Recently, Austin Guidry, a Chinese-based teacher* and video blogger, posted his thoughts on the personality traits you need to successfully live overseas. I've been meaning to touch on this topic myself. His list of traits was well-thought-out, so I'm going to straight-up steal it+, and add some comments of my own.
First challenge -- you've been invited for lunch. The waiter plonks down a full plate of plump, juicy, deep-fried cicadas right in front of you.
Still reading? Read on....
First challenge -- you've been invited for lunch. The waiter plonks down a full plate of plump, juicy, deep-fried cicadas right in front of you.
Still reading? Read on....
The first two traits Austin Guidry mentions are Curiosity and Open-mindedness.
The second challenge I pose to you is, what's your reaction when you see this alley leading to an open-air food market? Would you walk down an alley like this, knowing you are going to encounter strange sights, sounds and smells? That you may have to watch where you step? That you will be stared at? Or would you rather avoid the alley and look for a modern grocery store instead? If you do, you'd be cutting yourself from so much.
| | Yeah, China is different from home. That's the whole point. Austin Guidry calls out his fellow Americans in particular for being judgmental and not being able to accept things as they are, even if they're different. I agree! Don't be like this precious princess who lived in Shanghai and refused to use a squat toilet and forced her Chinese companion to walk from restaurant to store to mall in search of a western one. She also can't handle scrambling for a taxi and being stared at. |
Who is this carpenter? Who knows? Not needing to know everything -- Yes, hand-in-hand with curiosity, you also have to live with the knowledge that some mysteries may never be explained. It's a common complaint among teachers that we're never told anything (like the course syllabus or when the holiday or staff meeting is) until the last minute. Why are things done this way? Who knows?
Enjoying challenges -- doing just about anything takes more effort when you don't speak or read the language. Need to see the dentist? Get your glasses fixed? Want to find a turkey to cook for Thanksgiving? It's all more involved and time-consuming. So the triumph when you succeed is so much sweeter.
One of my challenges this semester involves the fact that the computers are broken in most of the language labs. I've got audio but not video. Okay, that means I need to teach most classes without using short videos, which can become a crutch, the thing I rely on to add the "sizzle" to a lesson, and are too often welcomed by the students because a video means they can sit back and stop talking or even thinking. Just as when I was a kid; I loved it when the boy in the AV club rolled the cart into class and the teacher set up the film strip and darkened the lights. But the key is, how do I react to not having computers in the computer lab -- as something to grumble about every day or as a challenge to my teaching chops? (Well, why not both, upon reflection....)
Independence -- Ross and I pride ourselves on this. We try to look after ourselves even though we haven't made much headway in learning Chinese. I was proud of the fact that I got to Zibo by plane and train by myself, and didn't require anyone from the school to come pick me up in Beijing. We've enjoyed making our own discoveries around the city, but on the other hand, we must acknowledge the hospitality and generosity of our Chinese hosts, who are always bending over backwards for us. In fact, we hesitate to even ask about something -- in my case, most recently, where can I buy a toothpick case to replace one that I accidentally broke -- because if I ask someone, that someone will drop everything and spend hours trying to help me. But I heard, for example, about a predecessor who had to be taken grocery shopping every week by a local because she was too nervous to do it on her own.
Enjoying challenges -- doing just about anything takes more effort when you don't speak or read the language. Need to see the dentist? Get your glasses fixed? Want to find a turkey to cook for Thanksgiving? It's all more involved and time-consuming. So the triumph when you succeed is so much sweeter.
One of my challenges this semester involves the fact that the computers are broken in most of the language labs. I've got audio but not video. Okay, that means I need to teach most classes without using short videos, which can become a crutch, the thing I rely on to add the "sizzle" to a lesson, and are too often welcomed by the students because a video means they can sit back and stop talking or even thinking. Just as when I was a kid; I loved it when the boy in the AV club rolled the cart into class and the teacher set up the film strip and darkened the lights. But the key is, how do I react to not having computers in the computer lab -- as something to grumble about every day or as a challenge to my teaching chops? (Well, why not both, upon reflection....)
Independence -- Ross and I pride ourselves on this. We try to look after ourselves even though we haven't made much headway in learning Chinese. I was proud of the fact that I got to Zibo by plane and train by myself, and didn't require anyone from the school to come pick me up in Beijing. We've enjoyed making our own discoveries around the city, but on the other hand, we must acknowledge the hospitality and generosity of our Chinese hosts, who are always bending over backwards for us. In fact, we hesitate to even ask about something -- in my case, most recently, where can I buy a toothpick case to replace one that I accidentally broke -- because if I ask someone, that someone will drop everything and spend hours trying to help me. But I heard, for example, about a predecessor who had to be taken grocery shopping every week by a local because she was too nervous to do it on her own.
Now, I admit to feeling like a little brother who is trying to gross out his big sister -- Hey. Lookit. Lookit. Lookit this. But I'm going to add a parting challenge for those thinking of coming to China -- you are at a banquet and you are serving yourself some chicken soup. You swish the ladle around in the bowl and come up with a chicken head.. Do you: a) put it in your bowl and eat it, b) say, "anybody want this?", c) gracefully slide it back in the bowl, or d) emit a muffled shriek. If you chose "d", you might find life in Asia somewhat challenging.
*An earlier version of this post described Guidry as an ESL teacher. He clarified that he taught ESL but is now teaching Western Civilization and writing for university students who obtain dual university degrees.
+Yeah, to live in China it doesn't hurt to have a relaxed attitude toward copyright laws. Movies, music, books, essays, exam answers -- they're all downloaded from the internet.
+Yeah, to live in China it doesn't hurt to have a relaxed attitude toward copyright laws. Movies, music, books, essays, exam answers -- they're all downloaded from the internet.
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