Since I've been back it has definitely been a rollercoaster. My chinese housemates moved out, it smells like something died in the wall (ew?), my phone was stolen, I went to the art district, got lost in a bunch of hutong (alley), my internet died, met a bunch of cool people at Lush while using their internet, my internet was still dead, my american phone decided to work about 20% of the time, realized I could get internet on my kindle, figured out the chinese bus system, found the Beijinger and TimeOut Beijing!! (this was a big one), learned how to make authentic dumplings, and got my PHONE RETURNED!!!!!!!!
(Ps you can read about my mongolia trip here)
China has a lot of ups and downs.
Down: My phone was stolen
Up: It was miraculously returned
Down: It can get pretty lonely
Up: A lot of people are feeling it. I met a bunch of new people at an expat (foreigner) hangout.
Down: I can't understand a lot of Chinese
Up: I can still hold conversations and am not the typical American demanding people to speak English.
Down: Chinese people will speak English to me instead of Chinese.
Up: I AM GOING TO PRACTICE MY CHINESE. JUST YOU WATCH ME.
Down: Get called a laowai and people will try to screw me over.
Up: Live it, own it, and haggle them down to below local prices.
Down: Being disconnected from Allegheny, my sorority, and home life.
Up: Being disconnected from Allegheny, my sorority, and home life.
Down: No CHEESE. No BREAD. NO CHEESE! WTF CHINA?!
Up: Dumplings. Fried Montau. Noodles. OM NOM NOM.
Down: Being lonely
Up: Awesome new friends :)
Something I have been thinking about is that for a lot of people it's out of sight, out of mind. China has definitely changed my perspective on a lot of things already. I notice that I have a different work ethic and a different approach to people here. Even though China can be a very me me me society, there is a sense of close-knit community between people. I am thankful everyday for the close friends I have made here and am making here. In America I feel like I have a wider group of "friends", which after going abroad, seem more like a large group of acquaintances with some real friends thrown in.
Allegheny College is all about community, and there is definitely a better sense of community there than many places, but I've been pretty disappointed with Allegheny since being here (and maybe a little bit last semester). It was a constant struggle with Allegheny for me to even go abroad, and my struggle, months later, is still not finished. And the irony of it is that I got into a much better program. Furthermore if you're going abroad the support for students is laughable. Well actually, a better question is "What support system?" There is none. Neither is there really support from my sorority. Which when you think about it, is a lot about support and sisterhood. Sisters helping sisters. Yeah, okay. Maybe 3-5 people out of my entire sorority have sent me an email or a message. Don't get me wrong, I love my sorority and it is very true to a lot of our core values, but going abroad definitely helped me see it in a clearer light.
I think everyone at some point should go abroad and live outside of the United States or at least in an area vastly different from where you are from/grew up. It opens your eyes to many things.
I guess one example of this would be that Americans are all gungho about freedom of speech and net neutrality and freedom. In China, a lot of Chinese people are for some of the regulation of the internet (for things such as porn, nsfw things, pedophiles, etc), but there is some expressions of discontent.
China works toward the new American (Chinese) dream. There are millions of people migrating in China in search for a better life. In America I see so many people content with where they are or feel stuck in one place. It's not easy to get out of that, but go somewhere new. Move, get out, save up a thousand dollars, go somewhere new, teach english or somehow earn money, and soak up some culture. It's worth it.
And end rambling.
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