Austin’s Weblog

I recently went to Stavanger and Bergen on business and got to see the Western coast of Norway from the air.  The first flight I took was a test flight with no passengers so essentially I got a nickel tour.  I managed to take a few pictures in between all the work I was doing to take and process data.

Seeing the speckled islands and deep blue sea made me think, “I’ve never seen anything like this.”  It was a very strange feeling.  I’ve realized that there are so many more places I want to visit in this world.  For the time being, traveling for business is just great.  Hopefully I’ll get a chance to go back and take some time to visit the sights.

Humans all seem to have certain tendencies that transcend race, creed, gender, cultures, etc.  On this last trip to China, I things I saw that really bothered me was the human tendency to gather and hoard and the tendency to be cheap.

If we trace back through evolution, we find that human used to be a bunch of nomadic hunter gatherers.  Maybe this is why we feel the need to purchase souvenirs and other items when we visit places.  Obviously there’s also a sentimental value and to a lesser extent, maybe even some utilitarian value to the items we buy.  But this behavior of gathering and hoarding or the “I want” desire can be seen in almost everyone.  To add to this is the idea of getting stuff at the least expense possible.  Our cynical nature draws the biggest of doubts out and we conclude that everyone is always trying to rip us off.  So, when you factor in the fact that almost everything in China is based on a bargain system between merchants and buyers, things get interesting. 

During the bargaining process, nothing else matters except getting what you want at the lowest price possible.  Things like the relative imbalance in the standards of living between us Americans and the poor vendors in China don’t really come to mind.  It’s a safe assumption that we make many multiples of their monthly salaries but when it comes down to it, 12.5 US cents or 1 yuan can make all the difference in a sale.  Vendors have no choice but to risk not selling an item or marginalizing their profits while Americans justify the bargaining process with the idea that vendors won’t sell below their costs. 

One incident really sticks out in my head.  I realized the ruthlessness of the bargaining system when a little old lady was selling embroidered purses from a street side store.  She was excited when our entire tour group of 30 or so American women showed interest in purchasing.  The group elected the best “bargainer” to reduce the price so much so that the old woman (who was probably a bit senile) gave a price that was under her cost.  She ended up losing money on each purse sold.  When the dust had settled, she counted her money and our tour guide heard her cry out and scream that she had lost all that money.  The best response that our guide was able to muster was “Old lady, I’m sorry… you should really have someone helping you sell.”  We all felt bad, but the group had already disbanded to find the next bargain.

I witnessed some ridiculous spending on silk bedding, silk rugs, famous brand purses, clay terracotta soliders, among other souvenirs.  The defining moments from our visit to China were no longer the impressive sights or rich history and culture, they had become in a word, “shopping”.  I think it’s a little sad to cheapen a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to nothing more than gathering and hoarding… but who am I to criticize, I bought two fake name-brand watches myself.

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.