In Honor of a New Year

It's that time... when people make resolutions and ponder lies ahead in the year to come. It's Chinese New Year. (Well, technically CNY is Feb. 9-10, but it's being observed legally on Mon. 11th, though up to a month's holiday is taken by many businesses and institutions.)

Chinese lanterns, decorated by our AIAN students

Today (Friday), we just had a Chinese New Year Celebratory Day, complete with yummy foods, fun traditions, and traditional festive activities and an all-school assembly. (See photos in this blog post as the narrative for that day's activities.)

In the coming weeks, we'll have a 10-day break from school, February 7-17, during which Kari and I will be adventuring through Cambodia and Thailand--MUST GET OUT OF CHINA DURING CNY-SPRING FESTIVAL CELEBRATIONS!!! You see, travel within China is made nearly impossible by a Romanesque-

census type of mass migration of people filtering in and out of cities and the countryside, trekking at great lengths to get back to celebrate the holiday with their families, as is Chinese custom. (Think, Western Christmas/religious holidays and/or Thanksgiving, 4th of July, and New Year's holidays all combined.) Though seeing/participating in some CNY celebrations will be in order (parades, festivals, noisy displays of music and artistry), the majority of the holiday for foreigners means that shops will be
closed, or keeping irregular hours, and travel in the country will be constipated and severely delayed/expensive/inconvenient, due to all the citizens'/nationals' domestic travel activity. So we opt to leave the country and explore Southeast Asia. There will still be plenty of celebrating to experience in China pre- and post-CNY (which happens to fall on the weekend of Feb. 9-10, according to this year's lunar calendar). 

Chinese character/zodiac art:
individual artwork animals by students and staff members

Chinese buffet lunch! Pot-stickers,
dumplings, chow mein, and more!

So anyway, at this point of transition in the lunar calendar, I thought I'd take some time to reflect on my past year... I should note that I began these reflections more than a month and a half ago, right before our Western calendar's New Year celebrations, at the time when my culture typically contemplates resolutions, reflects on the past, and looks to future dreams and aspirations...

Whirlwind doesn't even begin to explain the pace of my travels and adventures through the last year. Flipping through the worn pages of my passport, I see my year in review: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, (haha back and forth back and forth, and Panama was in there somewhere too, but maybe about 18 months ago), USA Dept Homeland Security for a check in... and then on to 12 European locations: UK/England, France, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Italy, the Vatican, Monaco, Spain, and Portugal, {insert extra pages for $80}, China, Hong Kong, and South Korea, most recently. 

What's next? Well, no different from around this time last year, thoughts of the future cloud my mind, as I not only contemplated what I wanted to do for Chinese New Year (Cambodia? Thailand? Laos? All three?), or spring break (Japan? Or just travel around massive

Making sugar-candy sucker-art!

China?) or summertime (New Zealand? US?). No, I contemplate more than just my addiction to discovering new horizons and the thrill of a change of scenery. I realize the travel bug bit and infected me a long time ago, implanting in me a now deeply-rooted desire to explore, question, see what and who is new, and investigate anthropological, historical, and cultural components of various regions of the world. Every place has unlimited facets of culture to observe--whether just passing through or there for a more permanent time of residency. There is an vast expanse of unknowns to discover!

Sugar candy butterfly sucker

Having an expert certificate and foreign identification in China (I'm considered an "expat" here, not just a foreigner "laowai") has put new things into perspective for me this time around as I continue living abroad. China is no Latin America, and I find myself comparing my life abroad to past years' experience living in Chile, Costa Rica, and traveling other various parts of Central and South America. That said, Asia is so unique and different from my experiences in Europe, Africa, and the Americas combined. I am excited to continue observations in Southeast Asia, brief as my visits may be in that region of the globe.

Chinese lanterns and dragon!

