Austin’s Weblog

Whenever I heard the words “Jury Duty,” I used to cringe just like many other Americans.  But as I went through the Jury Selection process, I observed exactly how the US Judicial System relies on it’s diverse citizens and permanent residents to provide an important service for people involved in litigation.  My opinion towards Jury Duty has changed from disdain to that of an inconvenience.

People are suing too much and have adopted a frivilous attitude for bringing a case into court for the goal of possibly winning a monetary sum.  But for the true disputes that contain valid points and arguments affecting society, the jury selection process is extremely important for a fair verdict at the end of a case.  I never thought about it until now, but if I was either a plantiff or a defendant, I know I’d want a fair and impartial jury.

In spite of it all, I tried my best to avoid being picked for a case.  Hehe…

It’s been 6 years since I visited China and this past trip has had a profound affect on me.  First, I can’t believe it’s already been 6 years.  Where did the time go?  I seem to remember having just finished freshman year of college.  The last time I spent 2 weeks with the Hope Education Foundation tour and then 2 more weeks visiting my grandfather in Hangzhou.  I seem to remember feeling relieved to be back in to the US at the end of that trip.  Maybe it was because I was in a foreign country for a whole month, or maybe I just didn’t understand China too well…

Well, this past trip has really opened up my eyes to the different cities in China.  I found myself actively trying to learn how to read and write better and to understand how each city came about.  I am still in amazement at how fast China’s growing and how many construction projects are underway.  I can’t even imagine what the place will look like in another 6 years.

I experienced a lot of conflicting thoughts on this trip.  I am, first of all, an Asian American; a US citizen.  I love the US with all it’s conveniences and luxuries but I couldn’t help but feel a connection with the Chinese people there.  Perhaps it was the fact that I was on a tour full of Americans who didn’t have an idea what the Chinese were really like and I felt a certain obligation to describe it to them.  Being bilingual allowed me the opportunity to explain and clarify misunderstandings between the American and Chinese cultures.  But I think it on a deeper level, I woke up to the fact that I can speak the language as well as appreciate the culture.  Thoughts of all those Saturday mornings attending Chinese school for half a day came back all of a sudden.  I remembered learning vocabulary words and Chinese grammar through textbooks and workbooks.  After class, we would attend different extra-curricular activities such as the Chinese yo-yo, Chess, the abacus, Kicking “jian zhi” (hackey-sack), and caligraphy.  I didn’t know it then, but I was being molded to be more Chinese.  All the time, I just thought I was hanging out with my friends there.

Fast forward to where I am now.  I can speak and understand the language, although vocabulary words are still a problem.  But my reading and writing skills are abyssmal; probably the level of a first grader.  All the Saturday morning school classes and college courses didn’t really help because I never practiced what I learned or wrote.  I doubt that even now, I’d get the chance to reinforce anything new I learn, but at least this trip allowed me to experience 9 consecutive days of Chinese.  And I was lucky enough to have tour guides that were willing to help me and just hang out and talk.  It was fun.  If I were to spend 3 or so months in Taiwan or China, I think I’d be able to hold my own reading signs, menus, the newspaper, etc.

Things are a little different now… a part of me wishes I can have the opportunity to stay abroad for longer than 9 days.  Maybe I’m just thinking “What if I had never come to America and I grew up in that environment?”  Interesting…  Well, maybe I’ll get the chance to return sooner than 6 years from now.