Orientation (August 22 – 26)

Please forgive the length of this post, there’s a lot to be learned from one week of being in a foreign country.

Only four of the fourteen students in our group knew someone in the program before arriving, and as a result, everyone has been extremely friendly and outgoing in getting to know each other. Because everything is new or at least different here in some degree from what we were comfortable with a week ago, most of us are comfortable making fun of ourselves and are receptive to jokes.  Topics such as lackluster chopstick skills, the inability to identify what one is eating, and varying levels of language skills provide sufficient material to poke fun at each other and the unknown. I’m not saying we laugh every minute, but the other students here are great and fun to be around.

Concerning the orientation process itself, we’ve had several meetings (none dry or boring) informing us about the area, the culture, and how to react during certain situations.

We were warned about less serious topics such as frequent spitting –the pleasant sound of hocking up sputum is a constant reminder that you’re in China– and the infamous squatting toilets, which I am convinced have greatly benefited Chinese society because the people here are much more flexible in the states. (Yes, I noticed; I’m in a physical therapy program and feel inclined to take note.  Fun fact: virtually, if not literally, all buildings, subways, and the like are not handicap accessible.)

On a more serious note, we were warned that there are key cultural disparities that may make us uncomfortable.

For example, if we see man hitting a woman with a closed fist in public, we are advised not to approach the couple.  At first, the thought of ignoring something like this appalled me because my initial reaction would have been to flip out on the male aggressor. However, things were put into perspective.  If a man hits a woman in a public area, making a scene in public, this man doesn’t care that the public sees his unsavory behavior because he knows there will be no ramifications on his end (possibly even if higher authorities get involved).  I’m not suggesting all abusive people are in the mafia, but we are advised not to interact with individuals who think they are above the law because frankly, they might be.  

Moreover, we were warned that people might misconstrue kindness as an attempt for personal gain because the concept of the Good Samaritan does not really exist here; the Good Samaritan would likely be questioned for his or her intention instead of applauded.

Throughout these meetings, we were warned to be wary of theft, violence and general prejudice against Americans, attempts to swindle money (beware of escorts to teashops), and more. Though valuable insights, I believe that if one were to take all precautions to avoid these scenarios, one would not be able to experience the city because one would have locked oneself in a safe. 

That being said, the director told us some personal accounts about the topics mentioned above that gave the suggestions a lot more credence in my mind. 

Overall, the meetings were enjoyable and informative, but I was personally displeased that, despite preparing us sufficiently for living in Beijing, no z-day contingency plans were discussed.

Outside of the meetings, we had little downtime, and either saw some of the sights, such as Tiananmen Square, or ate.  The food here is AWESOME, but differs from American conceptions of Chinese food.  Dumplings are supposed to be eaten with vinegar and spices, not just soy sauce.  Moreover, I do not think I’ve had anything with plain soy sauce.

Everything here is either spiced (not necessarily spicy), or included in some kind of sauce.  Many people have called true Chinese food greasy, and though I do not think this is the case, if the food is, the grease situation is no worse than in the states. [Traveler’s suggestion: bring Imodium or something like it. It took me a full week to adjust to the local bacterial flora.]

Multiple plates of food for larger groups are often presented on a lazy Susan, and each individual is to remove small portions from the communal dishes onto their own smaller plate.  Note there are no serving utensils so everyone’s chopsticks go from plate to mouth to plate. This fact, in conjunction with the fact that drinking the tap water will even make the locals ill, puts China on a different level of sanitation as the US. 

I’m not suggesting it is unsafe or very unclean here, but people who are overly sensitive about exchanging prokaryotes would be disgusted by the unabashed spew of coughs, semi-concealed sneezes, and non-existent personal space on subways. 

Smog masks are not uncommon on the streets on hazardous smog days (yes, some days are “hazardous” according to the US embassy, which presents a far less optimistic view on air pollution than the Chinese websites).

Other than exploring food, and learning about sanitation, we went on a few excursions.

After a lunch outing, our group of students ended up on a playground (cause why not?).  The playgrounds are slightly different, and significantly less forgiving to those who fall (mainly because right beneath the monkey bars is the same stone as on the sidewalks). There was a child playing on a jungle gym who challenged me to some kind of game.  How he challenged me, I don’t know because, again, I don’t speak the language, but his message was clear. Indeed, playing on monkey bars transcends language.

Toward the end of orientation on the weekend, we went to Tiananmen Square, and acted as both observers and spectacle. Honestly, people were staring at us.  Whenever we were making jokes and goofing off (admittedly making a bit of noise from laughter), people took pictures. At times families would ask if their child could be in a picture with us, and we would graciously, if not eagerly, pose with the child.

Some of the people taking pictures likely came from rural areas and wanted to see the same sights we did, and simply did not expect to see foreigners as interested in their history as themselves.  Moreover, conceptions of what constitutes being rude (let alone politically incorrect behavior if it exists at all in China) are just different around the world.  

These kinds of situations are only as awkward as you allow them to be.  And considering one of the students shouted, “We love China!” in Mandarin as a man was (presumably) videotaping us for his home movie recalling his vacation, I say we took it in stride. 

On a more serious note, [I cannot think of a clever transition so this will have to do] I miss certain people back home like crazy.

To quote my girlfriend, “I don’t want to wish my life away, but I want this time to go by fast.”  I thoroughly enjoy being in Beijing, and the people I have met are great (which is something that really would make or break any trip, especially one where you’re charting a completely unfamiliar land).  While I’m here, I wish to take full advantage of this great opportunity; however, I will most certainly be ready to go home when the time comes.