So... what IS next? I know that when my contract is up at AIAN this July, I will be moving on, as much as I desired to stay in one place for a longer period of time. Without going into too much detail about the specifics of the situation--though I love the international community that exists in Beilun, Ningbo, as well as the convenience of exploring Asia and this side of the globe while I'm in this hemisphere--if I stayed at this school, it just wouldn't be healthy for me. "Healthy" in a couple of terms. One, professionally. I am not a teacher by profession. Though I have ELL Certification, having acquired it during my undergrad studies, I don't have a Teaching Certificate. (I have contemplated getting my Masters in Teaching, at some point in the not-so-distant future. I feel like having an MIT might be a good tool to possess in my belt of skills.) But I studied Cross-Cultural Studies (and Spanish and Communications). I am most passionate and excited when learning about cultures, the way they interact, observing clashes and learning from my own experiences as a traveler. Knowing what it's like to be a student in a foreign culture. Or a foreigner. Or an immigrant. Observing the socio-economic, political, and religious stratas intrigues me. But yet, in all these interests, I do recognize a desire I have for permanency as well, a sense of home, and a constant, consistent community. (Though I know I can find a sense of belonging and purpose nearly anywhere I go). But realistically, in pursuit of my own well-being, I now have a need for stability for my health.

2nd graders are instructed on
how to make dumplings, ... lunch!

Which leads me to health in the physical sense. My respiratory issues in China have not become any better, as compared to my conditions upon leaving Costa Rica, though I have been able to experiment with Eastern medicine a bit, and still intend to explore and investigate other techniques as well. My health issues that have arisen in the last year or so have really made me live life with a new perspective. I have to make different decisions and live more cautiously, or at least more regularly and scheduled. This may sound weird to those who knew me in my growing up years. You're probably thinking, hasn't Lara always been scheduled and orderly and regimented? Well, in perspective, as a matter of balance, in the last several years of my life, living and traveling abroad, I have learned to become much more spontaneous, relaxed, and care free. Pura Vida. Going with the flow. And I've enjoyed it. I've learned to take things that come at me without freaking out. Latino lifestyle or influence rubbing off on me? Perhaps. Or maturity and experience that comes with age over time? Also likely. 

In my "wisdom" that all my 24 years have compounded, I have truly come to learn that life is all about balance. There is a time and place for scheduling. Likewise, there is a time and a place to be carefree. It is all contextual. And there is balance. I like balance. I like being healthy. I must now return to regimenting my life into scheduled blocks of time, taking regulated medications and monitoring my health conscientiously to know when I must take precautions to conserve energy and preserve my well-being (both physically and emotionally, so that I am sound of mind and body). 

Chinese students dress for the occasion!

Though my desires waver back and forth from time to time (ok, month to month--no, week to week--alright, perhaps even on a day-to-day basis), I think I want to look for some sense of permanency, or at least to have more of a stabile home base. That's not to say I won't travel or continue to explore cultures, but I need one place to gather up and store all of my belongings that have been spread out over all the past several years of living abroad, traveling, studying, and working. My parents want my boxes of random stuff out of their house for sure, so they can repaint the purple-and-green polka-dotted and striped walls of my old bedroom. I think I have stuff in Spokane, possibly at my Gramma's in Hollister, CA still, and all this new stuff with me here in China. 

A few months ago, I was NOT ready to move back Stateside. I couldn't imagine my life in that context yet. I was still grappling and struggling with new concepts and realizations and ideas of how I should act and choose to live my life, even in the most basic of daily life practices--from grocery shopping to choosing household products, to recycling and composting. I wasn't ready to enact those changes for a more permanent lifestyle in my daily life. I hadn't processed fully that which I have been coming into contact--the cultural differences and different ways of living. While I can't say I have fully digested all my experiences, I can say that I have a better grasp on reacting and knowing how I can personally enact change to live in a manner that is conscientious but not extreme. I want my life experiences to be lived out as a globally-conscientious citizen of the world.

Typical high schoolers, in traditional Chinese garb,
waiting for the assembly to start

I think I could incorporate my beliefs and what I have learned and realized first-hand, breaking the invisible barrier of ignorance--stigmas and stereotypes, generalizations and unknowns that float around out there. I CAN be the change I want to see in the world. I am empowered and educated to make conscientious decisions. I can live in a manner that is tangibly affecting positive change in my immediate, and even global, communities to which I have been introduced and settled myself into.  In experiencing diverse world cultures, I think that with time and distance (removal or relocation) from those experiences, new perspectives and wisdom continue to develop and grow. I continue processing, my worldview (yeah, such buzzwords still exist post-Whitworth) still ever-expanding, with support and perspective from wise and experienced people who are continually there for me, and new friends who make an impact as well. I feel fortified and empowered to make healthy decisions for a positive future. 

