China, First Impressions

Hi everyone,

Apologies for the lack of updates to this blog, I have been in my third day already in China. So much to explain and tell, I will do my best to have my thoughts and commentary semi-organized.

It's interesting how rumors turn out to be both false and true, and you can never quite tell what is and what isn't until you have experienced it for yourself. I believe part of my decision to live in China was to demystify all the rumors I had heard and to see for myself what China is and what it is not.

Of course, I have to be careful in the commentary I make on this country, because I have only partially experienced China; Tianjin is but one of many cities in China, and it also undergoes continual change.

Putting aside my Anthropological tendencies, I have really enjoyed my stay thus far in China. Words can't express how wonderful and embracing Lily's family has been towards me. Not that I have forgotten my family back home, but I can say that I now have a family in China as well. From the very beginning, once I set foot outside customs in the airport, I was met with warm hospitality and smiles.

The first person I saw of Lily's family was her mom, who had been near the railing; she noticed me right away. I soon was able to finally see for my eyes Lily's dad, as well as Lily once again. It was great being able to hug and see Lily. She cried quite a bit, and it tore me up inside; that's when I knew what I had put myself through. Alma had told me several times, "There will be moments when you ask yourself, 'Why in the world did I choose this?'" I'll admit, I have pondered that quite often since being here.

It's not just the hurt I can foresee for both Lily and me, but it's also the displacement. Tianjin has brought to me mixed reactions. I am trying to keep an open mind to this whole experience, and I am making an effort in any way that I can to express my thoughts with sensitivity, but I have found a few things depressing so far. Among these things are the language barrier, the infrastructure of Tianjin and the pollution. If I could have asked for better preparation upon going to China, I would have wished for my friends to emphasize the pollution problem.

To the credit of my friends, I was given fair warning, but sometimes seeing it for yourself is the only way. I don't want to paint a dismal picture, but Tianjin has a long way to go to improve its environment. For example, in the few days that I have been here, I have only seen several moments of clear sky in which you can see blue. The rest of the time, it has been mostly grey here, with very little sunshine. You can actually see smog covering many buildings and visibility here is very narrow; you can't really see for many miles. It's almost as if the city has contiual fog over it, yet it's a result of pollution. Other complaints might be trash that can be seen on the streets and some of the atrocious odors you might experience from time to time as you walk along the streets.

Getting all of the negative criticism out of the way, China has been very beautiful. As Lily put it, people here may not have much, but their happiness sure goes a long way. I have yet to see any sadness amongst Lily's family and friends. Sure, I may have seen them on their good days, but I feel that people here have stronger connections with each other. China is such a large country, and many people have to rely on their social networking to get by; this is the practical side for Chinese people being strongly connected.

What I find is, day by day, I'm starting to see past the environmental problems, and beginning to really take to Lily's family and the other Chinese people I have met. I can't really emphasize how happy the moments have been here with Lily's parents and grandparents. For example, as I was standing in the open shower of Lily's grandparents' home, I thought to myself, "Wow, I'm really happy to be here." This was when I could hear Lily, her mother, her grandparents, and her cousins laughing and giggling; they all seemed to be so happy.

I would do the 10+ hour plane ride again just to be able to meet Lily's family. They all make me want to be more compassionate and unselfish. I've also told Lily that, part of this decision involved my wanting to better appreciate what I have. In other words, seeing what is China, and missing what is America has really made me come to love my country. I already miss the Austin environment, the music and the movies, as well as the food. However, I believe Americans could really learn a lot from Chinese warmth and compassion.

Well, these are my initial impressions and I will continue to add to and mold my understanding/view of China. I will also try to add pictures as soon as I can find a converter for my camera battery charger.

I miss you all and I will continue to update and keep in contact with you. By the way, thank you all so far the comments you have all left me. I have been able to read them, and I am really happy that you all have taken an interest in my experience. I hope to provide more interesting insight into China's lifestyle and my experiences here.

Love,
Mike