhh...uhh..." More laughter. (Laughter is common when they are nervous.) I said, "kan bu dong." Which roughly means, "I can't read it.") So, I got an 'eye roll' and he left the room, leaving me with the 8 page packet of Chinese characters. He later came back and picked up the packet. I have no idea what he was doing, or what he wanted me to do. I still don't.

Then I was reminded of Spanish speaking people who come to America, not knowing the language. Many Americans become frustrated with those people and try to fix the problem by speaking more slowly and more loudly. That's what I feel like a lot of days. Most students understand that I can't speak the language and they are forgiving of it, but those two students were not as forgiving.

When things like that happen and I become irritated with life and the people here, I remember that I am the one who decided to come here voluntarily. These things are proof to me that this work comes with some trials. I just need to concentrate on not letting those things control my thoughts. That's where it will matter. That's something you can THINK for me about. Thanks for reading! I love you all!