4 Years in China
A few weeks ago, August 26 to be exact, marked the end of my 4th year in China. I arrived in 2001, fresh-faced and carefree - ready to see the world, then go back home. I can’t believe I’m still here.
Let’s see, what have I learned over these past 4 years. I’m still not fluent in Chinese. I can only read maybe 1000 characters. I have been in Guangzhou for almost 3 years, and I still can barely speak Cantonese. I do think in meters and centigrade, instead of feet and farenheight now, so I guess that is one aspect that I have become accustomed to while living here.
Before I left, I ate a lot of Chinese food, at least 3 times a week, often 5-6 times a week. I wondered if coming to China would give me an overdose if Chinese food, but in fact, I am still loving the food. I have some chao niu he almost 3 times a week, honestly the same thing I ate when I was living in California. I have to admit that whenever I go to Hong Kong though, I make sure to eat something else, often Indian, or Western foods.
In terms of understanding Chinese culture and lifestyle, I feel I have made some progress. I had no idea what life was like in China before I came here, and now I feel that I have a really good idea of how a lot of people live, from the big cities to small rural towns. Living in Guangzhou is a lot like living in any big city in America, with 7-11s, traffic, and always having something to do or someplace to go. The small towns I have visited in the mountains of Hubei and Yunnan are quite different though, with their slower pace of life and clean air.
I have a pretty good understanding of Chinese history; I can hang in there on a discussion about ancient emporers or Chairman Mao. I love the famous classics of literature, from the adventures of Liu Bei and his two sworn brothers to the drama of Bao Yu in the Red Mansion. But I still haven’t figured out all the nuances of interpersonal relationships. Buisness moves at a different pace here, and casual male-female relationships follow a different set of rules. The differences are often very subtle, and at other times, quite overt.
I have learned to cook in a Chinese way, sort of. I find it extermely difficult to reproduce the things I can get at any restaurant apart from the most basic dishes, like stir fried cabbage. But I do have a basic idea of the techniques used and the favors expected. My problem is that I am trained (I use that term loosely) to do things in a different way, and to focus on bringing out a different taste, so my dishes almost always come out a little differently even when I try my hardest to reproduce authentic Chinese cuisine. I love to cook and I used to cook a lot in my former life. But Western cooking relies a lot on carmelizing vegetables, which in China is considered burning.
It has been a wonderful 4 years, and I am very glad Chris and Su (the original people who invited me to come teach for my first year.) asked me to come over and teach in China. I couldn’t be happier with my decision to come here; my life has grown and I have developed in ways I never thought possible. I just hope I can keep learning and growing.
Night Has A Thousand Eyes - Sonny Stitt