Today marks our 9th day in China. We have spent the last week or so in a hotel, adjusting to jet lag, attending training sessions on mandarin, TEFL, intercultural competencies, and Peace Corps medical procedures and policies. There are more, but I think you get the idea. This portion of our 3-month training is designed to orient us to the organization, the country, the Chinese people, and our future positions as university instructors. While orientation training is not the most exciting material (mostly common sense) there have been some real gems of knowledge.
Air quality is best in the morning or after it rains. For those of you who have not yet been to China, the air pollution is real. The smog is visible daily here in Chengdu. Modern skyscrapers with their half built brothers appear as ghosts in the endless haze. I'm sure a climate change denier would say they just have something in their eye. Some people can't be helped. However, I think the smog is a bit exaggerated in Chengdu since it is positioned at the bottom of Sichuan basin, which traps the pollution. Perhaps in more rural areas, the stars come out at night. I'm looking forward to finding out.
Plagiarism is more widely accepted in China (not the unforgivable offense and call for expulsion that it is in the U.S.). Past Peace Corps workers often observe rampant cheating in their classes. As someone who has taught in the U.S. I must admit this sounds absurd. However, the Chinese educational system has something that the U.S. does not. Chinese students are required to take exit exams showing competency. In contrast, most U.S. college courses rely on the individual grades from each course to assess whether students have met degree requirements.
Other notable knowledge imparted includes: Be mindful of rogue scooters. Eating Hot Pot can have days-long consequeces. Going out to coffee with someone of the opposite sex means that you're officially dating. I should expect to take pictures with no less than 50 strangers a day.
Most of the cultural differences here make me smile as each day I venture further into the unknown.
Although some in our 81-person cohort have lived and/or worked in China before (some even here in Chengdu), there are two bouquets of unknown we all face. None of us know our host family placements that will last the next two months. We don't know their level of english, socioeconomic situation, how big the family, if they have pets, or cook, or cook good, or have AC. There are an unlimited number of describing factors that could be listed here. There's just no way of knowing other than experiencing.
The other bouquet of unknowns is a bit more permanent. None of us know what school in which of the 4 provinces (Sichuan, Guizhou, Gansu, and Chongqing) we will be placed for two years (4 semesters). Naturally this unknown sparks a certain anxiety in most. How do people deal with that anxiety? Well we try to reason. Protip: never try to reason. The known variables involved are misunderstood at best and the unknown variables, the ones that could never be known, are just as influential.
So far, I've heard the following reasoning: People who have trouble being alone will be placed in more urban schools with more site mates. Those that have a high level of speaking ability will end up in rural areas which might help them navigate more adverse situations. Those with Master's Degrees will be placed at higher level colleges. Individuals with health issues will be located closer to medical services.Those with teaching experience will be placed at certain schools. Those with TEFL teaching experience will be placed at certain schools. Those with a certain teaching style will be placed at certain schools. Individuals that explicitly state a preference will be more likely to get what they asked for. Those that explicitly state their preferences will not get them.
As I'm sure you can tell, the code has still to be cracked. To be honest, it might be random. Now, have I wandered down some of the above lines of thinking? Definitely. Before I sold everything I owned, strapped myself into a plane aimed across the ocean, I hoped that I would be placed at a high level university in the middle of a large city. Now I'm not so sure. It might be nice to look up across an ancient countryside and see the stars.
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