Impressions

One of my students asked me what my thoughts on China were when I was in college and how that has changed now that I'm here. Truth is - I didn't think much about China in college. I was a bit preoccupied with thoughts of Europe, Africa and South and Central America. It wasn't until a couple of years after graduation that I began to seriously consider this nation with its immense history and immense future. I can't say that I've made any remarkably note worthy observations - nothing that hasn't been observed by many before me. But I am delighted to be the one who gets to be here right now with this opportunity to work and live among the people of China. In the two months I've been here, I've already experienced a great deal. I will share some of the highlights in future posts. But to get back to the students' question about my thoughts before and now...here are a couple of things I wasn't quite prepared for...

The Language

I knew that not everyone in China speaks English. I knew that the Chinese characters are still in use. I did not realize, however, that with the huge population of people who live here, the percentage of those who speak English is quite low. And the reality is that English is not spoken much at all except in the majorly touristy areas of the larger cities. The people I work with speak English as do some people at American chain restaurants. This is my first time to work in a place where English is not widely spoken. It is a great experience to have and encourages me to learn Mandarin. Below you see the signage here is in Chinese characters - a fascinating written language. Riding from the airport to my apartment the very first day, it struck me just how foreign it feels to be somewhere that has such a unique written language.

The people

As I expected, the people here are very nice and excited to meet and know a foreigner. As I also expected, there are many, many people living here. On a typical day, this doesn't hit home. I work at a large university, but it's not surprising to walk to class among crowds of students. Even going shopping is typically not much unlike shopping in a major city in America - perhaps as it is around holidays, but still not too surprising. I was prepared for this.

What I was not prepared for...a holiday in China. During a recent national holiday, I traveled with some friends to see beautiful mountains in a nearby province.  The below photo shows two overlook areas for beautiful, serene viewing pleasure - right? Well, maybe...if it

 wasn't located in the most populated nation in the world. The crowds you see were people pushing and shoving to get to the front to see the view. The reality of this nation's huge population then hit home. When the crowds are out, it's really like nothing I've ever seen.