I am not going to drone on an on about how tough learning Chinese and other homework has been. I honestly haven’t posted a blog because I felt for awhile that all I was doing was homework and I had nothing interesting to post. But what I came to realize even the small moments are important to tell you about.
So the reason for the title is because along with the guy roommates I have that I have become brothers with I have made a lot of new friends. But first my guy friends in the program have been a God send. We have gotten past all the B.S. of just going 1st level with each other because we know this living situation is temporary. We have moved beyond that. We challenge each other, whether that is spiritually or getting each other out of our comfort zones. It’s a blessing. Why on earth should I have settle for complacency while in China. I need these challenges like these to realize what it is all about and that life is very short, it just takes eye-opening to realize it (which is pathetic on it’s own but lets save that lecture for another day). So I want to thank these guys. They have made the experience transcend just going on a trip. They have turned it into a true life changing experience where your life isn’t changed because you went to China and saw how the other side lived but you went to China and realized how you should live.
Along with those guys in my program I have met many other people while in China. One place is at the international Church of Xiamen. Along with meeting internationals at the university I have met some internationals at the church, each with a story. Side note, again, any time you meet a new person make it a habit to ask them about their life story and testimony. Just shut your mouth suck up your pride and desire to talk about yourself and just listen. Just for instance my friend Innocent. This man is just one name and face that I have talked to that made me realize my worries are so pathetic. Innocent is from Cameroon. He loves his country. Ten years or so ago he wanted a change in his country. He started “Friends of America International.” In his society they would work to strive to have a system that cared for its people. The country of Cameroon is rich in resources but it is being taken advantage of by it’s own government. Have you heard of the expression the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? That is Bull Shit in the U.S.! We have a system that encourages people to strive for the American Dream. In Cameroon the rich get richer because the government is the rich and they own everything. The U.S. is a lazy athlete in a race that finishes first because it can and Cameroon is a handicapped athlete that still runs the race even though it finishes last every time. It’s ridiculous. Anyway Innocent would write western nations for donations and they would supply him medicine and food for the needy in his country. Just the idea of property rights is so overlooked in our nation! In our country it is a non issue. of course what you own is yours. Innocent had to settle a dispute where a woman’s husband died and another man kicked her off her property because she did not have the means to tell him no and there was not a system that could tell the strange man that was not his property. Innocent settled the dispute and regained the land for the widow. Anyway, Innocent’s society taught it’s people to strive to gain freedom and rights (again a non factor in the U.S. but something another government does not freely give) for example the rights of women. In a meeting a man was sent to kill Innocent ,but as Innocent would say, “God is good”, the man who was sent to kill him dropped the gun out of his pocket right in front of Innocent. So soon after Innocent received an anonymous letter telling him to shut down the organization. After additional threats were made on his life he fled the country. Innocent has been teaching English in China for a few years now raising money so he can afford to continue to study law and find a way to help his people.
That is just one story. I have heard probably over a dozen about great acts of faith and the human desire to do good. It is encouraging there is light still in the world and it challenges me in many ways. By the way for those Denominational obsessed people out there, Innocent is Catholic so get off your high horse and start accepting men and women from every denomination. Its ridiculous we fight against each other over how to practice your faith when we could be fighting for the basic human rights of others.
I have been able to meet many Chinese people as well. We have a thing called English corner every Tuesday and Friday night where Chinese can come practice their English. My friends and I go to hear about these peoples lives and gain perspective on their country as a whole. It has been a great experience making friends and learning about them. It bums me out that I have homework and I can’t do stuff like that all the time.
Back to my soapbox, haha. The subject of pride is something we all struggle with. It is a huge issue of an international in China and a huge thing I have come to realize about myself while being here. You are immediately shown attention just because of the color of your skin. It’s so easy to have the attitude like you own the place because you come from such a great country and they don’t. Here in lies the problem. Is our pride leading to some of the downfall of other cultures. It is quite an audacious thing to consider but let’s think about this. Anytime we (the west) came to a country in the 1700’s and 1800’s it was for our own gain. We claimed we were trying to “spread christianity and civilize the masses.” By this time we know how backwards this claim is, that the people came and operated in the very opposite way into which we are called. Taking advantage of others for your own personal gain because your way is so much better then theirs is pride. We export our movies to other cultures and these cultures are starting to honestly believe that their way is worse and our way is better. You can see it in the way this Chinese generation is so westernized. Then we observe them and think “ok good you are conforming to our ways, because they are much better.” It is happening even today. We may not be directly causing it but isn’t our attitude achieving the same thing? There are ways that we do things better ,for instance government, but culturally we our becoming more and more hollow. The Chinese idea of family is so much stronger then ours. It extends out to people who are even not their family. We have lost this notion of doing things for the whole instead of for yourself. These are the things that are at risk of being lost. I guess what I am challenging you to think about is evaluating how you think.
It has been hard but the guys and I in my group have had to fight this same pride while being here. Getting googley-eyed by every Asian woman in the vicinity is nothing but a stroke of the ego. Looking at Asian guys playing basketball and thinking, “man we are so much better then them at that.” When has our society’s way of thinking turned into a "I'm better than you" mentalility. Comparisons are only for the weak who do not see everyone as an equal. So again reconsider how you think about others. Look into their eyes and see them for equals for which God has blessed them with being a unique individual.
For those that have stuck by this long and read all this, I thank you. I also apologize for my strong language at points. It is just a way of speech to open your eyes and for you to consider the seriousness of the things I am writing.
So besides meeting new people we have been seeing some sites. This weekend we had a guys weekend and traveled to a city an hour and a half away with a 1000 year old temple and a 1200 year old tree. It sounds stupid but it was freaking cool. We had quite the adventure getting there and back that I would love to tell you about when we get back. We had a great day yesterday. After class we went to the beach and played some volleyball and football. Afterwards we climbed a mountain that overlooked the city and sat and talked about life and China for a couple of hours.
I can’t think of anything else to tell you at the moment. Thanks always for reading. Keep me in your prayers I have finals this week for three of my classes. After that we will be going to a camp for a week to hang out with migrant worker’s children. I am really looking forward to it.
As always you can reach me by email spartan3489@gmail.com.
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