frauke at large

Walking along on University Park today, I started reflecting on my last 3 months in China. It’s been quite an eventful and exciting time; as well as an incredible learning experience.

I guess I should start with the very first thought that came to my mind as I wandered: I don’t regret coming out here for one second. I have lived in many different countries and have had the privilege to study many different cultures and people, yet China has added a whole new dimension to my cultural experiences. They range from culinary experiences, crazy taxi rides, bureaucratic procedures, nail clipping in the airport lounge, impressive landscapes and diverse horticulture, to trying to understand behaviours, language, interpreting tones of voice, attitudes and trying to comprehend what the people of China have gone through in the last few decades and how that has influenced and is expressed in their being now. Altogether quite a difficult task to master in such a short period of time – and quite frankly – it’s not always been easy.

There was the time, right at the beginning of my stay, where I felt rather isolated and helpless to some extent, as this new environment was just too different and difficult to access, compared to anything that I had previously been confronted with. I distinctly remember an incident in a coffee place where my lack of inter-cultural-social competence in terms of Asia resulted in my queuing for coffee for roughly 20 minutes because my English queueing skills were taken advantage of – or so I felt. Now that I have been here for longer I can see how queuing is just not part of the Chinese vocabulary when it comes to coffee, taxies or food. First in gets the prize, with clearly no room for decorum. Although, that said, the Chinese can be extremely curtious and forthcoming.

Yet, as I said earlier, it’s been a steep learning curve and now that I am much more at ease in this vast country, I am enjoying myself immensely. As you can see from my previous posts, Shanghai has been inspirational and liberating – a truly cosmopolitan city with so much diversity and charm that many metropoles look generic and bland in comparison. Especially dinner right up in the Jin Mao tower was an unforgettable experience, as well as the first few days after my very first arrival in Shanghai.

Then there have been my many travels. Yunan and various other trips around this province, have allowed me to immerse myself a little more actively into the culture and see how life off campus is played out. Unfortunately, compared to life on campus, those attempts have also only allowed for a marginally more profound view through the looking glass, as language barriers are still too vast to allow for a better, more involved understanding. Hopefully however, in a few months time, I will have the chance to do some rigorous, academic research into some of the cultural and social dynamics of the Chinese people, which should allow for a better comprehension of my current residence.

Funnily enough, parallel to my trying to make sense of them, they are also trying to make sense of us. By ‘us’ I mean the overseas staff and students on campus. I take this from the conversations I have had with some of my students. It emerged that, although attracted by the differences and curiosities, understanding, interpreting and handling these is as difficult for them as it is for us. Sometimes I wonder whether we are quite ready for each other, but then, every day, I notice that we are growing closer, fonder and more accustomed to one another and that’s a very encouraging feeling. Nevertheless, to some extent we will always remain somewhat alien, particularly when it comes to more deep-rooted, inexplicable, intrinsic cultural aspects and customs.

All in all, it’s been extremely educational and rewarding and I would not want to trade in the last few months for anything else. On that note – I’m off to see another part of the province tomorrow – Tiantong temple and white tea plantations – with a colleague. I will report back, hopefully with some more pictures and impressions of China. 再见

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