End of the Journey

Three and a half months ago, I left the United States having never been to a foreign country besides a few family vacations to Canada (which don't count, sorry Canada). And now, after spending the first semester of my junior year on the other side of the world, I will return home with not only much improved Chinese language skills, but also a greater understanding of what it means to be a person on this planet. I am drastically more aware of how culture impacts each of our lives, I have gained a new family here in China, and all the while, I have had more fun than I ever could have expected to have.

So, here we are. I have less than twelve hours left here in Nanjing before I fly back to Boston and I can hardly believe my time abroad has already come to an end. People say "time flies" but these past four months have truly felt like no more than two. I guess when everyday is filled with new activities, hours of studying new material, and discovering new things about Chinese culture, you simply don't have much time to reflect.

Now, that may sound silly coming from the guy who has been updating a blog throughout the entire trip, but there's still so much that never even made it to these pages. Given the time, I could fill dozens of blogs with all of my escapades and maybe one day, when I'm not so distracted, I'll sit down and write a book or something. But for now, a blog post approximately every two weeks has been all I've been willing to commit to. There've simply been too many things to do/see/trip over/throw at Sophie/etc... to warrant spending any more time on my computer.

And not all of these things have been as extraordinarily exciting as examining the Terracotta Army or trekking through mountains in the remote Chinese wilderness. Nearly as vivid are my memories of sitting on the ground with my host mom while playing with Duoduo, having small conversations in Chinese with friendly old people on the bus, and trying to take group naps with two other nearly-fully-sized people in a twin bed. These moments might not make the traditional highlight reel or come up as often during casual conversation in the upcoming months, but they're just as important to me.

Undoubtedly, when I return, plenty of people are going to ask me what my favorite parts of the trip were. So I suppose I should start compiling a list of the most objectively compelling things I did to make it easier on myself. The excursion to the northwest will definitely be mentioned as it included trips to some of the most touristy locales I visited: the Terracotta Army, the Bingling Grottoes, Labrang Monastery - all beautiful and historic sites.

Other items that I've checked off on the "Bucket List I Didn't Know I Had"; bike on the Xi'an city wall, ride a camel in the desert, get a haircut in downtown Shanghai, shoot a bow and arrow in a Chinese amusement park, eat a donkey burger (and love it), teach English to a first grade class, watch unexpected fireworks from the balcony of a hotel room that you booked two days prior, the list goes on and on and on... For my first venture outside of my home country, I'd say that I did a pretty good job.

I constantly try to remind myself of just how lucky I am to be able to go on these amazing adventures, to meet these fascinating people, and to spend so much of my time just learning about the world around me. It is a privilege that I try not to take for granted. This is one of the many deeper lessons that I will take away from this trip; there are so many in this world who barely have the means to survive let alone tour the globe. And there are those whose government does not allow them the freedoms that I have been allowed, to speak freely about what I believe in and what I think is right. I often find myself marveling at how well this trip has turned out in every respect and I am so thankful.

I can't deny that luck has had something to do with this trip's massive success, but I must also give credit to another element of my life that never ceases to amaze me in its utility: improvisational comedy. Back at UMass, I am part of an improv comedy group called Mission:IMPROVable. Not only does it allow me to spend hours on end laughing hysterically with people I love, but also it has taught me some amazing life lessons, the most relevant of which (in the context of China) is "saying YES." I can not count the number of times that my study abroad experience was enriched because I was comfortable saying, "Yes." Simply put, it is impossible for you to find out if you love something if you never try it, whether it be food, a hobby, or something more abstract. Trust me; the next time you are in a situation where you are hesitant to do something because you think you might embarrass yourself, take a deep breath, and just do it. I know this sounds like something out of an ABC Family TV special, but I implore you to say "yes" more. What's the worst that could happen? Fortune favors the bold.

