Ever wanted to be a rock star? Let me tell you now – it isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. For exactly 7 days, I and my ETA companions were de facto celebrities in Luzhou, Sichuan. Taller, bearded and rosy cheeked [in a town that you can count the number of Westerners on your fingers and toes] – stares were the norm, pictures were expected, and talking was a must.
I feel like I could write 10 posts on various reflections, thoughts, experiences, and interesting stories about my time in Luzhou. Even then, you wouldn’t have a full picture of what I saw and shared. Frustrating, eye-opening, interesting, humbling, and exciting are words that just scratch the surface of my time there. So, I’ll give just a brief overview of what I did and some funny moments.
Luzhou is a small city in China. By small, it has 1 million people. Yeah, you read that right. China has attempted to totally redefine small town, village, and rural for me. In a lot of ways, Luzhou was like Tai Po. Open markets, greenery, rivers, and high rise buildings. More interesting though, was the huge disparity in the area. The average yearly cost of living on campus was less than 1000 RMB [about 200 US]. In the town, I ate at a totally plush hot pot restaurant where everyone got their own individual pot to regulate what they put in and the spice. The bill was easily 800 RMB – for one meal. Rich and poor seem butted right up against each other in this developing and burgeoning city. But, back to teaching and students.
For the week, I was expected, along with my companions, to present, visit classes and local people, and to give students and English experience. The class visits were great. I have rarely seen students so genuinely fascinated. We introduced ourselves and then spent about 30 minutes rotating between groups of students, showing pictures and answering questions. I brought some US and HK money, which really many of the students had never seen. I was asked the same questions about a million times:
- Do you like China?
- Do you like Chinese food?
- Do you like Chinese girls?
- Do you have a girlfriend?
- Can you use chopsticks?
They asked a lot more questions, but those were musts for everyone to ask – even if I had just answered it. After this, we would take pictures. Read that line as – insanity ensued.
At one point, I stood smiling as I faced 15 cameras and phones. I had no idea where to look nor who was grabbing my arm smiling ear to ear next to me. That unknown would scuttle off to the camera, and another would grab my arm. Girls and boys crammed to get into pictures with yours truly. Of course, in our mini group – the Asian ETAs deftly slipped out the door – leaving me [the only male white ETA] and a companion [a tall blond] to be devoured by the masses. To say I was mobbed is an understatement. At one point, an arm shot through the crowd, pulling me out – and it was our Hong Kong leader saving me saying they could take more pictures later. This happened every class we visited.
English corner, where we stood and spoke to students who showed up, had the same problem. As masses crowded around me, inching closer and closer, I worried I might be crushed as more people tried to get closer and closer to me. Once one became brave enough to ask if they could have a picture, madness followed.
Overall, it was great though. My voice started to go and I was exhausted, but it was really interesting. An ETA and I spoke to each other wondering what impact this visit would have on these students lives. Would they at some point, fifty years from now, be sitting with a fellow student and reminisce about the Americans who came to visit? Would this be a blip and otherwise meaningless?
I’m not sure but I will definitely remember that I do not want to be famous. Next post – teaching pics.
