National Day 2005

So, some of you may wonder what the Chinese do to celebrate the founding of nation, which yesterday was 56 years old (that is, the PRC is 56 years old). Despite the similar cause, National Day holiday is not very similar to our Independence Day, except for the aspect of families being together. When I would ask people of their plans for the week-long holiday, their answers varied somewhat, but almost everyone said they'd go shopping and otherwise not do much else.

I ended up going over to my new host family's house for the day. It was only the second time I'd met them, and the first time I met the father. It is not common for Volunteers to have host families after they get to site, and I didn't request one. However, for probably several reasons, my Dean procured one for me (I think they are friends of his, somehow). After hearing horror stories all summer from China 10s about subtle or not-so-subtle attempts to capitalize on every fiber of their "Americanness," I was hesitant to meet them. This may or may not be hard to understand, but in many ways, I am a commodity here. It becomes delicate removing yourself from a cycle where you are sort of a pawn ("here, I've got this American teacher, she can be your daughter's private English tutor!") without damaging the relationships I'm trying to build.

All that said, I'm relieved to report that this doesn't appear to be the case. The family that has suddenly taken me under their wing admittedly most wants to know me for the sake of their daughter Xiao Xiao, a 17 year old high school student. Yet they are kind and fun to be with, and I really like Xiao Xiao. Far from trying to teach her too much, I want her to relax. Like all Chinese high school students, she is under intense pressure to score well on the national exams, which will dictate what kind of college she goes to and thus most of her future. In the US students worry about the ACTs and SATs, but the degree to which Chinese youth feverishly and doggedly prepare for their exam (called the gao kao) is stunning to me. Xiao Xiao gets up at 6:30 every day and goes to school shortly thereafter, where she stays until 6 or 7 pm each night. Homework and studying follow until late at night, then the cycle repeats again. They have a long break for lunch, but then even after class is over, most of the students stay for study sessions. Yesterday she told me that it is common for students to stand in the back of the room during class to stay awake--they're so tired that if they sit, they'll fall asleep. I've decided that she and I can practice English together and I'll help her all she wants, but that my main goal in spending time with her is to have fun with her. A 17 year old should not have the dark circles under her eyes that she has.

Back to yesterday: we all ate a seemingly never-ending mountain of food, and Mrs. Sun taught me how to make spicy beef with peppers. One tradition I really like in Chinese cuisine is the serving of fruit and nuts as appetizer and desert. I ate several persimmon yesterday and was sent off with a bag of fruit when I left. It really is sometimes like going to see your grandparents or something--they think I don't eat when I'm not with them. After lunch we took a drive out of the city, west along the Yangtze to the longan forest. Every city in China claims fame for something, and Luzhou is "famous" for its gui yuan, or longan. Click here to find out all you'd ever want to know about this fruit, which is rare in the US. There is a definite culture around the gui yuan. First of all, Luzhou-ites always talk about them; they ask me if I "know" about them. Then when they are in season (late summer), they are brought as gifts to dinner parties, eaten at gatherings and sold all over on the street. The seeds and peels are ubiquitous. I like the fruit alright, I guess, but I really like the culture. I have a huge bag of them sitting next to my desk right now, and I'm going to have to try and give some away to someone else. But it'll be nice to give them away, because that's what you do with gui yuan.

So that was how I spent my National Day, 2005. More news next time...