Middle School dancers wait for their turn to present;
I did hair and makeup for about two dozen girls !

As you can probably gather from my implications, I'm not saying that I want to settle down and become stagnant and do the same thing for the rest if my life; I just cannot see myself content with that sort of lifestyle. I still have dreams to follow, passions to pursue, and visions to explore. But at least for a spell, I want consistency and regularity. And familiar faces. With maybe the occasional travels and exploration peppered in every couple months, to satiate my desires for new and change, and continue spicing my life up with food for thought. There is always room for growth and development. 

I'm trying to figure out what type of job I want to look for next. But there are a lot of factors to be considered... you know, my health primarily. But also other stuff... like personal relationships with family and friends. Proximity to loved ones. And then logistical details as for when/how/where to go about moving all my stuff. How much money that will cost, and paying back loans and having bills to pay, and other stuff all the while. How do I balance that with my desires for travel and adventure, and

My ELL Coordinator colleague, French-Canadian, Line:

she sang Beijing opera!

...and little 4th-grade dancers and our secretary, Shirley, assisted.

 learning about new cultures and anthropology? And what about my aspirations for grad school? Ack! So much. I oftentimes find myself needing to talk (or write) through my thoughts. I am tiring of having things up in the air every other year or so, and having to move and start a completely new chapter. It's just not a convenient or appealing lifestyle to me anymore. So much has changed in my life due to my health conditions.

So (I always tell my elves never to start sentences with "so," as a transition word. It drives me up the wall... But I do it all the time colloquially)... that's all to say, as we start a new (lunar/eastern) year, I am blessed with new perspectives and contemplate life with deeper understanding and insight. Does it make deciding on my future plans any easier? Nope. Most definitely not. I'm probably even more indecisive than ever, with more options. There are so many choices and endless combinations of options if what to do next. It's just a matter of weighing all the pros and cons (if I can get them all up on that figurative scale, that is). And then deciding on what's best, with my perspective. (I also tell my students that "And" is not a transition word, and they are never to use it at the start of a sentence, rather only as a connecting word between phrases or clauses. This is definitely a narrative and not a formal piece of writing.)

Chinese New Year wishes and decor adorn our hallways

That's a look into my mind at this point. This entry was more of a reflective, journalistic exercise than an update. Sorry if it was boring. It's rather helping me to process.

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

-The Hobbit

100th Day of School Celebrations

The door of our
Head of School

Today is AIAN's 100th day of school! So, as many schools around the world do, we celebrated! Our librarian organized a door-decorating contest (pizza party for the winners). I judged doors. (Click on the photos of some of my faves and more creative ones, to see them more closely.)

Kari's 2nd grade door
definitely not teacher-influenced.
ALLLL their own ideas. Clearly.
They got an honorable mention!

Today's early-release day schedule was further funkified by the fact that someone thought it'd be a good idea to throw an assembly into the mix. So we had not only shortened class periods on the "short day" early-release schedule, but also had last period scrapped for the cause of a school-wide assembly. In this wild 

rumpus of a day, we were celebrating 100 days of school, but also our music teacher, who had her day teaching at AIAN this week (after teaching here for several years, and having lived in China many years before!). 

"100king" forward to
100 days of school.
(middle school math
teacher's door)

We just had an all-school assembly two weeks ago, at the start of the new semester, celebrating student achievements, and the successes and future that mark the mid-year point. 

Kinder's 3rd (or 2nd?) place
for 100 drawings of people

So having another assembly today seems rather soon, just as students are trying to get into the groove of the first couple weeks of a new semester. We're also looking forward to this Friday, when we'll be cutting a full day of classes for Chinese New Year celebrations and assemblies for those presentations (eeek... school and studying? Who wants to do that at school when we have so many cultures to celebrate?!). Lots of irregularities in class time. Stay tuned for the CNY post that is to come! (Our 10-day Chinese New Year-Spring Festival break is only a week away! Feb. 7-17!)

