Some Observations on Language and Culture

Now that I’ve finally started blogging, there’re a few topics I want to hit before they become less timely. In other words, there might be several posts over the next couple days while I talk about my first two weeks here, but generally entries will probably be more spread out. Right now, I want to write the first of what will doubtless become countless entries concerning language and culture. Oh, before I get started, I just uploaded my first batch of photos! Check ‘em out: http://anamericaninheqing.shutterfly.com/

During the course of the Summer Training Program, the fellows are all living in dorms, with three fellows sharing each room. Maybe CEI put some thought into who was going to room with whom, or maybe it was just luck, but I could not be happier with my roommates. I live with Kristin, who grew up outside Seattle and graduated from Middlebury, and Chen Yanmei (Amber), who grew up in Guangdong province. As some of you folks might remember, I lived with a Chinese roommate when I studied abroad. I learned so much from her, and I know that without her my Beijing experience wouldn’t have been half as fulfilling. At the same time, we were (and probably still are) very different people.

Yanmei, on the other hand, is somebody I started to connect with almost instantly; she, Kristin, and I share significant values and are going through similar transitions. Even though Yanmei’s far less out of her comfort zone than Kristin and I are, having come from the States, CEI isn’t easy for her either. The three of us have formed a great support network for one another, celebrating good days and offering comfort when things go south. Yanmei’s also been so helpful in terms of my Chinese. Basically, most of the time I speak Chinese to her and she speaks English to me.

Kristin’s Chinese is a bit better than mine, and Yanmei’s English is better than Kristin’s Chinese, but it’s pretty amazing how much more comfortable with my Chinese I’ve gotten since arriving here. Don’t get me wrong—I’m still floundering a lot—but at least I’m not nearly as nervous to start talking these days. It helps that the American fellows have two hours of Chinese class every weekday afternoon and will presumably until we move to our schools.

I’d forgotten how much I love being able to move casually between English and Chinese, to switch languages mid-sentence and still be pretty darn sure that everyone around understands. Chinglish is the language of choice in Lincang, with fellows (both Chinese and American) switching all the time. I think as the STP continues and both nationalities start to feel more settled into using the other language, this phenomenon will only get more intense. Maybe we’ll create our own pidgin dialect?

Also, I will certainly write about Lincang Number One Middle School at some point, but I would just like to say that ninth graders should not under any circumstances be in school from 7:30 AM- 11:30 PM, and they shouldn’t have class on Saturday. I especially believe this because when the kids have class campus-wide bells start ringing at 6:40 AM. On Saturdays. Like I said, more on this topic later.

This morning a bunch of us went hiking, which in China does not necessarily mean dirt paths snaking gradually up a mountain. No, no. Instead, we had stairs going basically straight up a mountain. Lots of huffing and puffing, but we got to the top eventually and saw some beautiful views along the way. At the summit we celebrated with a picnic of junk food acquired from the on-campus shop. It was pretty funny. Tonight is dedicated to karaoke, which should be fun. I haven’t done that since the choir went to Japan.

Well, that’s all for now. Expect more soon, like I said.