The Magic of Languages

I do not speak Chinese very well - basically I do not speak it at all. I am hoping that this will change, with me being here in China, but the language barrier does not stop me from trying to communicate with the people here. This communication between me and the Chinese people is difficult, but wonderful and extremely positive and uplifting to me. Every time that I am able to communicate and talk with someone who does not speak English I feel content and as if I have accomplished something important.
This has happened to me various times in the past few days. Yesterday, my friend and I went to a very nice restaurant. The only problem was that nobody there spoke English. Now, this wouldn’t usually be a problem, as we could just pick out random dishes on the menu and try them out. However, I am a vegetarian, so that would not work with me. So, I had to try to communicate with the waitresses (there were many of them helping us) and explain, as I have said before, that I do not eat meat. To order, I opened to a random page of the menu and asked what was vegetarian. They pointed out one dish. I tried to ask what else was vegetarian, but since I did not know how to say that, I just turned the page and asked the same question. However, they had other ideas. They turned to the page that had only vegetable dishes and told me that all the dishes on the page were vegetarian, so, since I couldn’t read any and didn’t know what any were, I just picked a random one. I thought we had enough, but evidently we did not, because they wanted us to order a hot dish. They said something either about a sweet dish or soup, but I wasn’t sure which. It turned out to be soup. The restaurant experience, although a bit difficult, was very exciting because I was able to order and receive what I wanted (more or less) in a language that I am not proficient in. I was able to communicate with the staff of the restaurant in a language that is not my native language. To me, this is almost like magic.
However, this is not the only time I attempted to talk to someone. At the bus stop on the way back to the apartment, an older lady sat next to me on the bench and when I said, “你好” to her, she got very excited and took that as a sign that I wanted to talk to her, which was great! The only problem was that I think I understood about 1% of the hour long conversation we had while we were waiting for the bus and while we were on the bus. I tried, and I was able to talk with her a bit – we talked about our jobs – we are both teachers – and she has two children (I think). I could participate in our conversation in a limited way, but mostly when she talked to me, I just smiled and nodded and pretended to understand. When she asked if I understood, I had to shake my head and answer no most of the time, though. It was lovely trying to talk with her, though, and learning about her, her family, and her thoughts. I know that she said something about the United States and China being friends, although I am not sure exactly what she was trying to get across. Even though I did not understand most of our conversation, I loved having it, and I could see that she loved it as well. When we got on the bus, she sat down and as soon as the seat next to her became free, she made sure that I came to sit down next to her so that she could talk with me more.
Just this one conversation, then, brought together two very different people, two different cultures, and two ways of life that otherwise never might have met. Learning languages seem to me to be all about bringing people and cultures together. I feel this is one of the main reasons I came to China – to learn to communicate better with people who do not speak English and to pass this ability to communicate with others who do not speak your native language on to my students. Being able to bring people together and understand new cultures through nothing but learning new words and a new language seems like magic to me.

My Country and My People

One of my friends gave me the book My Country and My People, by Lin Yutang, to read. It is about the culture and the people of China and so far, it is helping me to understand more fully the people of China and why they act the way they do. I thought that I would write a bit to explain some of the things that stood out to me about what I read and then have seen in the Chinese people I know and have met.
One part of this book is about the Chinese characteristic of indifference. The author describes that indifference comes from the Chinese culture and is seen as a good characteristic. According to the book, indifference started with politics and personal rights, because if one was indifferent, then one did not get into trouble, but if one voiced one’s opinion, then one could get into trouble. “…indifference is always safe and has an attractive side to it difficult for Westerners to appreciate” (48).
In my interactions with some Chinese people, I see this indifference not only in regards to politics and personal rights, but also in regards to explaining their own feelings and desires. This has been frustrating for me, just as the author explained. I suppose that the indifference is difficult for me, a Westerner, to appreciate. This is because, I am used to being able to ask and then understand someone’s thoughts and wants, and when they only show indifference, as is the case many times in China, it is difficult for me, as I am not used to that. I wonder if I am correct in thinking that perhaps this indifference in what these people say that they want or desire is due to the culture, such as the author said, or if the indifference explained is only towards politics and personal rights.
I will write more as I keep reading…

