The first week flew by, and by now I’ve settled into a routine. It’s very similar to my routine in America, except for where I live and my school are very different. When I got to school on the first day, I was very nervous. I didn’t know anyone, and I couldn’t understand what people were saying.
Despite this, I quickly became comfortable in the school. A large part of this is the students. Students of all ages have been very kind to us. The youngest kids wave excitedly and exclaim, “Hello!” when we walk by. On the second day, when we were still getting used to the school and the city, we joined a field trip to watch a play with some elementary school kids. While we were waiting for it to start, a few of the kids sitting in front of me shyly asked me how old I was and my name. They proceeded to ask me a few more questions, and we had a nice conversation in a mix of English and Chinese.
On the third day, we joined another field trip, this time to a steel factory with the seventh graders. A few students were assigned to be our translators, and they helped us immensely. A few days later, we had calligraphy class with the fifth graders, and they patiently guided me on how to hold the brush and how to write the characters.
During some other times, such as morning exercises, lunch, PE, music class, and English class, we’re with our exchange student’s class. The students in this class have not only said “hi” to me in the hallways, but they’ve made an effort to talk to me on WeChat and ask questions about America.
I was surprised by the kindness shown by everyone I've met in the school so far, and it's made it much easier to adjust to such a different environment.
-posted on Monday, April 18, 2016 at 8:15 AM
Before I came to China, many of my friends and classmates warned me about the pollution. When the topic of my trip came up, many would exclaim something like, "The pollution is awful, your lungs are going to die!" Because of this, I expected thick smog and hazy skies as soon as I arrived. Instead I was greeted with blue skies and fluffy clouds. What a treat! During the first weekend, some of our host siblings took us to a nearby sculpture park. The sun was shining and there was a light breeze. Because of the gorgeous weather, we were able to take great photos as we strolled around to see all the sculptures.
Our exchange group is very lucky. The weather here is pleasantly warm, and is a much needed change from the extended winter we'd been experiencing in Wayland before we left. This isn't to say that Beijing isn't polluted. My host sibling, Zoey, as well as a few other students, have told me that this weather is unusual and the sky is not often this blue. The pollution is the worst in the winter when places need to be heated. Luckily, we arrived in spring, so the city was past this stage. The air is definitely not as clean or fresh as it is in Wayland,but I expected this given that the city is dominated by skyscrapers and cars rather than trees and fields. However, it's also been very windy so far, which has blown away some of the pollution and helped with the air quality. I was surprised by the weather in Beijing, but I'm glad that it's so nice, and I hope it remains that way for the rest of our trip.
-posted on Sunday, April 24, 2016 at 5:00 PM
The few times that I've sat down to watch the news in China with my host sister, Zoey, it's looked nearly identical to the news in America. In America, I see two people in suits at a news desk, speaking clearly while they report recent events. In China, it is exactly the same, save for the language. The newscasters speak slightly slower than I hear in everyday life here, and neither has an accent. Both of these things mean that I'm able to pick up a few words. The stories in China are also similar to those I'm used to. I've heard stories about meetings with President Xi Jinping and other government news. I've also seen stories about robberies, violent attacks, and murders, which, sadly, is very similar to the daily news in America. The most recent big news that has come out of China was in October, when the One Child Policy ended. I haven't heard any news as major as that since then, but Zoey recently told me about an event that she found very interesting.
Last month, a robot developed by Chinese scientists beat a South Korean man in a chess game. He was considered to be the best chess player in the world. The significance of this robot is that it is able to learn from its opponents and adapt. Many robots can only do the task that they've been programmed to do, so even though all this robot can do is play chess, it is a big step for Chinese development of technology. Most technology news that I hear is breakthroughs in America from hotspots like Silicon Valley or MIT. Because of this, I found it interesting to instead learn about this big success in Chinese technology.
I don't know what I expected news in China to be like, but I was slightly surprised to find out that it is nearly the same as in America. When I came to China, current events weren't the first thing on my mind, but now I find it interesting to watch the news on TV, even if I can't understand every word.
-posted on Monday, May 2, 2016 at 1:47 AM
China has been quoted as being "by far the best country in the world at badminton." It is one of the top three sports in China, and they've won more gold medals in Olympic badminton than any other country. In addition to their domination in professional badminton, many Chinese play it recreationally.
One Saturday after lunch, Zoey asked me if I knew how to play badminton. Confused, I replied that I hadn't really played before, besides a little in P.E. class. She explained that her mom went to a gym to play badminton a few times a week and was wondering if I'd like to go with her that evening. Excited to try something new, I agreed. That night at around 7pm, Zoey, her mom, and I departed for the gym. On the way, we picked up Zoey's uncle, who we'd been out to lunch with a few times. After a short drive, we arrived at the badminton gym.
I'd never been to a gym solely for badminton before, but I expected rows of badminton courts. When we walked in, this was about what I got. It was a giant room with a bright green floor, and there were two rows of about 5 courts each, and then there were more courts separated by a wall. It was fairly dark in there because the lights were only on over the courts that were in use. We waited for a minute for the woman at the desk to turn on the lights for our court and give us the birdies, and then we headed over to where we would play.
After my host mom handed me a brand new racket, Zoey and I separated on opposite sides of the net so we could start playing. We started slowly, easily returning the ball to each other. After a little while, we picked up the pace, hitting it harder and making the each other work more. Neither of us were pros, so we would accidently let the birdie drop once in awhile, but that just meant a new start, so one of us would serve again and we'd get right back in it.
