May 24, 2010
Unfortunately, our time here in Chongqing is coming to an end. Just like many people had told me, these days here flew by so I did my best to cherish every moment of it. In my time here I can honestly say I learned many things, met many great people, and I also learned a few things about myself. One thing that surprised me so far is that Jes and Brie didn’t kill each other rooming together. I guess they had too many other events and activities going on to even get in each other’s way. Another pleasant surprise I received at CTBU was the extent of students’ kindness. I was told how excited these students were for our arrival, but I had no idea how literal to take that. While I was in Beijing, I had one personal interaction with a Chinese man. I would say this was a good icebreaker for me to prepare myself for what type of questions the students would probably be asking me. The man from Beijing, Kevin, scared me a little because he was very personal and “in my face.” When we arrived in Chongqing a few days later I was a little more nervous to meet the students because of my experience talking with Kevin. The fear inside me left the moment I saw a group of Chinese students wearing red shirts holding a Widener University sign. As I recall, I was leading the pack of Widener students and faculty toward the CTBU students. I was met by a smiling, pretty girl who was smiling and waving frantically at me and directed me toward the side so we could gather everyone. It was also nice to see Rod waiting for us in the airport. His presence, in my opinion, made everyone feel a little more comfortable because we knew he would be able to bridge any opening language barriers. To my surprise, these students spoke almost perfect English! After maybe 30 seconds of sitting on the bus I was already in my first full conversation. Lou and I sat with a CTBU senior named Julia. The three of us chatted the entire bus ride to CTBU’s campus. It was such a relief that I could have a comfortable conversation that easily. I don’t think these students could have made a better opening impression to us. I remember laying in my bed that first night thinking about how great this experience was going to be. Even though my body was extremely tired from all the traveling, my thoughts where racing as I skimmed over our three week agenda. I also don’t think I could have been matched with a better CTBU partner. Sharoe was extremely kind and comforting when I first met her. I found it funny when she kept trying to carry my bag that probably weighed as much as she did. She even called my room phone that first night around 11:00 to make sure I was comfortable and to see if I needed anything else!
I would have to say that our initial arrival to CTBU was probably one of my favorite moments here. These students made us feel so special and welcomed. I hope I can return this same feeling to some of the CTBU students who will be attending Widener in the fall. The most important aspects of my learning here have been about the Chinese culture and Chinese way of life. The people and the students here are extremely hard working. I am not comparing this to the American work ethic, but it is very easy to note the extreme dedication to hard work and perfection within the people and especially the students here. For example, on Wednesday Sharoe has classes from 8:00 in the morning until 9:00 at night! I thought she was going to have a heart attack when I told her that on Wednesday I had a class at 9 then a class at 2 and that was it. The volunteers for this program also make it very clear how dedicated they are to the success of this program. Some students have told me that they have to sacrifice classes and take off of work at times to attend events that needed their assistance. From what I have gathered as well, the work wage here in pretty low, so it seems some people work longer, harder hours to obtain the luxuries they desire. With that being said, everyone person I have met is also extremely happy to be who they are and they pride themselves on their hard work and what they have accomplished. This is also evident in the students here who have a passion for basketball. These students know more players’ names and stats then I do and they love the game deeply. On many occasions I’ve seen students play nonstop for hours! One student, Cooper, told me that he trains his body everyday, whether that means playing basketball or just running the track. I saw him last night at about 9:45 as he left his final class. He told me that he was on his way to the track so he could run his two miles and make it back to his dorm before his 11:00 pm curfew. I was amazed by his dedication. He didn’t even have time to change his clothes so he just ran in the jeans and clothes he wore to class.
These students amaze me more and more everyday. Although college students here rely heavily, financially, on their parents’ aid, they are very independent in other aspects. For example, one night here a group of senior girls came over to my dorm room and cooked hotpot for Lou, Jermaine, and myself. I thought they were crazy when they said they would. It seems so difficult from my experience having hotpot in a restaurant. Much to my surprise they arrived with bags from the supermarket and went right to work. These four girls had a meal ready before I knew it! The hotpot was bubbling and they had arrangements of even more dishes than the restaurant did! This just goes to show one example of a cultural difference between us American students and some Chinese students. I feel that American students act much more mature than most students here and are much more independent in aspects like working and finances, but the students here show great strength in aspects like organizing this program and cooking. It may just be my opinion, but I feel like these students have organized this entire program by themselves! Every time we have an event I see the volunteers giving orders and getting people where they need to be. I’ve even seen a couple incidents where a student was telling a teacher how something needed to be done.
Overall, this culture has treated me with extreme kindness and a new understanding of myself. Whether talking about my partner, the Chinese family I spent the day with, or several people I met on the street I always felt very warm and welcomed. At one point I made the mistake of telling my partner I hadn’t eaten lunch yet and she began to divide a portion of her lunch for me. Spending the day with a Chinese family really gave me the inside view on this culture. I saw great respect shown for the grandparents of the family. While preparing lunch the chain of events went extremely smooth and it seemed everyone had an unspoken job that they immediately accomplished.
It makes me happy at events like English corner where I can return the favor to some of these students. I love getting to freely converse with them and allow them to learn from me and give me the chance to welcome them. Most importantly, this culture has taught me about myself. I have learned not to judge without understanding first. I realized in my stay here that people are people. Whether Chinese, American, Canadian, it doesn’t matter once the initial differences are passed all that is left are people. I also learned how to open my mind to a wider array of thoughts, ideas, and ways of thinking. This experience has changed me in a positive way and gave me the opportunity to meet some extremely interesting people and make a few nice networking connections.