I don’t eat meat…我不吃肉

I have been told that the only vegetarians in China are the Buddhist monks. But if you are a vegetarian visiting or living in China, don’t despair! It is not has hard as you might think to find food. So far, I have been here for about six weeks and I am surviving wonderfully. When you go out to a restaurant, there is usually plenty of food that you can find that does not have meat in it.
Many times, there are noodle dishes that are made with only vegetables. Sometimes there is also fried rice with vegetables, as well as an array of dishes that contain many vegetables I have never seen or heard of in the United States. There are also a lot of tofu dishes. Just be careful that the tofu dishes you order do not come with meat in them as well! That has happened to me a couple of times.
The Chinese style of eating makes being a vegetarian easier when you go out in a group, as long as the group doesn’t mind ordering a few vegetarian dishes. Each person gets a bowl of rice, and then there main dishes in the middle of the table for everyone to share. Just make sure that some vegetarian dishes have been ordered: one or two tofu dishes as well as vegetable dishes and maybe a noodle dish. There are also some soups that are vegetarian and delicious! This way, you can have a variety and you get all the nutrients you need as well.
I was very lucky to learn this information while I was travelling with my friends in the beginning of my adventures in China. At the beginning of my journey, they took care of me very well and when we went out, they made sure that I had all of the food that I needed (and more!). From them, I learned how to order vegetarian dishes in Chinese and how to be positive that the dishes that I ordered contained no meat.
In order to order vegetarian dishes, there are a few important key phrases. These are:
I don’t eat meat. – Wo bu chi rou – 我不吃肉。
Is it vegetarian? – Shi su de ma? – 是素的吗？
Does it have meat? – You mei you rou? – 有没有肉？
One tip – the best places to go for vegetarian food are the Buddhist temples. They have wonderful vegetarian food because the monks only eat vegetarian food.

Bathrooms in China - 洗手间

Before coming to China, I heard horror stories about the bathrooms here. For example, I was working at Borders before I left for China and when I was talking with a customer about going to China, their daughter, who looked to be about five, heard me talking about my upcoming journey. As soon as she heard me say the word China, she looked up and said to me, “In China, when you have to go to the bathroom, it is just a hole in the ground”. That was obviously her first and lasting impression of China.
Here there are basically two types of bathrooms: Western bathrooms and non-western bathrooms. The western bathrooms are the type you would find in the United States or Europe. The kind that are “normal” to me. The non-western bathrooms are a bit different and take a bit of getting used to. These bathrooms are not bad, as most people seem to think, but are just different. They are kind of like holes in the ground, in that they are set into the floor, but they are much nicer than just holes in the ground. They are usually made of porcelain and they flush just like “normal”, western toilets. Instead of sitting on them, though, one has to squat over them. In a way, though, it is more sanitary because you do not touch them at all.
An important thing to remember with the non-western toilet is not to put the toilet paper, or the tissues, into the toilets. They are not made to flush the toilet paper, so the toilet paper or tissues should go into the garbage can. Another thing to remember when using Chinese bathrooms is to bring your own tissue or toilet paper because unless you are in a nice restaurant, you will not be provided with toilet paper and must use your own.
Do not worry, though, about these different kinds of bathrooms. It may seem daunting at first, but they are very easy to get used to. And remember, if you have any questions, feel free to ask!
One more hint - the characters for bathroom in Chinese are: 洗手间, so if you see this written somewhere, or on a sign with an arrow, then you will know how to get to the restrooms!

The World of the Olympics

Recently, a friend of mine who is currently in the United States asked me about the Olympics here in China and what it is like to be here during the Olympics. This topic is very important in China and to the Chinese people, so I will talk about it here. Everyone in China is amazingly excited about the Olympics. Whenever I go anywhere, the T.V.s are all turned to channels about the Olympics, and the Olympic symbols and mascots seem to be in every corner of every city.
I am not sure if the Olympic mascots are prominent only throughout China, or throughout the world as well, so I will describe them here: they consist are five characters – an antelope, a panda, a fish, a bird (or, more accurately, a swallow), and the Olympic flame. These mascots are made into stuffed animals, humongous balloon decorations, key chains, etc., and are all over the television. The Olympic symbol is also everywhere I look. It is in gardens, in parks, in houses, on shoes, on shirts, on fans, and more.
It is amazing to see the amount of pride that the Chinese people with the Olympics being held in Beijing and it is wonderful to hear them talk about the Olympics. For them, the Olympics are really something that unifies the country and the people. They are all so proud to have it here. When I watched the opening ceremonies with one of my Chinese friends, she was so excited and proud to watch. It was great just to watch her reaction to everything that was happening on the T.V. that I almost didn’t need to watch it myself. Watching her and seeing her reactions was almost more fun.
Now, whenever I go out, the T.V.s everywhere are turned to the Olympics. In restaurants, in bars, in clubs, in stores, it is impossible to escape them (not that I would want to). Even before the Olympics started and I visited the homes of Chinese people, they would turn the T.V. on to stations that covered information about the Olympics. In a nutshell, the Olympics are a phenomenon that may be exciting for the world, but mean the world for China.