The next big thing I want to talk about is a bit more serious. As you're probably aware, the current status of international politics is, to say the least, unstable. There is a lot of hate being spewed from all corners of the globe and being so far away from the US provides me with a unique perspective. First of all, something interesting happens when you live with a new family; you start to care about them as if they were actually your family. You start to appreciate their mannerisms, their laughs, their hopes and dreams. You start to wish for them to succeed and you feel good when you connect with them on a deeper level. You start to notice the nuances to their personalities and their motivations behind all of the things they believe and do. I realized one day that I love my host family. And when you start to love someone that lives in another country, it starts to make you sick when you hear people in your home country talk about the people in that other country as a single entity, as faceless masses with no identity other than what is provided through stereotypes.

When you eat, sleep, work, learn, play - when you live with people of a different culture, this tendency to group individuals by their country of origin begins to fade away. That is why I believe that the greatest lesson to be learned from studying abroad is empathy. Studying abroad has taught me the importance of remembering that each person on this planet is different. Each person has their own special mannerisms, their own laugh, their own hopes and dreams. Each person has their own family, no matter where you live, no matter what you believe. No one can be entirely defined by the groups that they fall under on a census. And I believe that no one is entitled to life on this planet more than anyone else.

Now, this is not to say that cultural differences do not exist. Cultural differences in the US, China, and every other culture in between instill us with tendencies to be sometimes drastically different than our international neighbors. Our values, our norms, and our beliefs often starkly contrast. But it still doesn't change the fact that we're all stuck on the same tiny rock hurtling through space. I believe that we are fully capable of accepting our differences and learning to coexist, even co-prosper, if you will. And, in fact, I find that our vast differences make the world that much more exciting! When everyone has something unique to offer, there is a literally endless amount to learn and experience.

And finally, not only does having more people on the planet make life more exciting, in my experience, it also gives life meaning. I believe it is very important to be able to love yourself without the approval of others and I have many times on this journey found contentment in solitude and self-reflection; however, I also believe that all of the greatest moments of life are spent with people you love. What really fills me with happiness is not just experiencing the limitless things that this world has to offer, but sharing those things with those who you truly enjoy being around.

I met Amy and Sophie in the Hong Kong Airport before we boarded our last flight to Nanjing. Since then, we have been nearly inseparable. They have filled every moment of this trip with uncontrollable laughter and immeasurable joy. They are undeniably brilliant and compassionate people who are never too afraid to make absolute fools of themselves especially in very public places. I didn't know what I was going to find when I came to China, but I certainly never expected to meet two of my best friends. The hardest thing I will do in China will be to say goodbye (for now) to these two.

Sophie and Amy,

I love you both. You have made this adventure so much more meaningful. I already miss you both desperately and I can hardly wait to see you again.

To everyone else reading this,

Thank you for following me throughout the last 3.5 months! It has been an unforgettable journey - one that I hope you have also enjoyed reading about. And hey, if you learned something, that's great too. If you're back in the States, I'm very excited to see you again soon. But you know, it might not be a bad idea to get out of the country for while if you get the chance. Turns out there's a pretty big world outside of the US.

And until you get up and go, you'll never know what you might find.

Communism

I have two weeks left here in China and, of course, it feels like it all went by so fast. At this point, I am very excited to be home, to see my American family & friends, and to share everything that I've experienced. That said, the word "bittersweet" does not even begin to describe the emotions I will feel when I board that plane back to the states... But we'll get there when we get there! For now, let's tackle a happier topic and one that I am quite excited to discuss:

COMMUNISM

Yes, as we all know, China is a Communist country! So obviously this is one of the great inherent differences between living in China and the US - a bastion of free market capitalism and democracy... Or so you might think.

Firstly, despite what a certain American political party would like you to think (one that also happens to be associated with the color red, probably just a coincidence), the United States has reaped the benefits of market manipulation since the country's founding. So anyone who says America is all free market all the time is either uninformed or lying to you. But who cares about crummy old America, let's talk about China and this infamous, government-dictated economy!

Well, here's something you ought to know about China that might surprise you:

China is not really a Communist country. At least, not in the way most people think. China no longer has a planned economy and I will elaborate on that in a second, but first, history time!

