I'm in Kumming, China!

February 23rd, 2003 

 

 

My SIT field study group just got back from a midsize city called Tonghai, where we had our orientation. Now we are getting ready to start buckling down and attending Chinese classes at Yunnan Normal University.
 

Things are pretty wild and different in this large southwestern city, although it appears that just in the past five years everything has become much more westernized and modernized.  Still, the streets are filled with bike taxis and the occasional horse-drawn cart, our meals are fifteen dish banquets of pig intestines, whole fish and other delicacies, and everyone is exceptionally Asian in appearance.  The Chinese we've met have been wonderfully friendly so far, and I can almost communicate a few basic needs and pleasantries.  What’s wonderful is that just saying Nin hao (hello, how are you) and xiexie (thank you) often get huge responses, particularly from the elderly Chinese who tend to initially gawk a little at us visiting roundeyes. 

 

Although I didn't plan my first Internet jaunt into the city very well, somehow I’m confident of surviving in this stimulating new Sino-world these next six months.

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Feb 28 2003      

We started classes yesterday.  Mostly Chinese language interrupted by a half-hour morning tai ji class, taught by an old, agile master.  We really only have seventeen or eighteen days of Chinese language training in the classroom; I'm going to really push myself to learn. 

This effort at study is proving hard, however, since its incredible fun to go out and experience Kunming.  We go out to dinner at wild little noodle joints and point at funny looking meats and vegetables, and within two minutes we have five or six plates laid out in front of us.  Than everyone wants to go drink pijiu (beer) at the "cool to death" bar. 

The Chinese attempt to appropriate English names is hilarious.  In all the clothing shops there are t-shirts that say things like. "I know dogs you could be,” or “Why not jump up a rainbow." I think it’s sort of like Chinese character tattoos in America. It doesn't matter what it says--no one can tell the difference. So I moved myself into a harder Chinese class today.

It contains just three people, so I have to speak all the time, and I don't know half the words or any of the characters. But I think if I work hard it will really pay off--particularly when I get to start hanging with my Chinese language partner and my home stay family.      

I love chopsticks, and I’ve got a good group of folks to hang with.  I would like a little more forced integration. But I guess that’s coming later.  Mostly I think I need to learn to just go with things here.  That seems to sort of be the Chinese method so far. Wu wei. i.e. doing, not doing--a little bit of tao to pass the time.