Today was probably the most interesting day of the trip so far. We woke up early in the morning, and after our standard breakfast at the hotel, headed off to the Quzhou #2 high school. The bus ride was a long one, lasting over 4 hours. The bus ride took us through some unique parts of the Chinese countryside. We got to see farmers at work in rice paddies, several dense blocks of apartments, and even a couple of idyllic rural villages. On the way, we composed short introductory speeches in Chinese, and even stopped at a rest stop to buy Chinese snacks.
The day really got interesting, though, when we actually reached the school. We were filed into a conference room in the heart of the Quzhou #2's campus, and watched as throngs of the school's students, teachers, and administrative members entered to greet us. After a welcoming speech by the school's principal, we all went around the room and recited our introduction speeches from memory. It was really the first time I had to speak Chinese in front of a large audience that didn't speak English, and I was extremely nervous going in. Three words into my speech, the crowd erupted into applause, which really confused me. It turns out that rather than achieving something exceptional, I had made a pretty novice mistake. I used the informal greeting rather than the formal one, the equivalent of going up to a crowd of students, teachers, and principles you had never met and introducing yourself by saying "hey guys, how's it going." It turns out that this brought about endearment rather then scorn, something which made me very grateful. The worst had happened, I made a big mistake in front of a crowd of strangers, and in the end everything was ok. It was really a lesson in global hospitality and acceptance.
After the introductions, we were paired off with our host families. These were the Quzhou students and parents that we would be living with for the next week. I introduced myself to my host, Yisi, in my broken Chinese, and she introduced herself in her broken English. Having some of the least experience in the Chinese language of the group, I had a bit of trouble communicating, but our combined language knowledge allowed us to make do. On the car ride to her home, we told each other about ourselves. I told her about my interests, experience, and family as best I could, and she told me the same about herself. It turns out she was a big fan of Japanese cartoons, known as anime in the west, an obscure hobby that we both happened to share. It was surprising and heartening to know that people in such a different part of the world could share such unique interests.
I made it to her home as the rest of the group was arriving at their hosts', and her family served me a delicious dinner of rice, many kinds of meat and vegetables, and winter melon soup. I didn't know how to eat the meal at first, but I watched and learned and picked it up pretty quickly. It was delicious, and clearly prepared with a lot of effort. Over all, her family was very hospitable and helpful, even though I could only communicate in my very limited Chinese. After finishing this entry, she's going to show me some activities that she likes to do, and I'll head off to bed. Today was the group's first day really integrating into Chinese life, and I think it was a real learning experience for all of us.
Aaron
The day really got interesting, though, when we actually reached the school. We were filed into a conference room in the heart of the Quzhou #2's campus, and watched as throngs of the school's students, teachers, and administrative members entered to greet us. After a welcoming speech by the school's principal, we all went around the room and recited our introduction speeches from memory. It was really the first time I had to speak Chinese in front of a large audience that didn't speak English, and I was extremely nervous going in. Three words into my speech, the crowd erupted into applause, which really confused me. It turns out that rather than achieving something exceptional, I had made a pretty novice mistake. I used the informal greeting rather than the formal one, the equivalent of going up to a crowd of students, teachers, and principles you had never met and introducing yourself by saying "hey guys, how's it going." It turns out that this brought about endearment rather then scorn, something which made me very grateful. The worst had happened, I made a big mistake in front of a crowd of strangers, and in the end everything was ok. It was really a lesson in global hospitality and acceptance.
After the introductions, we were paired off with our host families. These were the Quzhou students and parents that we would be living with for the next week. I introduced myself to my host, Yisi, in my broken Chinese, and she introduced herself in her broken English. Having some of the least experience in the Chinese language of the group, I had a bit of trouble communicating, but our combined language knowledge allowed us to make do. On the car ride to her home, we told each other about ourselves. I told her about my interests, experience, and family as best I could, and she told me the same about herself. It turns out she was a big fan of Japanese cartoons, known as anime in the west, an obscure hobby that we both happened to share. It was surprising and heartening to know that people in such a different part of the world could share such unique interests.
I made it to her home as the rest of the group was arriving at their hosts', and her family served me a delicious dinner of rice, many kinds of meat and vegetables, and winter melon soup. I didn't know how to eat the meal at first, but I watched and learned and picked it up pretty quickly. It was delicious, and clearly prepared with a lot of effort. Over all, her family was very hospitable and helpful, even though I could only communicate in my very limited Chinese. After finishing this entry, she's going to show me some activities that she likes to do, and I'll head off to bed. Today was the group's first day really integrating into Chinese life, and I think it was a real learning experience for all of us.
Aaron