China

Now that I am into the third week of classes for this term things are settling into place. I think I have started to learn and maybe understand.

First an admission: When I arrived in China I was overwhelmed. I did not realize it then but, in December I realized that a lot of my reactions to things around me were aggressive. I think I used aggression to combat the feeling of not being in control AND not understanding what was happening. Don't get me wrong, I still think things here are not normal but that is based on my perception of normalcy (and my friends know I am not normal.)

Now I am starting to see some structure to the madness. I still have not figured out why most things are completely backwards from the western world (e.g. light switches are backward, up is off and down is on, meat at markets is left in the open air for hours and straight men walk intertwined) but, I am starting to go with the flow.

The following is from a book I am reading and it applies to China, where there are no secrets.

"..he explained the concept of space... and how it differed from that in the States. Space is shared, not protected. Tables are shared, the arid evidently is shared because smoking bothers no one. Cars, houses, buses, apartments, cafes-so many import aspects of life are smaller, thus more cramped, thus more willingly shared. It's not offe4nsice to do nose to nose with an acquaintance during routine conversation because no space is violated." Even though this country is huge, the cities are cramped and families live together for many years.

The concept of children being raised to leave and be self sufficient is unknown here. Parents keep their children home and under their control until 25 or 26 years of age. If the parents have the money they buy their kids their first home (the male that is because the girls have to find a husband). In return the children bring their parents into their home when they get old and care for them. The children are very devoted to and beholding to their parents. the college students do not choose their course of study, the parents decide what will be best for them.

In colleges here in Jiangxi province, students are required to live on campus (there are a few exceptions) and have the same dorm mates for all three years. They act like they are great friends but, on more than one occasion I have been told that dorm mates are just "common friends." Another thing is that the dorm mates show no compassion each other. An 18 year old freshman was in a singing competition and bombed. He called me and we talked for a while, he wanted to never try again. The next day I sent him a text asking how he felt. He called me almost crying saying no one had ever asked him how he was doing after a traumatic experience before.

I am teaching 32.5 hours a week this term so I do not think I will not be updating this often.

Write to me, I need to hear from the States more often.

TTYL

Terry