I wanted to write about what I have learned in China as soon as I arrived back home, but I didn’t feel it was soon enough to digest the whole experience. I felt that I should become acclimated back to America again before making up my mind about it for a number of reasons.
First, I wanted to see how much of an effect my time in China has had on me, compared to my old self. Have I changed or is it just my surroundings that are new? Would I slide back into the old routines or has something new taken hold?
Second, I felt that some separation time is a good thing to determine exactly what I would and wouldn’t miss about being in China. There are some immediate responses, but I was looking forward to more long term results.
Finally, it was just really difficult to find time to sit down and think about all of this. I’d kick it around from time to time, but it has been a whirlwind of activity here since I’ve returned and it wouldn’t be very fair to compare China to my crazy time here as it has been a madhouse.
Now that it has been a couple of months since I have been back here is what I’ve learned.
- Learning a foreign language is SO important! Nelson Mandela once said, “If you speak to a man in a language he understands, it goes to his head. If you speak to him in his language, it goes to his heart.” I can’t tell you about the numerous, wonderful, and interesting people I have met and experiences I have had because I was willing to use my meager Mandarin skills to strike up conversations. Americans have really lagged behind in this category and because of that, they are missing out on one of the most fundamentally exciting experiences that life has to offer.
- People are people. Sounds redundant right? What I mean here is that while China and the U.S. bicker over toothpaste, economics, the Olympics, and everything else, the reality is that the goals of the average person in China and the average person in America are the same. People in both places just want to have a good job, some money, a decent home, a happy family and some fun now and again. It doesn’t matter where you are or what your government is doing. The problems between our governments shouldn’t carry over to hatred of everyone in our respective countries. Most people don’t care about politics. They just want to take care of their daily lives with as much ease as possible. Yes, I know that the issues are tied, but the arguments aren’t their fault as much as many of our governmental problems here aren’t our fault.
- When you volunteer you get so much more than you give. This applies to any kind of volunteering too. Yes, I gave up a lot to go to China: a job, house, pets, etc. And it’ll be a long time before I recover from all of it too. In fact, I’m still looking for a job, but if I had to do it all again, including the dangerous earthquake and getting kicked out, I would…in a split second. I gained friends (both American and those from other countries), better cultural understanding, a new language, and knowledge about how to live a simpler life. All of which I will carry with me to my grave, unlike the money I would’ve had instead. It is great to receive emails from friends and students from all over the world now. It is nice to know that someone on the other side not only knows I’m alive, but thinks about me and cares about me and wants to know how I’m doing.
- When we returned home after two years abroad, we went and looked at our possessions. Everything we owned in the world fit into a small room. We opened a few boxes and promptly gave half of it away. Why? We didn’t really need it now. The late George Carlin hit the nail on the head when he said that it was just “stuff” and it isn’t as necessary as we think it is. While away in China, we managed for two years on relatively little clothing without a problem. To come home to several boxes full was quite shocking and I was a little embarrassed about how much was there in my 2½ boxes. Don’t get me wrong. There are things that I own which are frivolous and I love dearly. I am simply referring to the excess. I have seen very poor people who are much happier with little than the middle class and wealthy folks I’ve seen with houses packed with junk. My point is only this: long term happiness doesn’t come from Target.
- Parents should pay for education. Got your attention? Good. I’m not talking about the entire cost of student education, not even a half or fourth of it. I think that parents should have to put down a small portion of money to make school more of an investment for them. Many students here are taking a free education, provided by the government, for granted. Too many aren’t willing to put a minimal amount of work into their education, and demand that teachers give it to them in easily-digested, lowest-common-denominator garbage. The process is making students lazy and demanding. If parents paid a little bit of money, it might motivate them to keep kids on track more, to avoid paying more to repeat grades/classes. This happens in China and kids generally work pretty hard to make sure that their parents (who are often poor) don’t have to pay more than what is necessary, out respect for their family’s well-being. Failing school there means that there is less money on which the family can rely. Education should be primarily paid for by the state, but I think a small investment from parents might bring about positive results.
More to come soon…