Kate's origami decor, by
6th graders (2nd/3rd? place)

100 space creatures

School ended at 2:30 today (normally the school day runs from 8:30-3:30 (classes), while teachers are typically at school from 8am-4:30/5pm). Then commenced the five hours of Parent-Teacher Conferences. After I conferenced with about a third of my students' parents, in between scheduled meeting times, I snuck out to take the dog for walks, feed him, and then settled into a few more hours of grading and lesson planning, while my TV shows downloaded. 

What an active 12 hour-work day! Called for a girls' night in with our fave pup afterwards!

Winning door, by 1st grade:
pictures of super-creative
combos of "hundreds"

Even outside the front of the school
it's being decorated for upcoming
Chinese New Year festivities!

Bureaucracy: just an example

A peek into Chinese bureaucracy: getting a package through Customs Clearance...

January 14: Package mailed via FedEx, with tracking, on "rush" from the US. Contains vital prescription and OTC meds, not attainable in China. ETA: January 17. Yeah, right.

January 17: shipping delay notice on tracking. 

January 18: contact Mom. Call FedEx and find out what consignee means?! 

January 21: FedEx given my contact info, to call me and begin clearance paperwork/processing. But they don't contact me. Not by phone, not by email, not by any means.

January 22: still no word on my end from FedEx, so I ask Mom to get me a number I can call from China, to check in.

January 23: I get a number to call, asking for more details as to the status of my package. After talking to a Chinese FedEx customer service rep, I was told that someone from the Customs/Clearance Dept would call me back with the details of what is required of me as far as paperwork goes, in order to get my package cleared and through customs in Shanghai, and then in my hands. I told her to relay my contact details to the Clearance Dept, with specific instructions to call AFTER noon, since I would be teaching classes all morning. What do you know, 40 minutes into my first class period, I get a call from FedEx. Either the instructions weren't relayed, or they just didn't understand/follow my request. But, knowing that I would probably never get the chance to connect with this person, I excused myself from class to take the emergent call. The Clearance Dept rep informed me of all the paperwork entailed:

• Fill out two forms (in Chinese. Yeah, good thing I have friends for that), scan them and email them back to Customs
• Scan copies of the original prescriptions for all meds to Customs
• Give a detailed description of each and every med in the package... including drug names, uses, and dosage
• Photocopy scans of my passport (not just my identification page, but also any pages that have an entry or departure stamp from China, as well as my expert certificate and residency visa)

Let's just say it's a good thing Mom and I meticulously documented and noted what went in that box. 

After a day of scrambling to get all of the documentation together and translated, with the help of my Chinese friends and colleagues, everything was submitted. But not without petitions for further description, because the initial details were not enough. Apparently when they give you this much space on a form ______________________________, they really want you to write a paragraph.

January 25: confirmation that my paperwork was good to get my package through clearance, and I could expect less than $20USD additional charges to receive my package (import fees). Joy. Rapture.

January 28: online confirmation that my package cleared customs and was en route from Shanghai to Beilun, Ningbo. 

January 29: package was in my hands. 

$83 to mail

~$150 worth of prescription medications (well, that's the price of meds after insurance kicked in, since it would have been more like $500 if I'd been paying it all out of pocket, without insurance)

$15 customs and additional delivery fees

终于 (zhōngyú) ... finally.

"Strawberry greenhouses forever"

... it just doesn't have the same ring to it as the Beatles' "strawberry fields forever," does it?

Blue dot: where we picked berries.
(in an area called Luatau)
Purple pin: Where we live in Beilun.

