A place for my stuff
A few of the students who said they'd keep in touch as we were leaving have actually done so. (I suspect we may see an increase in e-mail once the new school term starts and students return to the internet cafes around campus.) So far it's been easy to offer quick responses, but the last couple I've received have offered a challenge. The problem is that the big focus of my life these past few weeks have been unpacking and buying a car. Neither of these things are something that the kids back in Yunnan can relate to. I mean, sure, many of them probably dream of owning a car someday, but I never saw a lot of old cars driving about in China. How can you explain about balancing the price of a used car vs. its mileage, or trying to see through the snow job offered by car salesmen? It seems too... American. And then there's the unpacking. It's a mini-culture shock to look at all the STUFF we have to fit into our house. (A house that has a lot more room than our campus apartment.) When I'm writing to those kids back in China, I'm too embarrassed to even joke about all the unpacking we have to do. I think I might have started to forget what a different world we really came from.
posted by John @ 10:45 PM
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