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| Harbin is known for it's Snow and Ice Festival every winter |
Firstly, I would like to dispell some of the misconceptions I’ve heard floating around.
#1: China is a 3rd world country- Maybe; I’m not really sure. Harbin is not 3rd world. Everyone in my city has a job and everone has a bed. A common worker has enough money to eat good food every day and have some fun on the weekends, just like America. It may seem like average working wages are lower, but the cost of living is also much lower. It balances out.
#2: China is a dangerous place- Not true. China is safer than the U.S.; at least in Harbin. The homicide rate is about 200% less than Detroit, anyway. Because of the crowds and the contant construction, it appears dirty and dangerous; but no one has so far harrassed me. Occasionally a taxi driver or a street vendor will over charge me, but that doesn’t happen anymore now that I speak well and I don’t look lost.
#3: China has an oppressing government and human rights abuses are rampant- Although the laws sound strict, they are rarely enforced unless there is a complaint; and nobody does that. People here, based on what I’ve seen, take care of their own problems. Unfortunately, the media appreciates taking isolated incidents out of context and blowing them up, in spite of the fact that similar things happen in America.
#4: China is more socialistic than the U.S.- Tax rates for average citizens are actually lower; zero actually, if you’re below the 2000RMB mark. There aren’t any food stamps and there isn’t any subsidized housing. If you don’t work and you’ve got nobody to take care of you, you don’t eat. It may be a cruel system, but it is a fair one.
With that said, my adventures in China were (of course) scary at first, but I have very quickly fallen in love with the place. My first 3 days after arrival were spent in my hotel room, too terrified to explore Harbin’s loud, dirty streets alone; but when I finally lept in, I was filled with light. The people here are the most helpful, respectful, and interesting I have ever seen; and when I talk to them in their own language they are as thrilled as I.
Harbin has a population of about nine million. It doesn’t seem to be very big, but it is very dense. It also seems that every time I bend down to tie my shoes, I am in somebody’s way. Whenever I’m in a hurry, someone is in my way. It was fun and interesting at first, but it gets kind of annoying after awhile… not being able to take a casual walk down the sidewalk. It feels more like I’m a fish swimming upriver. Drivers beep their horns as often as they use their turn signals. It gave me a headache at first, but my ears have now grown numb to it.
Heilongjiang University, where I study, takes up an area about six times larger than Skagit Valley College. It’s about one mile long in all directions. 30,000 students live here with me, which I believe is about half the population of Anacortes? Regardless, students travel from class to class in giant rivers. Imagine needing to look both ways before crossing the street to avoid running into PEOPLE. This is Chinese life.
My dorm is the equivalent of a 3 star hotel, equipped with internet, a TV, room service, maid service, and a private bathroom. It’s a great luxury, compared to the packed-like-sardines Chinese student dorms that smell like rotting cabbage. It’s pretty cheap ($100 per month). The most delightful aspect is I can talk to students from all over the world here. Most of them are Russian or Korean, but there are also students from Africa, Italy, South America, and other parts of Europe. English speakers are quite rare, so most of the time we find ourselves talking in Chinese.
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| Dorm at college |
My roommate is Russian, but he is of a different ethnicity, meaning he looks like he’s Chinese. He does not speak English but his Chinese is near-perfect. The guy is a clean freak and he sometimes has anger problems, but he’s very smart, very honorable, and we more often get along very well. That’s the #1: having a roommate that I know isn’t going to steal from me.
My Chinese classes are very difficult, primarily because (I think) nobody really knows how to effectively teach Chinese to foreigners. It’s being taught to us in a similar manner as it is taught to Chinese children, which doesn’t really work. I find myself preferring to learn by myself, writing the calligraphy and practice talking to actual people, and I’m very tempted to dismiss my classes very soon and do just that. I’ll skip the technicalities; I can go on and on.
A lot of very good things have happened to me here. #1, I’ve landed myself a relatively well-paying job teaching oral English to children. It’s a very enlightening experience for me as I get to help the little ones learn while gaining much needed skills. #2, I’ve landed myself a girlfriend, Shu Li. She’s 46 years old, and takes good care of me, as I do her. Someday, I’m going to go into business with her and make a lot of money. There are many ways on which her and I can help each other out. Maybe it is strange to be with an older woman, but I don’t care. I’m very happy, and it is what I want.
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| Rick in classroom where he teaches |
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| Shu Li |