The China Job Search

I first really thought about teaching in China when I was studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain, during my junior year of college. I loved being abroad and I knew that after completing college, I did not want to go to graduate school right away. Instead, travelling more and gaining more experience seemed like a great idea to me (obviously, it still does!).
I started researching the idea while I was in Spain, but it was still too early to find a job. Just so you know, finding a job in China does not require sending CVs that early. You can research, but most of the schools don't want the CVs (or resumes) until a couple of months before you can get there. Also, while you are researching, you need to make sure that the school you are looking at (and I am focusing on schools because that is the experience that I have) actually exists and is a good place to work (more on this later).
After Spain, and talking about going to China with my parents, I started looking and applying for jobs seriously during my senior year of college. My parents were not too happy about my decision to go to China, but since it is what I really wanted, they helped me with everything. What I basically did to look for jobs was to go to google and type in various phrases such as "ESL teaching jobs China", "China teach English" "Suzhou ESL jobs", etc. If you have a specific town or city that you want to teach in, then type that city in. Many times, there are websites that are very helpful and have lists of schools that are looking for foreign language teachers. Once you find a place that you want to apply to, then you email whatever they ask for. Usually they ask for your CV, a recent picture of you, a copy of your passport, and a copy of your diploma. Sometimes they ask for a cover letter and recommendation letters as well.
Good jobs will not only pay you a salary, but will also give you money for an airplane ticket, paid holiday vacation, some kind of insurance, help with the visa, an apartment, and sometimes they will give you meals.
After sending all the information, it is very possible that you will not hear back from many of the people. At least, that is what happened to me. The people that you do hear back from are usually not from the actual school, but are intermediates, which is something that I didn't actually know until I got to the school I teach at now and learned that the person I had been communicating with for the past four months didn't actually work at the school. However, they can give you information that is pretty accurate and good to know. You talk with them and figure out which school will give you the best deal and which place sounds like it fits you the best.
One last comment: be careful of the schools. Some places can be not nice to foreign teachers. Try to look up information about the school before you sign the contract or agree to work there. Try to ask teachers who have worked there before how they were treated. I say this because I was looking at one school when I found an internet sight in which many teachers who had worked there commented about the horrible way that they were treated by the school and the guards. I knew, then, not to work there. If I hadn't seen that sight, I might have worked there. Instead, I found a much better school where I seem to be treated well (knock on wood).
Be careful and good luck!

The Chinese Language - 汉语

Well, most people will tell you that Chinese is one of the most difficult languages to learn. I agree completely. 汉语很难！However, do not let that put you off. Chinese is a wonderful language and it is a joy to learn it! 汉语也很开心学习！(I don't know if that makes sense in Chinese, but I am learning, right?...)

So, I first became interested in the Chinese language and culture in high school because my family had friends who were from China. Hearing them talk in Chinese and learning about the culture from them made me want to learn the language and go to China to understand their language and culture even more. Then, in college, I took a summer school class to learn beginning Chinese. Although we did not get very far, it was a very good base. During my last year of college, I took another beginning class and with the base that I already had, I learned a lot and understood a lot more than I would have otherwise. I suggest this if you want to learn Chinese and if you have time. If you have a base, it is easier to soak up more of the language.

More suggestions for learning Chinese (not that I am an expert!):

1. If you didn't already know, there are four tones, which are very important to the spoken language. Each tone gives the same word a different meaning. Practice the tones!

2. Practice listening for and being able to say the differences between zh and j, sh and x, and q and ch. Also practice the sounds c and z, as those are harder sounds to make for people who don't speak the language.

3. Even though it may not seem it, writing characters is very important! If you are trying to communicate with someone who speaks a different dialect, they will not understand what you say, nor the pinyin that you write, however, they will understand the characters that you write. The characters are written the same in almost all of the places in China, so if you can write characters, then you can communicate almost anywhere. So make sure to practice writing the characters. They are very easy to forget - believe me - just practice over and over again.

4. Make friends with a person who is Chinese. Then talk with them in Chinese. Besides having a new friend and getting to learn about a new culture, you will practice your oral speaking and you will learn a lot. If you want to set up a language exchange with them, you can have them help you with Chinese and then you can help them with your language, such as English. This is very fun!

5. Study! A lot! 学习！