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I saw news about the 2012 US national presidential election a couple of months ago and thought "Oh, come on! Really? Didn't we just do this?"
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Chinese people seem to react especially openly and kindly to Americans, and especially young Americans. I know that the blatant reason has to do with the complicated intertwining of money, politics, and culture (a vague description, I know). I'll just explain it like this: many of the foreigners that I see walking the streets here in Chengdu tend to be older European types who wear serious faces... they tend to appear rather unapproachable, to put it nicely. NOT ALL are like this, but many are. So, what I'm saying is that it makes sense that a young American who seems to be brimming with excitement, hope, and openness would tend to be more attractive than some others in the foreign community may.
Ultimately, I think it comes down to the fact that hopefulness (being full of hope) is attractive, and we simply can't help but be drawn toward it.
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I hate that cross-cultural and multilingual communication often leads to one of the involved parties tending to appear stupid, for lack of a better word. An inability to express oneself and get one's message (a.)broadcast and then (b)internalized by others can be rather frustrating.
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It makes sense that there is such great tension saturating relationships in China at this point in time. Specifically, I am referring to age differences. It makes sense that there is tension when you understand that, for a number of reasons, both old and young people feel that they are entitled to... everything. They feel entitled to everything, but they most often end up hardly getting anything. And then, everyone between "old" and "young" is stuck somewhere in the middle.
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When Google+ first came out, the prospect of having to go through the whole social networking deal again brought with it a feeling of complacency and a general lack of motivation within me to go through the whole thing over again. The feelings remain.
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There is a peculiar freedom in being able to pick the circumstances under which you find and make friends.
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I enjoy the parts in movies when quick montages of scenes of life flash onto the screen rapidly.
Ex: Vanilla Sky, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
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I had a nightmare recently. I recall that, during the nightmare, I resisted by very intentionally and defiantly forming my hand into the "middle finger" gesture.
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I want to talk to you. I know I may come off as being a somewhat abrasive character sometimes, but just know that I want to be in communication with you. So, if you ever catch yourself writing something on my Facebook wall or sending an email to me and second guess yourself, ignore that. Write it. Send it. Say it.
I know what you mean about the hopefulness you see in people - it is MAGNETIC!
ReplyDeleteThis makes wonder how I'm viewed by others when I'm in China. :P
I LOVE multilingual conversations! I made a new friend in my 407 class and she speaks Canto! We've been having Canto-Mandarin-English conversations! But yes... we both have difficulty expressing ourselves even with three (four for her) languages at our disposal. So sad.
I do have a question for you though. What are the 老百姓、普通人 like in Chengdu? Because my general opinion of people in Beijing is definitely well below standard, Xiamen on the other hand, is above. :)
Thank you for talking to us. :D
Yeah, I think the hope thing is pretty universal, and it has major implications when living in a different culture.
ReplyDeleteMultilingual conversations are awesome when connections are made and the cultural differences become non-important in that a friendship begins to form the foundation of communication. But yeah, when communication is hindered in the first place, it makes it tougher to move forward and form any foundation. Still, of course it's possible. :)
成都人 are known for being chill, and, for the most part, the stereotype holds true. Pace of life is slower, and it just has an "old school" feel to it. Laws are not as strongly enforced as in other big cities, and, in my opinion, there's a bit more of an appreciation for traditions. The actual 成都人 still stares at foreigners (more than in other places, from what I can tell), but is exceptionally warm and friendly(especially once they find out you speak Mandarin or any 四川话!) They really are pretty chill compared to other Chinese people, from what I can tell. They enjoy being 成都人. They're still Chinese, though, so they're not as chill as most of the easier-going Americans that I know. Is that a good answer? haha...