By Kaeli Van Cott STAFF WRITER
Before going to China, I had preconceived notions about what it would be like based on what I’ve read about or seen in movies. I knew ahead of time that social media is blocked by the government’s firewall and that the government controls media as a whole. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but my experience in China was definitely not what I had predicted.
First off, let me clarify that each part of China is different, just like each state within the United States. The people and norms within each place in China vary. Shanghai, for example, is very business-oriented, and people mainly keep to themselves in order to maintain productivity, much like the busy mentality that can be found in New York. Beijing, on the other hand, was a lot less like the welcoming Olympic Village I thought it might be, and more like a hostile New York on steroids.
It was a culture shock to try to ask for help in Beijing after coming from smiley, friendly Japan. People seldom spoke English and were not as willing to help with directions. Many adults in particular would get easily frustrated trying to communicate with me because of the language barrier. Younger people, however, spoke English really well and were excited to talk with me to practice their English skills.
When taking a train in Beijing, my friend and I met a high school student named Sunshine who showed us her English homework and her geography textbook. In her book, there were world maps that showed Asia on the far left and North America on the right, basically flipping the map that Americans have used to study for centuries. It’s kind of funny how something like the map we use is molded to fit an American point of view.
Trying to get around in Beijing was a stressful experience because we were there right in the middle of the Lunar New Year, so tons of people were using public transportation. Over the course of a few days, I dealt with overbooked trains, last minute flights and questionable hostels. Although communication was difficult and most signs were exclusively in Chinese characters, there always seemed to be a person or a Google search that saved me. My experience in Beijing was far from ideal, but it taught me about myself as a traveler. I quickly learned that no matter how much you plan ahead of time, things are always subject to change, and that even the worst experiences can be lessons.