Masochist

“In the U.S., certainly you’re going to learn things every time you walk out of the door, but it won’t be as painful.” – Corrie Robb, US State Department

IST, In-Service Training, is something that most PC China volunteers look forward to. IST is a reunion with our training group, the group that became a small family over the summer. It also marks the last time until our Close-of-Service conference that people in every region will be in one location.

HUGS!

It comes after the completion of one semester. For many volunteers, that semester has included first Thanksgivings/Hanukkahs/Christmases/New Years away from home. At this point, we’ve been in China a full 6 months. Almost 7.

My belly hurt and this was the only position that made it feel bearable.
Instead of asking questions, Jon joined me.

Apart from the reunion aspect, we are also given time and guidance in processing our experiences and evaluating our teaching. We are taught, like all good teachers grow to instinctively do, to evaluate, revise, and reevaluate.

We also had some guest speakers from the embassy. Ambassador Gary Locke came to say a final farewell, as he has resigned from his ambassador post because his daughter wanted to spend her senior year in Seattle. Corrie Robb was another guest speaker. He has studied Chinese history and culture for years and he says that he is only beginning to understand bits and pieces. He spoke early in the week and his lecture gave me so much to think about.

Every time I learn new facts about Chinese history and culture, I have to revise my previous thoughts. Revise. I feel like I’ve been constantly revising my ideas.

I’ve been reading a book by Peter Hessler about China: Oracle Bones. Revise.

I recommend it.

Other sessions I attended were titled “Women in China” and “Current Events in China.” Revise.

One common theme that is constantly reiterated when learning about China is the long Chinese History. This history is divided by different dynasties, but unlike the Romans, Ottomans, and Byzantines and other empires in Western history, China views each dynasty as part of one long, continuing history. With each new dynasty, came a massive death toll.

This picture is taken from Understanding China through Comics  by Jing Liu.
Can you imagine 95 million people dying? How about 71% of the population dying?

China has multiple ethnic groups, as I’ve mentioned before. Han people are the majority, yet there has only been one Han dynasty. All others were ruled by minority groups and outsiders. China’s long history is filled with invasion from outside forces. The Opium War didn’t help skepticism towards foreigners at all.

Revise. These two pieces of history have given me so much to chew on the past few weeks. Revise. And this is only the tip of iceberg.

We see the world through lenses. These lenses are built through our experiences and stories we’ve been taught or told. It is not comfortable to build new lenses, to be in a state of constant revision. I’m finding that I thrive on this discomfort. I feel more patient. I feel more sympathetic. Say what you want, but I like the pain.