I very much enjoyed the strawberry picking experience this morning here in the Zhejiang province, in the southern Hangzhou Bay area. I liked getting the opportunity to go see how strawberries are grown in China. Where I grew up in the US, in Washington State, in the good ole PNW (Pacific Northwest), strawberry season is usually around June/July, depending on the "summer" temperatures that year... because that's when the climate is just warm enough for strawberries to be ripe and sweet, and there's typically less moisture to rot them on the plant. When I lived in Costa Rica, strawberries were produced during the driest of the region's two seasons--the "rainy" and the "less-rainy" seasons, since the temperature was moderately warm all year round (strawberries are cultivated in mountainous regions, where temperatures are cooler than in the lower coastal regions). This is my basis for comparison in strawberry growing climates. 

Winter-barren soil between the lines of greenhouses

The summer, and even spring, climate in this region of China would be far too hot and humid, thus turning the berries to mush. So they choose to cultivate the crop during the winter, in greenhouses. This  allows the temperature to be moderately warm inside, heated by the external sun coming into the houses, while the air is drier during the winter, as well. It is a treat to have ripe, sweet strawberries during the winter, since I am accustomed to associating strawberries as a spring or early-summer seasonal delight. I guess that's the long way of explaining my desire to go strawberry picking, despite the fact that I have had sufficient berry-picking experience, growing up in the PNW. 

Though we got a little lost on the way to the strawberry greenhouse site (it took an hour and 45 minutes, instead of just the estimated 45 minutes to arrive!), it was all quality time spent as parents, students, and teachers all enjoyed one another's company on the bus ride, chatting, playing, and enjoying the scenery of a sunny Saturday morning. The company was super enjoyable. Once there, we were pleasantly surprised at how warm it was inside the greenhouses, and picked and ate to our hearts' content! While it was cold and clear and sunny outside (maybe around 10ºC, or 50ºF), it was at least 24ºC/76ºF inside those greenhouses! The rows of elevated strawberry beds were covered with plastic, to resist weeds amongst the strawberry plants, so footing was a bit slippery, but we all had fun, jumping over the rows.

Apiary!

I was happy to educate some of the younger girls who were interested in why it is so important to have bee houses (apiaries) inside the greenhouses--to pollinate the flowers on the strawberry plants so that the process is complete. Plus, the honey from the bees is a deliciously sweet harvest in addition to the strawberries! I was enthused that the girls genuinely enjoyed my biology/botany lesson, and were sincerely interested in why the bees were such an important part of having a healthy growing environment. When I asked the kids if they were having fun picking berries, one of the responses (from a 10-year-old boy) was, "We're not having a good time, we're having a delicious time!"

Group photo!
Multi-racial, diverse strawberry-picking group from AIAN!

We left with overflowing baskets of berries we weighed and purchased for an additional cost, outside of the price to get in to pick berries (I think the entrance fee was about $6USD for adults, and $5 for children, just to pick. Taking berries home was an additional fee per kilo). I think I spent a total of $15 that morning, so about $9-10 on actual strawberries; a mound of red in my basket!

Me, Hossein, Nida, and Cavon
take the back row of the bus,
on the way back to AIAN

Pre-K kiddos sharing their loot!
Sooo yummy!
(and sooo messy!!)
I have a whole series of these photos
Berry juice all over the place.

Kaleema and I enjoy berries in the back of the bus!

I think we definitely ate our fill of berries, between the hour spent picking, and the 45-minute bus ride back to AIAN at the end of the morning. Kids had red faces from so much berry juice!

Check out more images from the morning in my Facebook album: China, continued (2013)

A New Semester, another sickness

The first day of the semester, last Thursday, January 17, went surprisingly well, having fun with new students. Aside from scolding and disciplining them to learn good, studious habits, and be respectful, globally-conscientious students in and out of the classroom, I've been really enjoying the actual TEACHING of the English language--grammar, spelling, nuances of colloquial and formal linguistics, and practical skills such as letter-writing, formatting, and handwriting. 

My new schedule looks like this:

Schedule for Semester 2, or at least quarter 3. It'll probably change.
LOTS of planning time, but still overlapping grade levels in the same class together :(

Our ASA on that first day of the semester (After School Activity) was a Pride Assembly, which was entertaining. Kids sang a song (originally produced and composed by our music teacher's younger brother. As opposed to her older brother, who is our middle school math teacher). Elementary school kids danced along. Then awards were given to students who have exhibited commitment to AIAN's core values... Which are: Effective Communication, Collaborative Skills, Lifelong Learning, and Global Citizenship. It was inspiring and heart warming to see the excellence at our school, a our StuCo and Head of School reminded us of some of our schools many achievements thus far this school year... Community service projects, typhoon relief, and more! (My Eco Team ASA was totally a help to community service endeavors! Trash pick up! Waste-Free Lunch Day! Woot!)

