Yesterday marked one year to the day that Collin and I first step foot on Chinese soil. I can’t believe it has only been one year; I can’t believe it has already been one year. Collin contacted the owner of our favorite bar-- Bed Bar, where he DJs-- and asked if we could throw an anniversary party there. He said of course and we invited all of our foreign and local friends to come out. The last time the same group of people gathered at the same place was for my “Going Away Party" (yeah, yeah…), which was a lot of fun but tinged with sadness. This time, it was all good times and happiness. Collin spun all of our favorite tunes and we danced the night away.
Who would have thought we’d still be here one year later? One year and counting… Is it something about China that sucks certain laowais in, making it difficult for them to ever leave? Or is it simply something about becoming immersed in a new culture and country that is so enchanting? For me, it is certainly a mixture of both of these.
Attempting to reflect on everything we’ve been through and experienced this last year makes me feel overwhelmed—almost as overwhelmed as I felt when first touching down here. I don’t think I could have done it without Collin. No, I know I couldn’t have done it without my gege and we certainly wouldn’t have made it very far without Sixiao, our new students, and later our great friend Song Ge, who were/are consistently willing to help play interpreter/guide/assistant/translator every time we are in need.
The sweetness of the Chinese people—their hospitality, their eagerness to aid even a perfect stranger—is also overwhelming. The day I came back, as I was hauling all of my belongings in the cold rain, people stopped all along the way to help me. Holding doors, holding elevators, and even bringing my suitcases all the way to Collin’s front door for me. Collin’s students, whom I haven’t even met, were contacting agents to help me find a room to rent. Song Ge was contacting visa agents and helping me look into room situations as well. So sweet.
Of course this is also a dog eat dog world and if you slow down for one second in the fast lane, you will get run over. Quite literally. You have to keep your head up, your shoulder to the wheel, and nose to the grind to last here—this is not a country of slackers. Not all Chinese people are really sweet, some will try to take advantage of foreigners, but I don’t suppose that occurs more here than any other country.
It does seem as though when things are opposite here, they are vastly opposite. Because of this the running theme for our time here has been “Wo ai/bu ai ZhongGuo” (“I love/hate China”) and one truly feels these extremes every day. After a long day of being shoved around on the subway and breathing polluted air, eating amazing food and getting a 2 hour massage for less than $10 (for dinner AND the massage) helps you remember why you love it so much. Getting swindled out of money by a shady employer or a cunning vendor is awful and frustrating, but your brother’s student’s friend’s neighbor offering you help with anything you need (without ever having met you) reminds you how kind the majority of citizens are.
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I’ve been spending a lot of time going around the city on my own since I’ve been back. During the daytime when everyone else is at work, I’ve been running around getting my life back in order. It is almost humorous to think of how daunting this huge city once was to me, mainly due to the immense size and the spoken and written language barriers. Now I zip around via subway, bike, and taxi without a second thought. My Chinese is still hen bu hao, and has gotten worse due to my recent absence, but it is still enough to get by. I definitely thought 1 year in it would be much better, but without formal studying (and a lot of it) this language seems near impossible to ever master.
I run into people in Beijing all of the time now. A city of 20 million people, and I run into people I know. This is partly due to the expat community being somewhat tight knit and the fact that we all frequent the same areas and establishments, but bumping into people on the subway or in random places never ceases to blow my mind. Similarly, meeting new people here that know the same people you know back home, or have grown up in cities next to yours, or went to your same university at the same time, always makes you feel like this world is such a small place, despite living miles from where I grew up and in a country with a billion plus people. However, if there is one thing that I have learned from living abroad, it is that this world certainly is not a small, and there is much I must see and experience in my lifetime. But for now, China is still captivating and will be a great launching pad for my next adventures abroad.
