Amber Gore Discovered how to not to take offense and just learned to educate. Semester Abroad: Spring 2010 Host University: Sichuan University Home University: Bloomsburg University
Check out a slide show Amber put together of her Adventures around China! Why did you choose to study in China, and particularly Chengdu? I chose to study abroad in China because I knew it would be different than anything I was used to. I had also been studying Chinese and I felt the best way to learn more would be to study abroad. I chose to study in Chengdu because it was I place I had never heard of. I only ever knew of the popular cities like Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. I thought going someplace unknown would be a terrific experience. You mentioned that some locals who had good intentions made statements that came off a bit racist or stereotyping of people of African American descent. Can you elaborate on this and tell us how you perceived it and how you dealt with it? At times when I was in China, I felt alone or like an outcast because people often looked and stared at me because I didn’t look like everyone else. A lot of the people in Sichuan were amazing and accepted us and wanted to talk to us. There are some individuals there, however, who do have good intentions but sometimes the statements they made seemed racist or kind of stereotyped my race (I am African American). For others who are of African American descent or people of color in general, it needs to be known that nobody is meaning to harm you when they say some of the things that they say. It’s just simply because they don’t know or understand. It’s best that you teach them instead of getting angry. There was actually a situation like the 3rd day I was at the University. It wasn’t super serious or anything but it just made me realize how different things were going to be. I was in my room and some guys came to hook up my internet. So I was chatting with one of the guys(he spoke English) and he asked me if I liked to sing. I said yes. Then he asked me if I liked to dance. I said yes. Then he says “all black boys and girls are good at singing and dancing.” I mean it wasn’t that bad but still…it was just like…ooookkkk. It made me laugh a little because obviously one race isn’t going to be particularly good at something just because of their skin. I mean I know plenty black people who don’t have rhythm. The next incident happened when I was with my friends at Andersons Bakery out of the University’s South Gate. We were in the store and this guy comes in. A lot of the time locals will come up and practice English. So he asks us if we speak English, if we are students, then he asks if we are friends. We say yes. Then he says “Oh a Negro and a white man….” That just really sort of ruined my day. This isn’t the 1950’s! And some guy just calls me a Negro. I couldn’t really blame him because maybe that’s how he learned to refer to black people. It just really caught me off guard. On a daily bases I got stares when I walked the streets. People always also assumed I was African because my hair was in a natural style. I also met one girl who didn’t believe I was a “true American” because I wasn’t white. There are just a lot of things that are assumed and things that they don’t know. Instead of getting mad I tried to talk to them and explained things to them. It does get annoying at times but you really can’t get too mad. What advice would you give to students of “non-Caucasian or non-Asian” races who are thinking about studying in Asia? I would tell them to not be afraid of going to China. It can be really scary to think about going to a place where it’s nearly impossible (if not impossible) to blend in but it’s such an amazing experience! Life doesn’t just exist inside of the US. I would also advise them to have an open mind and to be prepared to be stared at. Tell me about some of the cultural differences you experienced in China and how you adapted: Squaty potties!!!!!! The worse thing every invented! The first time I tried to use a squaty was when I was in Beijing. It was horrible! I ended up being so umcomfortable I couldn’t pee and then I got a cramp in my leg. It was something I had to slowly get accustomed to. It’s very important that you learn how to use a squaty properly because most places don’t have Western style toilets. Another thing that was different was that parents let their children do their “business” in the streets. A lot of pants for babies/toddlers have slits in them so all the child has to do is squat down and go to the bathroom. You really just learn to ignore it. I just couldn’t believe that that was allowed. Eating is something that’s also a different experience. There are a few western restaurants. A lot of the time the food doesn’t taste quite like home. When you order, they don’t bring everyone’s food out at the same time. One person may get their meal and you may have to wait 10 -20 minutes for yours to come. You also have to wave down the waitresses/waiters. They don’t just come to check up or ask if everything is okay. A couple times we ended up having to scream across the restaurant to get the waiter’s attention. Tell me about one standout moment/day from your time in Chengdu, what would it be? A standout moment for me was a day I went with my friend to run an errand. She needed to go to a specific bank to get money from her mom. So we went to the bank but they were on break and weren’t willing to just help us out. So we get back in the cab to go to the same bank but at a different address. We got totally and completely lost and ended up in the middle of nowhere. I was so scared because there weren’t any cabs or anything. There were people there coming out of the stores watching my friend and I and it was just a really crazy experience. We ended up getting a ride from a lady who had this car service. I guess they were used to having foreigners get stuck there from time to time. How do you feel you have benefitted from your study abroad experience? I feel that studying abroad has made me more independent. Before studying abroad I always relied on my parents and never really thought I could live that far away from them. After studying abroad I realize that I could live abroad if I wanted to. I also learned more Chinese and I feel I have learned to be more open-minded. |