Farmers during The Great Leap Forward

Now you can't talk about China for long without talking about the subject of the painting seen above, Mao Zedong. You've probably heard of him; Mao was the driving force for the Communist Revolution in China: helping to establish the Communist Party during the Republic of China era, orchestrating the civil war against the Nationalist Party, and running the Communist Government from 1949 until 1976. At the center of a still thriving cult of personality, Mao became one of the most influential individuals in the history of the world. Critics also say that he was a dictator comparable to Hitler and Stalin who severely damaged traditional Chinese culture, and - through systematic human rights abuses, starvation, forced labor, and executions - is responsible for the deaths of up to 70 million people. Despite these atrocities, the government still glorifies him, censors any negative information it finds online, and many Chinese - especially in rural areas - simply don't know about his failures as a leader.

By the time his tenure at the head of the Chinese government was over, his economic policies (see: The Great Leap Forward) had wreaked havoc across China, causing widespread famine and leaving the nation in a state of financial disaster. Then, in 1976, he died. He was initially replaced by one of the most forgotten individuals in Chinese history, Hua Guofeng. Hua lasted two years before he was ousted by the more radical reformer and new face of China, Deng Xiaoping.

Deng Xiaoping

Despite the fact that he was also a prominent Communist Party leader during the Mao era, Deng's economic policies were directly at odds with Mao's. This led to him being removed from the government twice during the Cultural Revolution; however, he was able to outmaneuver Hua and became the de facto leader of China in 1978.

Immediately after coming into power, Deng - a capitalist at heart - did what would have been unthinkable during the Mao era; he opened up China to western business. While the government maintained Communist-style rhetoric, the old constraints on the economy were loosened and Deng signed major contracts with American companies such as Boeing and Coca-Cola.

Fast-forward to now, and you have what the Chinese government calls "Communism with Chinese characteristics." This is a fancy way of saying, "We're basically capitalist now, but if the government tells you to do something, you do it immediately with no questions asked." No longer does China have a planned economy. Each Chinese individual basically works for everything they get, it's relatively easy to open up a new business, western chains fill the cities, so it's as easy in China as it is in the US to buy an H&M sweater or chicken wings from KFC. If someone with no prior knowledge about China walked down the main drag here in Nanjing, that person would have little reason to suspect that this country still qualifies as Communist. Business seems to operate in the same way that it does here in America.

Now there are some key differences. I recently had the pleasure of attending a lecture with Dr. Henry Tsang who talked about the rapid economic rise of China, and I learned a number of fascinating things about China's economic system; for example, while the average wage in China is very low at about $2.50/hr, Chinese families almost always save somewhere between thirty to fifty percent of their earnings. In the US, that rate hovers at about three percent. China's huge savings rate is the product of a number of societal and economic factors, but what it means is that the Chinese government has a gigantic stockpile of cash that continues to grow thanks to the continuing foreign investment of western companies like Apple who have reaped major benefits from entering into the Chinese market. (iPhone ownership is a major status symbol here in China.)

This excess capital combined with the one-party government's dictatorial control over the entire nation allows the Chinese government to make decisions like this;

Running a deficit, but the government doesn't care

• "Hey, the US has a cool railway system. We're going to improve our lacking infrastructure by building the biggest railway system in the world and it's only going to take five years. Oh, the companies who built it are defaulting on their loans because the railways aren't making a profit? Whatever, it's convenient for our citizens so we'll pay for it/make the banks wait for their money."

• "Oh, our stock market crashed over the summer? Everyone in the US is talking about the decline of the Chinese economy? Yeah right. Let's inject $150 billion into the economy to lift things back up. See? It's fixed. And we've still got more than twenty trillion US dollars left in the vault."

