Arrival and First Impressions

This post is coming several days late because my program’s orientation has occupied almost all of my time…  The following is about my first day in China.

I engaged in my first dialogue in Chinese on the plane with a couple sitting next to me.  They spoke broken English –while my Chinese can hardly qualify as broken.  We discussed where we were from, where we were going, whether we liked the food and drink provided on the plane.  They were quite eager to teach me new words.  I also mimicked the couple as much as possible in mannerism, such as eating, to try to assimilate as smoothly as possible.

Because I am far from competent in the language, this 17-hour encounter gave me much hope.  Both on the plane and in other settings, I’ve found that strangers are much friendlier than Americans assume.  Making a little effort to speak the local language goes a long way with some locals (not all). 

Two haikus I came up with on the plane (yes, I know haikus are Japanese, not Chinese but I know naught about Chinese poetry):

                        A timeless shuttle

                        Allowing for reflection

                        Anticipates fun

                        Kindness from strangers

                        Deracinated worries

                        Hope ever-present

The airport that we arrived in was HUGE. It even had an amusement-parkesque shuttle that travelled along a track, transporting us to our luggage at the other end.  All of the signs were in both Chinese and English, so finding my way wasn’t hard, and because we were later received by the program director in the airport, no part of my travels was difficult.  Everyone I’ve met has been so incredibly friendly and eager for what’s in store.  

Up through this point, I've experienced no signs of culture shock.

After everyone arrived, we all got on a bus to go to the university.  I would have described the bus driver as crazy because he honked his horn at everything (mostly to inform others of his location as he frequently switched lanes…I think), but this was just the harbinger of what was to be expected within the denser parts of Beijing.  

Despite the driving, and later being completely surrounded by a language I don’t understand, I really had no worries because I was with other students (though most all other students had a better grasp on the language).

However, the experience of being in a foreign place hit me when I was alone in my room for the first time.  My roommate arrived later that night after most of the other students. In the meanwhile, my room, though providing all the essential comforts and more (save a bed that has no give in the slightest), felt more like a hotel. 

Being alone, not being surrounded by the unknown, was the scariest part for me.  I felt stuck in this place, a place that felt nothing like a home.  I have been able to travel easily between my home college and school, and previously referred to my college dorm as “home” unintentionally within about a week of living there.  But this felt completely different.  

I was stuck in an abstract experience that simply suspended me from what I was missing back home; I was worried that this trip would not be worth the time I was not spending with the people I care about back home.  It felt almost as if I was being forced to wait out a long sentence before I could enjoy my life again. 

The fact that I didn’t have internet at the time really didn’t help my situation because it reinforced the notion of being cut off from what I am comfortable with.  I was trapped in purgatory.

Later that evening I was able to access to the internet and contact my loved ones.  In addition, after my roommate arrived, my purgatory felt much more like a college dorm.  I felt less isolated.  However, I was still resenting having to wait for the time when I knew the trip would be worth it.