We just returned from a village in the countryside, three hours north of Beijing. This was my daughter Maddie’s 5th grade “spring trip” — 16 boys (mostly Korean) and 10 girls. Miss Martins and Miss Hendricks asked me to join their trip to coach the boys.I enjoyed all the things not found in the city: blue skies, fresh [clean] breezes, grass, birds, and trees — but more than that, I thoroughly enjoyed observing these boys and their distinctly-Asian culture. It is so interesting. They are “group” and not just a bunch of individuals. I can’t describe it well, except that they are unconsciously in tune with their group. Whether they are making jokes, playing cards, or rock climbing — they are together in it all.I really like it — I secretly wish I grew up in a group like theirs: it is a genuine fraternity. On the other hand, in America, boys and men seem distinctly individual and less relational one to the other; having more concern about themselves and their own success.

You should see how these Korean boys talk, laugh, play, hang on shoulders, even walking arm-in-arm — and there is no hint or connotation of being “gay” as would be the criticism if they lived in the US.I think we Westerners could learn a lot from this, maybe there would be less busy-but-lonely-people.

Thursday was a “free day” in Chengdu. I slept in till 6:30 and took my time getting ready while watching BBC World News (the only channel I could understand.) Ate some great Chinese food on the breakfast buffet: a hot peanut/tofu dish, fried noodles, steamed dumplings, bread pudding, and the coffee was excellent. After catching up on email in my room, decided I wasn’t going to be a super-tourist; I’m not going 4 hrs away to see the panda research center (something most people would consider a “must do”). Instead I went to JinLi, one of the most ancient commercial streets in the history of the Sichuan province.

 

JinLi was crowded with Chinese tourists eating and shopping, snapping pictures. I felt it was analogous to Alexandria’s Old Town, except that JinLi is older by two millenniums. I think you can understand my thoughts: a historical place that has become a tourist trap.

Anyway, I only saw two Westerner’s briefly — everyone else Asian. I wasn’t surprised by the Starbucks [I don’t like going to Starbucks in China — it seems so expensive and unnecessary], TCBY, and Dairy Queen. There were several yummy-smelling Sichuan food stands, mainly noodles. I tried some kind of meat wrapped in a flat bread with fresh veggies (so good). And here I will admit that I did stop and get a DQ Blizzard. After watching people for a long time, I went to the city square with it’s huge statue of Chairman Mao Zedong.

 

After a day of being on my own, observing Chinese people and places… I’m thinking that the cultural differences are not as significant as I thought. The young people are joking/laughing, the children are curious about the fish in the pond, the old people are relaxed and observant, the buyers envy the same luxury brands, the couples are in love, the workers are busy… It is not hard for me to imagine that we have some relatives in common.

Tonight Rachel made me watch Slumdog Millionaire. The kids bought it on the street this week and watched it last night… they said it was the kind of movie I’d like. They were right. The setting in Mumbai was so fascinating. And I’m always hooked when someone is redeemed, or rescued.

I also think it is appealing when we can have hope. Hope that I am not trapped in this slum, never to break out. Hope that there is more to this life. Hope that there is someone greater than me who has a plan for me. Hope that I am destined for something.The concept of destiny is brought out in the movie. This makes sense to me as I think real hope relies on destiny, because it is hard to have hope for a new future if you don’t believe in some kind of god or hidden power that controls the future. At the end of the movie, Jamal whispers, “It’s our Destiny.” I think we all have one.

This is my Chinese Language teacher, Lydia.
A benefit of my job is two hours with a language tutor each week.
Lydia is from the north-central part of China, called Inner Mongolia.
(Seems like she’s always this cheery.)