On the other half of the court, my host mom and Zoey's uncle had already started an intense game. When Zoey and I took a break to drink some water, wewatched them as they darted around their respective sides, whacking the birdie with extreme force, sending it whizzing to the other side in hopes of tripping the other person up. Impressed, I grabbed my phone and shot a quick video of them rallying back and forth.
When 8 o'clock rolled around, my host mom and Zoey's uncle were sweaty and worn out from their energetic game, while Zoey and I were only a little tired from our much more relaxed game. It had been a really fun evening, and I'd enjoyed spending time with my host family doing something that was part of their everyday life.
-posted on Monday, May 9, 2016 at 1:00 AM
China has always seemed about as far away from the US as you can get. They're similar in latitude, but beyond that, I had always heard about how different China is. Different race, different language, different culture, different government, different food. After six weeks of living with a regular Chinese family and exploring Beijing, I can safely say that, yes, these things are all different from the way they are in the US, but some aspects of both cultures are still similar.
Race is one of the very first differences that became apparent.Everyone in China is Chinese. This seems obvious enough, but it becomes quite glaring when you're the only non-Chinese people at a supermarket, a movie theater, walking around the city, or even just at school. In America, we're used to many different cultures because the US was built from immigrants. China, however, is virtually completely uniform. As a result, we were greeted with stares almost everywhere we went, and one elderly man even told us we were the only foreigners he'd ever seen. This really widened my perspective by showing me what those who are in the minority experience every day. I'm used to being in the majority, so I found this experience to be very eye-opening, even though it was uncomfortable at times.
One thing I noticed in school and in the city in general is the much more relaxed attitude around safety. In the US, it's almost like every situation that has even the tiniest possibility for danger is a lawsuit waiting to happen. In China, it seems that they assume that everyone can take care of themselves and use their judgement. For example, when we took a field trip to a decommissioned steel factory, the students were let loose to explore the rooms with the sculptures. There were multiple parts of the floor with a hole or a loose piece of concrete, and in America I know that we would have been clearly warned about these areas. In China, however, the students just used common sense and were careful. On a different note, roads are much more dangerous here. Even when there is a green light indicating for the pedestrians to walk, turning cars still speed around corners, disregarding anyone in the crosswalk. Cars are also more likely to weave into tight spaces here or take more risks when switching lanes. I've also noticed that some people don't wear seatbelts in China. When I asked my host sister about this, she said that because there is so much traffic in Beijing, the cars are usually driving slowly, not speeding down roads like they often are in America. As a result, many people think they don't need a seatbelt, which is encouraged by the fact that China's seatbelt law is not strictly enforced.
Attending school in China has shown me the many differences between American schools and Chinese schools. First, most of the schools I’ve seen in China have uniforms, at least in Beijing. All the uniforms I’ve seen have consisted of loose-fitting pants and a zippered jacket, with the option of a school polo shirt to wear on warmer days. Second, school here starts at 8:00 and ends at 3:55 for the middle and elementary students, while high school students, like our host siblings, stay until 5:30. This is much longer than in America, where most schools are out by 3:00. Third, students stay in the same classroom all day, but have 10 minute breaks between classes. During this time, we often saw kids running through the hallways, talking and laughing loudly. For the most part, all the students, even the youngest kids, are very well-behaved in class, so it is like these 10 minutes is their time to let all their energy out. Fourth, all of the teachers at the school are very young. In addition, my host sister, Zoey, and one of the other exchange students, Jessica, both told me that they’d never had a teacher who they didn’t like.
Every day after school, I would ask Zoey and Jessica how their days were. Every day, they would say “good.” One day, I asked them if they’d ever had a bad day. I expected a “yeah, of course” because in America, almost everyone has a bad day once in awhile. However, they both thought about it for a moment and simply said “no.” This contrasting attitude really surprised me because it isn't what I'm used to. I doubt they gave me this answer because they've never experienced anything bad or disappointing, but rather I think they're more upbeat and optimistic, so for them to have a bad day, something more significant would have had to occurred.
Another difference I noticed both at school and in Chinese society in general is the separation of genders, and how the stereotypes we often try so hard to step away from in America can sometimes be the norm here. For example, the boys and girls are separated for PE class. The boys play sports such as basketball and volleyball and do workouts. On the other hand, the girls have done a high jump unit and traditional Chinese dancing. In America, we do similar activities and more, but everyone is combined, so we all learn the same skills. In addition, I've heard other small comments that show me the difference in attitude. For example, my host sister enjoys playing a particular computer game. One day, I heard one of her friends say, "I don't know why she likes it, only boys play it." Another day, one teacher was talking about our choices for a self-selective class. She said that one of the choices was handicrafts such as sewing, which, she said, "the girls will like." I thought this was a very interesting and noticeable societal difference between China and America that made me step beyond just this difference and consider other ways the two cultures are not the same.
Despite all the differences that I’ve seen in China, the basic Chinese family is in many ways similar to my American family. In the morning my host mom makes us breakfast and calls me when it’s ready. I usually get ready faster than Zoey, so I start eating first, which is the same thing that happens at my house in the US. After school, we mostly do our own thing, and then gather together for dinner. This simple family routine is very familiar to me. Not all families in China are necessarily like this, but it showed me that apart from most families only having one child, Chinese family life is not necessarily all that different from American family life.
Over the course of my stay in China, I've learned a lot about the culture and the language, which has given me a chance to compare it to what I'm accustomed to in the US. In many ways they are unalike. Some things I found easy to adjust to, while others were more difficult. Even though I had to adapt to the differences, I found learning about Chinese culture to be fascinating. I loved expanding my view of the world, and I hope in the future I can learn more about other countries, as well as come back to visit China again.
-posted on Monday, May 16, 2016 at 2:10 AM