Lessons in Culture

I am halfway through my week and I have had several cultural life lessons already. I love my job and this life!

Culture Lesson number 1:
Today started out like any other. I got up, showered, ate a small breakfast and got ready for a day of teaching. I had on heeled shoes, pants and a white t shirt with the blue scarf my dear friend from Nebraska got me for my birthday. I stepped outside and realized it was gloomy and a bit cool. Not so cool that I needed a jacket, but the pants was a much better choice than a skirt. I debated for about 5 seconds with myself whether or not I should go and get my umbrella just in case the heavens decided to open up and pour down rain. The idea of having to go back up 5 flights of stairs, in heels, for an umbrella  helped me decide to risk it. I then headed off to my office to plug in some office hours.
Chinese culture is extremely interesting to me. They never say sorry if you bump in to somone, or bless you if someone sneezes or coughs, but they will ask the most peculiar questions and not think it strange or forward. Example:
I get to my office and one of my office mates is in there. We greet each other and as I sit down to work on some stuff, she casually asks me "Hilary, did you eat breakfast?"
I internally paused at such a personal if not intimate question, or so it would be in the West.
I replied that I had a yogurt in my apartment with coffee and that I rarely ate breakfast anymore and that was the end of that conversation.

Culture lesson number 2:
Fast forward to after class. Class is over and I step outside, only to discover it is now raining. UUGH!
I take my scarf and wrap it like someone from India would to protect my hair. Half way to the dining hall I hear, "Teacher Teacher!" I turn to see one of my students running up to me with her friends. They crowd around me and one of them holds an umbrella over me. This is the custom here, they take care of their foreign teachers. When I told them I was going to a different dining hall, my student called out to a friend that was walking past and had him walk me to the dining hall I wanted because he had an umbrella. This boy did not know me, but did as his friend said all because I was her teacher. I was very touched by the gesture.

Culture lesson number 3:
My last class of the day was an English Corner which ended at 5pm. As I stepped outside, I realized the temperature had dropped quite a bit. It was now about 50 F with a nice cool breeze making it feel like 45 to my t shirt clad self. As I was walking to my apartment I passed two older ladies. The older of the two, while approaching me, looked me up and down and slightly shook her head and said something to her friend in Chinese. As they passed me, the older lady stopped in front of me, said several sentences to me in Chinese while pinching my bare arms and looking at me expectantly. I quickly gathered from her tone and the light pinching on my arm that she was asking where my coat was. I motioned to the apartment complex and she shook her head and said some more things in Chinese to me while shaking her finger at me. Then she walked away. In reality, this exchange took mere seconds, but the meaning was heard loud and clear. Despite the language barrier, I understood I just got scolded by a granny for not having enough clothes on. I am almost 90% sure the first thing she said was "Why are you not wearing a coat you crazy foreigner? We don't want you to get sick and die!" This is very common actually. The older folk here will come up to you and see if you are wearing enough clothing in the winter. And if they feel that you do not have enough to keep you warm, they will kindly scold you like I was today.

Cultural Lesson number 4:
I was at lunch with B and Hannah. I had hot noodles and a iced tea. As I was eating my noodles, I reach and go to take a sip of my iced tea. B take the tea out of my hand and says "No, you can't drink that! It is cold, your food is hot. Here I brought you clear broth, drink that." (At lunch they serve clear broth for free to go with your meals. I learn why in a few seconds.) I give Hannah a strange look and then ask B why I cannot drink my cold drink with my hot soup. She patiently tells me, the stupid foreigner "Because if you do your stomach will explode." Apparently Chinese have this thing about hot and cold things, you have to balance the hot and cold in your body but you shouldn't drink hot and eat something cold or visa versa. Internally I am laughing, but because B is a dear friend and I know she has my best interest at heart, I listen to her and eat my noodles and drink the broth she had gotten for me. After I finished my noodles she gave me my tea back.

All of these instances were very important cultural lessons. It is nothing in China to ask questions like so, scold someone you don't know for not wearing a coat, walk with a complete stranger and share an umbrella or take a cold drink away from a friend who is eating hot food. All of these are ways they show they care about someone and very good lessons for me. I seriously love it here.
Peace,
Hil