Living in a Changing China

I am now on my fourth month in China. This seems like a short amount of time but because I am completely immersed in Chinese culture, language and society, four months is enough time for me to feel like a legitimate and active participant in life here.  In some ways, four months feels like four years, and other times, about fourteen minutes – usually when it comes to having conversations in Chinese Mandarin (Putonghua).

Already I have flash images of what it would be like to return to the United States.  The culture shock of returning home right now would be overwhelming! I think this is an indication that I actually am adjusting to life here.  It also points to my growing realization that there is a pulsating energy here in China, from the gigantic urban municipality of Chengdu to the small, historical city of Zhangye.  China is in the midst of a growth spurt. Economic change and development is happening so rapidly here while analysts and experts watch with bated breath to see how social change evolves along with it.

At the same time, China is the master of managing internal transformation all the while negotiating some of the most precarious global politics. It is awesome to watch, to listen and in some small ways – very small, miniscule ways, be a part of this phenomenon.

The work of English teachers is instrumental here.  I feel a sense of urgency for my students because even with all the imperialist politics around English as a language of international currency, learning this language – my language, will give them some leverage in determining what role they want to play in their country’s development.  The students here are so earnest about their education. They understand the stakes of not going to college, of not passing their exams and of speaking English “just so-so.”  Most of them have dedicated themselves wholly to making it across what a primary school English teacher described to me last week as “a very small bridge in which few can pass to the other side to build a better life for themselves.”

I really hope they make it.  This hope and sense of urgency I have for them, I pour into teaching.  It is always about how to help prepare students for a future that is going to be significantly, if not vastly, different from the one their classmates just one year prior stepped out into. Many students I teach will return to small, agricultural based cities and teach English to the children of farmers who grow potatoes, rice, corn, and sunflowers. They will hopefully be able to pass this chance on to their students who will have more time to ready themselves for a changing society.

Still, I look out into the classroom and think that maybe one or two my students will become translators, go on to do graduate studies at a major university in China or work for an international company – maybe.  I try to infuse my teaching with this possibility – this inevitability!  Look at recent developments in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East. …isn’t it true that a nation can change quickly and the opportunities for its citizens can be impacted dramatically for better or worse?

Living in China at this particular time in its history feels monumental!  It feels like plugging directly into a great global pulse. Incomparable! Incredible!

One of my best days in China! The students took me on a beautiful, challenging hike up a mountain foothill. In the not-so-distant view we saw villages tucked into arid mountain terraces. We wondered how they travelled to and fro, and talked about how the mountains looked like waves. It was an unanimous decision to hike down a path we had not yet tread. It was steep and narrow. We welcomed the adventure!

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