living and life.

In just a few days, I will have been in China for a month. I've already eclipsed the longest amount of time I've been out of the country, and feel like I have actually learned quite a bit about another culture. In retrospect, I wish I had studied abroad for an entire semester during school. I know it would have been amazing...I've already grown really close to the people I am here with...I will finally understand how people feel when they return from a Study Abroad trip with a different perspective on so many things.

Lately I've pondered what I will say when people ask me what I've learned about this trip. It's obvious that what I thought I was going to be doing here has changed drastically. My expectations, my preconceived notions of China, my perceptions of the people I am here with... it's all been washed away and replaced with even better things. I honestly didn't know what to expect when I arrived here. I mean, for months we were strung along and didn't even know whether or not we would be on this trip. And now, a month in, I can start to see how much I have gained by being here.

Since arriving in China, I've watched the way people communicate a lot. I've pushed my own communication limits... trying to speak to Chinese-speaking friends in English, trying to learn how to speak to them a little in Chinese. I've explained a lot of English words and concepts to non-native English speakers... I've watched them suddenly understand something they have struggled with because they've never had the chance to ask a native English speaker. They've watched me fumble over the tonal qualities of Chinese, and cheered in unison when I pronounced something correctly.

I've become better at expressing myself in simple, clear terms to help people understand what I am saying. I've learned how no matter what language barrier there might be, some hand gestures and a smile will get you where you need to go. The power of just knowing "Hello" and "Thank You" is remarkable. Even the patience involved with communication gaps is something we have all learned, and I don't think I have met someone yet who was angry that I couldn't speak Mandarin. What's even more amazing is when, without knowing the same language, you can laugh about something with a complete stranger.

Aside from the things I have learned about cross-cultural communication, I've begun calling this an "anthropological adventure." I feel like I am studying China and its people so much... so many things are completely different than what I've seen before, but as always, people are still people... and you see things that are familiar as well. I've fished out a few photographs I've taken of what I like to call "real China"... the China not glazed with Olympic anticipation... the China that is so interesting and remarkable with or without a global event on the horizon.

People here are so capable of mobility, at any age. I have yet to see a stroller, and I have seen one wheelchair. Parents carry their kids in their arms before they learn to walk... no baby carrier, no strange backpack things with little chairs in them... and this leads me to believe that kids learn to walk at very early ages. In a city of so many people, there simply isn't room for strollers and all the giant kid-carrying contraptions we see so often in the US. Wheelchairs too... I've seen people who have to be pushing 90 riding bikes, walking faster than I can and carrying on as if they are as fit as a 25 year old. One of the most common things you will see in China is a strange squatting position that everyone uses... rather than sit on the ground (benches are very limited here also), they squat. I've tried it... and it's killer on the knees... but here it's just something everyone does, no matter what age.

Sun protection here is far and away better than anywhere I've ever seen. As soon as the heat of the sun is felt, umbrellas pop up, newspapers are used to shield faces, hats and visors grace everyone's heads... mostly women, but some men too. I've learned that the fairer your skin was (in ancient times) the more wealthy you were, because you didn't have to work outside in the sun. Today people here still cover up... I'm interested to see skin cancer rates among cultures such as the Chinese compared to the US where we frequently worship the sun.

The people of China are also a very recreational culture. People play games and sports regularly, and as a community. It is common to see several people gathered around two men playing a game of Chinese chess in the street. In the evenings, the track and soccer fields outside our window are filled with people... not necessarily working out to attain a better physique, but rather for health and social benefits. Hardly anyone here is body-image obsessed. You don't see people straining themselves lifting weights or doing push-ups until they collapse. Rather, they enjoy each others' company with a slow jog around the track or a friendly pick-up basketball game.

Communal work is one of the more interesting trends I have noticed. Because China has so many people to employ, many jobs are done by twice or three times as many people as the US would employ. Doesn't it make sense though? Americans work themselves to the bone, yet we still have homeless and unemployed people. Here everyone has a job, and while it may not be the most productive or strenuous, it works for their culture. Even people well into American retirement age are still working. And why not? If they can work at a comfortable pace and with others, it's a pretty healthy way to grow old.

Homes here are modest, there simply isn't enough room for people to be greedy with space. I know it is summer, and that might be one reason for so many people taking to the streets, but I also think it has a certain quality of community. Eating, playing and even doing laundry in the streets is not unusual. In a country where many people most likely don't have air conditioning either, outside is the place to be on a warm evening.

It's a really remarkable thing to observe people. My interest in anthropology is even greater after having a chance to really sink myself into China. It's just fascinating to see how other people live compared to what you are used to. And the crazy thing is, no matter how strange it may seem, no matter how absurd you think another way of life is... it works, and people still find so much joy in life. I think of how many people in the world survive on so much less than Americans... or at least Americans today... and I wonder what we could accomplish if we all took just a little less.

Maybe we'd leave our huge homes and take to the streets to get to know our neighbors... maybe we'd give up a little personal space to take public transportation instead of our own cars... maybe we'd take a little break from work to enjoy relaxing with our families... and maybe we'd realize that we wouldn't miss the things we gave up as much as we thought we would.