On another note, I was sick for that whole week of the end of quarter 2/semester 1, and the beginning of quarter 3/semester 2. It was a cupping-induced full blown sickness for about 6-7 days, lingering around for another 2-3 days with slight congestion and cough/runny nose. Cupping brings out all the toxins that have been deeply engrained in the body's muscles and organs. You're traditionally supposed to do it once a season, or every 3-4 months. It's been three months since my first cupping experience. I decided that after cupping, knowing the effects the procedure had on my body last time, I would begin a Detox/Cleanse supplement series on the Monday after the cupping. However, six hours after having the cupping, I was already experiencing symptoms of the onset of a cold, with a firey sore throat. By Monday, I had congestion and nastiness set into my head. I had to stop my Cleanse after one day because I realized I would have to go on antibiotics, to get the green gunk out of my lungs. Heaviness and junk had set into my lungs. I know that deep, bronchial feeling. So, for the second time in a month, I took the antibiotic series to rid my lungs of infection. (I have such a weakened immune system.) The Cleanse supplements would cause me to poop out the antibiotics before they would even have a chance to enter my system and take effect. So I stopped the supplements. (Now, 10 days later, I resumed my 2-week cleanse, with 13 days of the pills left). AAAAAND, don't worry, all my health-conscientious family and friends... I've been taking lots of probiotics. I also have been having consistent massages to cleanse body through the illness, so toxins don't set back into the muscles and crevices of my body.

I should've taken a sick day, but as Wednesday was the end of a quarter, I had things to wrap up. I also had to plan and organize myself to start a new semester mid-week, with shuffling of students. (I didn't know my schedule, or class rosters, until a few days before the semester.) I had new students coming in, and other students leaving (going back to their home countries, graduating out of ELL classes, etc.). There were a lot of long days at school. 10, 11, 12-hour days four days in a row. While sick. Ew. The "crunch time" reminded me of those school years that I thought I had left behind... when I deprived my body of basic needs such as sleep, food, and rest, just to cram everything like studies, exercise, extracurriculars, and volunteer activities into limited time. My adult years have taught me to be more kind to my body, and thus improving my overall sanity and enjoyment of life. That's a topic for another time, however.

During those long sick days at school, I was blowing my nose a lot. I mean, A LOT. Chinese tissues are no Puffs Plus, medicated soothing cool or fluffy to the thin skin's touch. My nose was raw, and I definitely went through no less than two entire boxes of tissues. One day, I made my nose whistle against the Kleenex while blowing my nose in class. I chuckled at myself and this loud, unladylike noise that had come from my disgusting action. However, my students didn't even flinch. Maybe its because they know I am super snotty and sick with a cold, but they seem to be immune (oblivious? indifferent?) to bodily noises such as sneezing, coughing, spitting, and burping. TIC. 

There are lots of meetings--ATLAS curriculum mapping, prep for WASC (accreditation) approval, planning Chinese New Year celebrations, departmental meetings, and upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences in the coming week. Lots of time at school, and only the capacity to do so much. Life is a losing battle agains time.

Super Dog

Having dogs as pets in China is kind of a new thing. It wasn't too long ago that the Chinese were exclusively eating dogs. Now, having dogs as pets is a crossover experience, and usually restricted to owning toy, or what I like to call "rat-sized" dogs, smaller than the typical house cat... Which is also not a super common thing in China.

So when people see Jett, a medium-to-large sized dog by Chinese standards (he's only about 14-15 kilos... around 30 pounds), they usually react in a pretty surprised, almost wary or even disgusted manner... that we would have the nerve to have a dog of that size. As a pet. Inside. Going up elevators. It rather catches them off guard. 

