EXPECTATIONS and REALITY

Summary
There were a few surprises in my journey

SURPRISE ONE: MY NEW FRIENDS

In Canada and USA, I made many friends with other faculty. I have friends I keep in touch with that I worked with over ten years ago. Every now and then I would make friends with a student, but most move on with their lives, and we lose touch.

When I went to China, I expected the same thing. I was living in an apartment building with 45 other faculty from around the world. People from England, Switzerland, Sweden. Australia, Japan, Phillippines, and of course both Canada and USA.

The students were of a different culture, weak at English, and met me on a professional level. I expected to make friends of the professors, and maybe one or two students would keep in touch with me after I left.

The exact opposite happened. Although it is early, I can say I made friends with two faculty, Don Sampson and Roger Loy, both from Canada. Acquaintances with two others, Justuce from USA and Michael from Australia.

I made friends with many students. I should stay in touch with Linda, Rita, Rone and Jennifer for the rest of my life. Several others, may stay in touch with me also, including David, Aaron, Kobe, Tina, Winnie, Salice, Zoe, Cissy, Fiona, Sophie, Allison, Yvonne (although I am angry with her) to name a few.

This is not what I expected. They were such wonderful caring people.

I never expected to make so many friends, and with students, but I did.

SURPRISE TWO: ADAPTING TO LIFE IN CHINA

I easily adapted to the life, food culture. Although I said I would on the outside, on the inside I was not so sure. Everything was so different, not better or worse, just different.

Food was different spices and ingredients. Cultural expectations were different. Business, teaching, living were all different then here. I had only lived in Western society.

Lets start with the food. Food was different using spices and ingredients. It was tasty and healthy, but different. Very little sweetness and almost no chocolate. Rice was served with everything. It was good, and I enjoyed it, although I did have the occasional craving for a chocolate bar, or greasy deep fried chicken wings with hot sauce.

Culture was different. The first week, I was walking with two students, Jennifer and Rone, with them holding my hands. I was a little uncomfortable. Not sure where this would lead. I have learned they hold hands with everyone they care about. It is not a boyfriend girlfriend thing, but a friendship thing. I also learned kissing is taboo. Italians, even Marco Polo, would have difficulty there. Vince, my good Italian friend would be outed very quickly.

It took about a month, but I was very comfortable there I would seriously consider moving there forever. Buy a nice home near Xiamen, work part time, semi retired. Enjoy life.

I never thought I would consider living anywhere but Canada, even Ontario, but I would move to China in a minute.

SURPRISE THREE :CHINESE CAN’T DRIVE.

The driving is crazy ... by our standards, but it works. It works because EVERYONE drives with the same understanding. Here, if someone is in the lane next to you, they have the right of way. There, whoever is in front has the right of way. It actually looks bad by our standards, but it has a very practical side to it. The driver only has to look in front and to the side, not behind. The driver in the back has the responsibility to avoid the collision. Actually makes sense, and is safer!

Driving is DIFFERENT and makes sense!


SURPRISE FOUR: Communism is bad,

And .. It is dying. Everyone here is guaranteed a place to live, a job, and enough money for food. It may be a dump of a place with rats, a boring unsafe job, and no steak and lobster. BUT, no starving unemployed street bums with no future either.

Communism has a lot of good.

SURPRISE FIVE CHINESE ARE UNDERPAID AND OVER WORKED.

Chinese are paid low wages ... but cost of living is also low, something people forget to mention. Here, minimum wage is $10 per hour and milk is $2 per litre, bread $2 per loaf, and a Big Mac Meal is $8 with taxes.

In China, minimum wage is $1 per hour. Milk costs .40 per litre, bread is .40 per loaf, and a Big Mac meal is $1.25. Remember, they don’t pay rent, so the cost of living and the wages are in line.

Wages and Cost of Living are in-line with each other, for this system. A little low, but with no rent, just fine.

SURPRISE SIX: ALL DVD’s ARE PIRATED

Well... the price is low. I paid only $0.75 for DVD-5 (6 RMB) and about $1.25 for DVD-9 (10 RMB). I bought over 300 of them.

But here is the catch. All DVD’s are that price. Western, Korean, Chinese, Hong Kong, Japanese, French, Italian ... . WHY??? Because ... there are no movie theatres, and all the movies are available for FREE on the internet. How much can you charge for a DVD movie when anyone can get it for free? (I have the link if you want to check this out.)

The DVD prices are what they are because of SUPPLY AND DEMAND and COMPETITION !!! A great WESTERN concept.

SURPRISE SEVEN: I was there to improve academics.

Based on the negotiations I had with Humber College to stay another term, Canadian college system is going like the American system. A money hungry business with no ethical or moral fibre. Humber is in this to make money only. Get foreign students to come to Canada and pay lots of money and no concern about academic integrity. Shame Shame on Humber College.

I was there to help Humber make a profit.

SURPRISE EIGHT: I WILL LEARN TO SPEAK A LOT OF CHINESE

I bought books and cd’s I started with the basics. I got to class and said ‘ne how” I learned to count to five. Then I learned I had 120 people who spoke very little English and were coming to Canada in August. I also learned that my little cell phone translator, a smile, and few Canadian Flag pins can solve almost any problem (except to buy strawberries)

My students took me many places, but we worked in their English skills, and my Chinese went out the window.

I survived on little knowledge of the Chinese language.


SURPRISE NINE: THIS IS A DEVELOPING NATION

I never heard of Xiamen before I went there. I knew about Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, but that was it. I expected a dirty, poor, backwards city. I spent four days in Shanghai, and four in Hong Kong. They put us to shame. The infrastructure is current and efficient. The architecture is outstanding. We should be embarrassed to be so far behind them.

Xiamen is also ahead of us. They move people from place to place with ease. They cam mobilize workers to get work done quickly. They have bamboo scaffolding which is lighter, stronger and more flexible then ours. The build complex structures like 10 km bridges quickly and efficiently. Xiamen has two major highways, two 10 km bridges and several other major construction projects going on. We struggle with one little subway line along Sheppard Avenue which goes nowhere. They design and build major projects with ease.

We are the developing nation

SURPRISE TEN: People are crowded and unhappy.

The dorms had between 6 and ten people in a room, very little privacy, But they are happy, and they learn to get along. In the west, if we don’t like someone, we avoid them. We have a lot os space and go do our own thing. There, they learn to accept and get along, even if they disagree. They have the skill to accept and move on. We do not.

Everyone is happy. They play and find joy in simple things. Walking in nature, mountain climbing, touching, holding hands. They do not have all the techno - entertainment, kids sitting in front of a TV or Game Boy to find entertainment, very little “keeping up with the Joneses” attitude.

People are crowded and may be happier because of it.