While I may sound tongue-in-cheek and I'm simplifying here, the situations described above have actually transpired here in China and they both reflect the flexibility of the Chinese economic system. Thanks to this influx of US dollars and the ability of the government to do just about anything it sees fit without consequence, China has been able to maintain its unprecedented growth rate unlike any nation in modern history.Additionally, the government's ability to control its citizens is strongly linked to its shadow of influence on all Chinese business. If a citizen does not act in the way the government thinks he or she should be acting, it can put pressure on the individual's employer to fire the employee.

This control is harder to observe in the current system than it was in the days of Mao, but it's important to note that, while the economic systems have many more similarities than I expected, major systemic differences still exist. This is why I want to be clear that I am not advocating for China's economic system. The financial innovations and rapid growth have occurred alongside major societal oppression that is worthy of condemnation from the international community. But I have neither the time nor expertise needed to elaborate on that right now. I simply wanted to share my take on the phenomenon that is the Chinese economic machine.

The Party

Now when I think of Communism, I don't just think about economics. At the core of the great proletarian struggle against the bourgeoisie, you always have the governing body: the Communist Party. But since the reforms of the 1980s, the Communist Party of China (CPC) is nothing like the working-class political body that Marx and Lenin envisioned.

In fact, today's CPC is more like the nation's biggest and most important honors fraternity. Essentially, the Party recruits only the top students in Chinese high schools to join their ranks. In exchange for prestige and major assistance when it comes to finding jobs, these students are required to go to monthly meetings, write infrequent reports about the status of China, and generally maintain good social and educational standing.

The official membership of the party is about eighty-eight million people, which means only six and a half percent of the entire Chinese populace are members; however, about seventy percent of the government's national congress are CPC members and Xi Jingping, the current President of China and Chairman of the Central Military, is also the General Secretary of the CPC. Almost all of the strongest political leaders in China are Party members and it is common knowledge that party members receive preferential treatment when it comes to earning promotions in government occupations.

"Young Pioneers", basically Chinese Communist Boy/Girl Scouts

Here in the city, according to the local friends I've made here, asking someone if they are a party member or not isn't rude or invasive. Lack of party membership doesn't exclude anyone from public activities and many people simply don't know which of their friends are party members and which are not. Neither of my host parents are CPC members, nor is Jerry. But just a few weeks ago, I found out that my tutor is a Communist Party member. It came up in casual conversation, she was very nonchalant about it, and I realized that being a CPC member just isn't that big of a deal in China right now. So yes, I have a bunch of Chinese Communist friends, but this is not Mao's Communist Youth League of old.

Now, I should note that Nanjing is a city with deep historical ties to the Republic of China era, when China was on its way to being a full-fledged democracy. In fact, from what I can see, I'm living in one of the most liberal areas in all of China. That said, the students I have made friends with here at Nanjing University are mostly from out of the city and living with a host family has allowed me to associate more frequently with the older generations, so I've had a wider range of opinions and experiences to draw from.

I'm sure that I am still going to get plenty of questions about Communism when I return home, but I think I'm going to enjoy clearing up what is one of the most common misunderstandings Americans have pertaining to China.

The Return of the Fun Stuff Section!

• Last week I went to a local television studio with my classmates and we got to be guests on a Chinese cooking competition show where the contestants are all mothers. It was pretty interesting to see how the whole process works, plus now I can say that I was on Chinese television.
• My host brother, Jerry, is hilarious. A couple of days ago, we rode over a speed bump while on his motorbike. I asked him, "What do you call speed bumps in Chinese?" He replied, "I don't call them, I hit them."
  A while back we were in the grocery store with my host mom. A woman came up to Jerry and asked him (in Chinese) if there were any deals on the yogurt we were looking at. He told her, "Yeah, it's all free" after which my host mom told him to shut up.
• A big shout out to my Aunt Betty, Uncle Frank, and the rest of the Uplands Village Retirement Community in Pleasant Hill, Tennessee! Apparently I've got quite the following there and I appreciate the support immensely.
• It has come to my attention that I have failed to include a picture of my host mom on the blog yet, so here she is: the bright, funny, compassionate woman who keeps this household running smoothly, even with the addition of a weird American college student.