Today I had an encounter when I was getting into the elevator. I was coming back from a walk with Jett. The elevator doors opened and there was already a family inside. The little girl gasped and jumped back against the elevator wall when she saw Jett. I hesitantly stepped into the elevator with Jett, as well as with another older gentleman. I tugged on Jett's leash, giving him the non-verbal command of "sit," in which the arm bends and motions upwards, in sort of a curling type of motion (imagine doing reps with a dumbbell). At the same time, the little girl got over her surprise at the shock of seeing us when the elevator doors opened, and exercised some basic English skills by saying, "sit," as her father reiterated the command in Chinese, "zuo." Jett, obedient to my nonverbal command, immediately sat! They were floored, thinking he'd responded to them. 

The little girl, still happily practicing her English commands, then said, "stand up."  In the crowded elevator, as it lurched to a stop on the 8th floor, Jett felt the need to readjust, so, as if perfectly understanding, he stood up and turned around. We had arrived at the floor where the family needed to get off. Jett and I moved to the rear of the elevator, to allow them passage out. 

Then it was just us and the older gentleman in the elevator. As if to further test Jett's obedience and intelligence, the gentleman said, with all seriousness, "zuo?" Jet looked up at me, as if to ask permission, and then actually sat! Why yes, I have a smart, bilingual dog! Be in awe of our puppy, China!

Super-Jett!
(Yeah, our dog's wearing a shirt. It's cold in China. He's an indoor dog.)

Culture shock blog post

I think the winter's bitter cold (wind, moisture, snow/precipitation, grey mistiness, and all the mold and dust allergies that come with the mix of it all...) makes me grumpy and irritable. And perhaps being sick every other week doesn't much brighten my outlook on life, so forgive me if my blog posts and comments of late have been in any way judgmental, callous, sardonic, or sarcastic. 

But, in my experience with a background studying (I have a B.A. in Cross-Cultural Studies) and having insight into the effects traveling and living abroad has on a person, I recognize that culture shock may also be taking its course at this point in my experience with China. I have been in China for four months now, including travel up around the eastern, coastal, and some southern regions, but excluding my trips to other Asian locations such as Hong Kong and Korea. (And getting out of China, within the context of similar, yet different, Asian cultures gifted me with new perspectives as well.) 

I am probably just becoming fed up with China, in a growing sense, developing so many pet peeves, by bringing my own cultural lens as a context with me into this culture. Therefore, perhaps I'm not being super understanding, or as forgiving and patient as I could be with this culture that is still somewhat foreign to me. I like to think I am capable of being pretty open-minded to new... things... for a lack of a better word.  

According to my cross-cultural studies, as well as previous awareness of personal "culture shock" episodes, this is indeed about the time at which the culture shock sets in for a foreigner. I know all the "symptoms," having educated many a group of CRCers (Whitworth Costa Rica Center students) in the identification and coping mechanisms involved with culture shock stages. 

At this point in my interactions with China, I've observed just enough of Chinese culture to turn judgmental, and liable to make remarks that I know better than to utter out loud. I catch myself making mental comparisons between my contact and observations of Chinese culture with other cultures, and sometimes regrettably even make condescending remarks about the way the Chinese do things... and even though only remarked to those who journey a similar path as myself--such as my "family" like Kari and Kate who are in the same boat as I am here in China--I still feel ashamed for letting myself be so... well... judgmental. Sometimes we make fun of cultural differences in order to cope and just function by laughing the extreme differences off. 

Kari recently wrote a very well-composed post on her own blog about cultural differences and how we handle our pet peeves while living in a very different culture than what we were raised in. I think her reflections and mature, experienced understanding of a couple specific encounters help the outsider really understand some of our experiences and thought processes-- as to why the Chinese leave doors open; hock lougies, or speak excessively loud on the phone. This by no means is an exhaustive list of the seemingly quizzical things that the Chinese do that have us Westerners in stitches at times (also in pure frustration, misunderstanding, and aggravation at other times!), but it's all a par for the course when living in a foreign culture. I think Kari did a very good job communicating the cross-cultural perspective we have as expats living in China. Please take the time to check out her entertaining post, entitled, "Keeping it Classy, China."