May 18, 2003

Seems many people are becoming concerned with my situation here in China because of a slowdown in journal entries. I can understand, especially considering all the media attention paid to the SARS epidemic. I want to thank those who have written me wondering if I am doing well. It's great to know I have friends and family who worry and care about me so much. Just so everyone knows, I am doing well and am still enjoying life and work here in Chengdu. SARS is definitely a big topic and it seems a day cannot go by without hearing something about it. I am sure most everyone has heard about Chinese officials early mismanagement of the whole affair, but I would like to mention that I have witnessed first-hand the efforts and money the government is putting towards slowing the spread of the virus and eliminating it. There are warnings and information posted all over the place and this health issue is being put forward as the biggest priority in the nation. I know this sounds like propaganda, but it really is true. Just as an example, I recently traveled to the city of Nanjing in the East of China and going through the airports both there and in Chengdu requires the filling out of forms and having your temperature scanned with expensive machinery. People in nearly every service sector wear masks and public areas are disinfected regularly. At the school campus where I teach there are strict controls on when students can leave, and everyone, including staff, needs to pass a health check before being allowed enter after travelling outside the city. About the only thing that wears on me about all the attention to SARS is the Chinese media on the subject. So much of what you see on the TV are images of workers spraying disinfectant all over everything, images of children in uniform mopping the courtyard of their school, government officials visiting hospitals and SARS statistics flashing across the screen. It's just a little bit too much sometimes, and you can really feel that this is being used to ease the fear of the people and restore confidence in the government. Let's just hope SARS passes away as a memory and that important lessons are learned from it. With so many people living so close to one another, the causes of SARS and other health problems here need to be understood and people need to make some changes to how they do things.

Speaking of changes to how people do things, maybe a great place to begin would be with stopping the unhealthy habit far too many Chinese people have of spitting. As a recent article I read on the Web suggested, perhaps the SARS epidemic will do more toward minimizing the habit than all the efforts the government has made over many years. Now, I want to say that I have really made an effort to not discuss this topic in the past because of the incredible respect and love I have for China, its culture, and people. I want to be respectful and not give the impression that Chinese habits are disgusting or in any way inferior to Western ones. This is not the case at all, and I have come to learn that there is actually a reason so many people do it here. You see, generations of Chinese have been led to believe that expelling phlegm and mucous from your body is a way of keeping the body healthy and clean. Unknown to many people here, this idea and habit has no apparent scientific merit, and when you look at the potential to spread sickness, it should be recognized as simply undesirable. Unfortunately, this hasn't been the case and almost everywhere you go you can hear someone hacking and spitting, and you also see so many sidewalks, hallways and stairways marked with spit. It's an unwelcome thing to a Westerner and only after living here a good amount of time do you even remotely become used to it. I think the best start would be for those uncontrollable spitters to do their thing in more discreet places and not force everyone else near them or following them to experience it. I could go on and on about this subject, but would like to stop with one reason I personally dislike spitting so much. On more than one occasion in China I have been spit at because of backward and racist feelings some have had toward me. It is not something I like to write about and it makes me feel bad to even mention it here, but I feel I should so people who know me can understand what I sometimes face here. Thankfully, it is very rare and the offensiveness of it is, on a daily basis, overpowered by the good will and warm heartedness I experience from Chinese people. This very small minority of people who spit toward me are in no way representing China and the rest of the great people who live here. The mocking calls of "Helllllooooo!", the stares, and the bad looks I get from some others here are much easier to deal with than someone hacking up and launching spit at my feet or in front of my path. That to me is the ultimate display of disrespect and hatred short of violence. When it happens, I often have a mixed feeling of sadness and anger. Sadness that I am not accepted and respected as another human being, and anger at being assaulted in such a way. It really is terrible and would love for it to someday disappear. It probably won't and I accept this as well as the other trials I face daily as a result of not being Chinese. Thank goodness for the many more kind and caring people in this country to counterbalance such things! For someone who, before arriving in China, was a shy person who disliked attention, I think I have made some great adjustments in my life. Much of the success in being able to do this should be credited to these people.

Ok, so on to a more light-hearted topic! As I mentioned earlier I visited the city of Nanjing (Nanking) and had a really wonderful time there! Such a beautiful place! The only negatives would be the food not measuring up to my favorite Sichuan dishes, and the slightly less friendly attitude of some of the people there. This is a general impression about the people, and like the observation I made in the preceding paragraph, it is not true of all of them. Again, just like everywhere I have been to China, most people are very kind and friendly toward me. I guess you could say the same kind of things if you compare the people of New York city with those of Chicago. In regards to Nanjing, this city has had more than its fair share of tragedy and I can't blame some of the people there looking at foreigners in a more wary way. I recommend to anyone interested the fantastic book by Iris Chang named The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. In brief, Nanjing is the site of the terrible Japanese atrocities committed against hundreds of thousands of innocent Chinese people in 1937. Rape, torture, and by some estimates the deaths of 300,000. Absolutely horrible! Anyway, Nanjing was a great place to visit and I was so impressed with how beautiful the area was. The hotel I stayed in was located next to Zhongshan hill and this area has many sites of great interest including Dr. Sun Yat Sen's mausoleum, a Ming Dynasty temple, and beautiful gardens. I wish I had another week to continue exploring more of Nanjing and areas around it. It was that beautiful!

School continues to be quite a chore at times and I look forward to someday soon having a lighter schedule. Preparing to teach these college-level courses is quite a challenge and I am finding I have less and less free time available. The good aspect continues to be my enjoyment of teaching and helping my students prepare for college. Thank goodness that hasn't changed!

On a disappointing note, the owners of not one, but two of my favorite restaurants have sold-out and they are under new management. Some of the original people remain at both places so things are essentially the same, but I do miss the owners. I think they were nice people and were always very gracious towards me. too bad I won't be seeing them around any longer. :(

Well, I am going to end here and start preparing a test for my students. Who said Sunday is a day of rest? :)