A Not-So-Brief Interlude

Travel tip # 7 : Traveling is the best. What more effective way is there to explore and be amazed by another country while remembering what is good about your own? Traveling can give you unparalleled perspective…but only if you’re open to it.

I’m sitting at my computer—charge light flickering once in a while because of the less than perfect connection between my power-strip and cable chord—writing this blog that will be posted to the Internet in a “round about” way so as to hopefully avoid any kind of governmental intervention. I have a rash around my neck and diseased looking legs, not to mention the foul, bitter smell coming from the dregs at the bottom of my tea-cup. I’m not trying to be melodramatic, but its funny to think that with just a few word-tweaks and an absence of some finer details this little intro can sound something like an unfortunate section of a murder mystery, government espionage, or other emotionally-hyped fiction.

So what about the charge on the computer? As long as I can still use it, I’m OK. My poor friend, though. She somehow managed to actually burn her power strip. I think judging from the questions and the length of her conversation with Apple they were just happy no one got electrocuted, burned, or damaged in any way that would lead to some kind of law suit. However, being in China does make the retrieval of the new, free chord she’s entitled to rather difficult. On the one hand, I’m happy that Apple is, at least for now, more solidly based in the US than any other country (that I know of). Its just that in a “global” economy when everyone is saying we’re going “international”, I don’t think that means conveniently international quite yet.

The government thing is a whole other ball game. I love Chinese art, and the Chinese language. I love the millions of little perks that come from living in a Chinese city, and the cute little spout in the bathroom I can use to rinse my feet of when I come home from walking about in that city. But in spite of all the things I love about China, I think the government would be a deciding factor in my choice to live her long-term.

You may recall my awesome, superhero roommate. Well, it turns out that this little nutrition major has not so much to say about food (unless she’s stuffing her face with it, because, damn, she knows how to eat) and quite a bit to share about her feelings on her government. Despite being absolutely enthralled in my fascinating homework about Chinese banking and related vocabulary, I forced myself to tear my eyes from the page to witness an epic battle between what seems like a very normal, well-mannered, sweet Chinese college student, and the little ball of fire that sleeps in the bed across from me. What made it all the more interesting was that all words were fired in Chinese, giving the already heated topic an extra surge of energy, not only because all the foreign students were leaning forward paying close attention so as to not let unfamiliar words slip away, washing away the conversations meaning in the process, but also because of nature of the language. Lets face it: as much as I love Chinese, its not exactly the prettiest language.

What were they arguing about? It seems like everything. Does the government need to change? Has it changed enough? Personally, I think that only having one choice for 主席 (zh3xi2) or “chairperson” doesn’t really count as a choice. Even if someone could be illogically persuaded that it does count, it wouldn’t matter because he couldn’t vote anyway! Has China progressed? Yes. Is it done? I sure hope not. However, candidate A in our debate seemed to think that China’s progress is commendable and that we shouldn’t discuss the topic anymore. To me it seemed a lot like if someone commended a little kid on learning the alphabet. Despite the child’s newfound ability in reading, writing, and pronouncing all the letters, however, he still cannot put them together to form words. But, hey, its better than not knowing the alphabet at all, right? Well, not according to my roommate. The alphabet is great. But the point is to be able to eventually form words, meaning, understanding. China may be a slow learner, but if no one talks about it and encourages this progress, she’ll give up and settle for less.

By far the most fascinating point was also the newest to me. Apparently Mao had a son. Who knew? Well, not me. He died in war, leaving Mao with no “healthy”, suitable sons. My roommate said that although his death was a tragedy…it wasn’t really so much of a tragedy after all. In her opinion, if he hadn’t died, there is a definite possibility that Mao would have handed over his governmental powers to his son, sending the country down an entirely different path. So, maybe its good he died in that war after all. When she said that I got the same shiver down my spine that I and many other Westerners get when imagining what the world would look like if Germany had won World War II. We would surely live in a very different place. If it weren’t for one mans death, China could look quite a bit different today.

As for the rash around the neck? Well, it emerged right around the time I went to go see the Chinese medicine man.

And If I could just put in another quick little tip, I would say, Travel Tip #8: Believe in the Chinese medicine man, even if he’s a white American.

After 3 weeks of slowly progressing pain in the stomach and other unpleasant symptoms, I decided consuming a full box of Pepto in under a month just wasn’t the way to handle my situation. When in Rome do as the Romans do, so I guess when in China you’re supposed to do as the Chinese do. Well, I think that’s probably what got this overly clean, sanitary, suburban American in trouble in the first place, but I gave the saying another shot and picked the traditional Chinese medicine man over my familiarity with the Western way of handling things. Not that I doubted him…I mean, if I had, I certainly wouldn’t have gone, but the immediate effects of just two packets of teeny herbal pills sealed my faith. The little herbal wonders were just to tide me over until I was able to pick up the traditional Chinese medicine version of antibiotics from the “drug store”. (Photo 2) Now I’m on a twice-daily diet of the most foul smelling, bitter tasting green liquid that such a beautiful teacup as mine has ever been forced to contain, but the results justify the temporary abuse of my taste buds. So why the rash? Was I just destined to have something wrong with me my whole stay here? Are the chicken-pox looking bug bites littering my legs not enough? Last night I only just figured out that this was neither transfer of illness nor divine punishment, but rather the result of wearing the chain of a very pretty but very fake necklace I bought the same day I went to see the Doctor. Despite my pride in haggling that necklace down to a somewhat reasonable price, wearing it is simply not worth the splotches.

Such a beautiful necklace, such a thrill from bargaining. I think these are two of China’s most enjoyable aspects for a traveling foreigner: cool things and good prices. But quality is still an issue. This necklace is only one small example. I’m sure I could find just as fake a necklace that could give me just as big a rash in New York, L.A., Paris, or London, but I feel that they would be cheap, street-sold exceptions. I also know that China’s products have problems with quality overall. I’m currently living in a country where no one dares eat fruit without a thorough washing beforehand, a country where even the locals don’t drink the tap water and customers are at the mercy of companies. It seems I’ve traveled through time and into the political cartoons from Mr. Sweetland’s AP US History class my junior year when we learned how America didn’t always used to have its current standards of health and quality.

This was an awfully long interlude, but it seems that the reflection is not only helpful but also necessary. I love China. I love being here. Its both crucial to refrain from pitting one country against another so as to appreciate them both, and equally important to impartially allow the good points of each country to come forward and instill a desire in the traveler for understanding and progress of both systems. This is both the exciting adventure and the important duty of The Foreigner.