21 May 2006

Tick, tick..tick.
The time and moments seem to be coming to a close. Even though it is only a few months before I put this chapter of my life behind me, the final chapter is slowly beginning to be written. This past weekend I met with a headmaster from a local language school who made me realize that my time here was coming to end and it was a good thing.
It made me realize that there are typically two kinds of people in China. There are the people who are kind hearted, gentile and appreciate foreigners being here because of the diversity that they bring to a culture that is supressed by its own government.
Then there are the people like this headmaster who have nothing in their souls but greed. Greed for the mighty western dollar and greed for the need that people have to learn the language that drives the foreign investment. By the end of this dinner I was sickened by this woman because she reminded me of all the things I dispise about this country as well as the world.
She is from the Chenzhou area but holds a firm distaste for the people and their lack of culture--IE western culture. She lived in Shenzhen, which is the Chinese wet dream for those that have no ability to get out of the country--Shenzhen to the Chinese represents the closest thing to Hong Kong that they can imagine and each summer the new graduates flock to both Shanghai and Shenzhen to give themselves a try in the Chinese global marketplace. Most stay for a few years, make some money and go back to wherever they came from to make a living with their Shenzhen earnings. This is what this dragon lady did. She opened the language school with her proceeds of whatever she did in Shenzhen, she married a government lawyer (another wise business decision--having a government husbands makes it easier to do anything because they have the power of bending the common rules) and opened up a language school.
She and I met because she wanted to have a foreigner hang out in the office for 5 days a week and talk to the potential customers who were going to be coming in to set up their kids for lessons. I wouldnt have to teach, just talk a little simple english to the kids. I would also be required to star in a television commerical promoting her language school.
All this without teaching.
I was simply not impressed with what she had to offer and the more she talked, the more I was sure that my time was worth more applying for jobs, etc than being in her office playing her little foreigner boy.
This sort of scenerio has been happeneing all too often while I stay in China. At first it was amazing how friendly and lovely everyone was--then, especially in this last term, the momentum has clearly changed and people are no longer interested in what you have to say, but rather what they have to say to you--this is one of the biggest problems that the Chinese seem to have with learning--they are not doing it for the art of knowledge, they are doing it because they are financially driven--just like us in the states I think--but the difference is that our system of education still allows for those that want to get an education for the desire of a greater intellectual understanding actually have access to such resources..
The main issue that I have with China is from the people, most of the wealthy people that are obviously more wealthy than their breathren who are poor and overworked. It is disturbing to see people with such poverty, but the thing that keeps you going is that for the most part they are so happy--so satisfied with the simplicity of it all.
Not the wealthy though.
The wealthy always seem to be the same-the look down on their countrymen and call them peasants and dont really do anything to make the situation better--the simply drive by all the poverty in their nice brand new Audi's and their air conditioning and they don't think about what they could do to make it all better.
Which is what I appreciate about America. At least some of us are trying to figure out for the rest of us--and there is opportunity for most. Maybe not a lot--but some.
Don't get me wrong here--China will always have a special place in my heart--but it will always hold a little scorn as well.... and most of that comes from people like this head master..
Hope you are all well and doing your part to make the world a better place.

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