Recent Journals
Money. The all-important, all-encompassing concept that drives people to kill, steal, threaten, or worse--grind nine to five in a dead end job they hate. It’s a thing and it’s important. And YIKES! I am bad at just the general concept of it. In America, my relationship with the almighty dollar is a pretty sweet deal. Due to my lack of consistent, predictable, reliable income (with the exception of whenever I get a set of odd jobs and/or a snowstorm), I don’t have to worry about food, drink, and clothes. My parents pay for most of the everyday things. I’m usually on the hook for non-essentials, or fancy things like comic books, video games, and a new computer. I am one hundred percent down with this deal. Another benefit of being at home is that, if I’m ever in a pinch, say I’m going into Boston with friends, I can get a loan.
A problem then arises when you go to a different continent, with a wad of cash that my teenage self is supposed to budget for four months. I can barely make my Halloween candy last past October! I remember looking at it, and it being some abstract concept, not easy to grasp as a whole. No way I did anything right when it came to the temptations of my environment.
And all self restraint was thrown out the window when I saw those shiny chopsticks! Who cares if they’re 200 yuan? They’re shiny! I bought those shiny chopsticks and have used them for every meal I've eaten in the Zhao household ever since. But it’s not the expensive chopsticks that got me; it’s the little things. Food and drink, everyday mumbles you don’t even think about. If I stop by the convenience store, why not pick up a bag of chips and an herbal tea? Oreos? Why not, they’re just ten yuan! And that's how I fool myself. Because when you add up ten 10 yuan purchases, what do you get? 100 yuan! Keep on going, what do you get? Too much money! That’s more than I bargained-or budgeted for!
The biggest kicker, and this is no secret, is bubble tea. One cup is 16 yuan. That’s like nothing! Less than three USD! But every day? That adds up. You know what 16 times 7 is? It’s 112, that's every week! 112 yuan on tea. I’ve learned I am a small, weak-willed baby boy who can in no way handle financial tribulations. But as this trip has progressed, I have transformed into a mid-sized, slightly below average-willed, baby man of financial renown! Keeping track of my purchases has helped me think twice about what I buy. And honestly, it’s pretty fun saving money. I’ve taken to picking up coins and the like I see on the street, even the one jiao coins which are worth next to nothing, and I’ve accumulated quite a bit of cash this way. I’ve really started to appreciate what items cost, and how my choices affect my bottom line. I hope my progress here ends up with improved financial independence and stability back in the U.S. of A, so maybe there can be a day where I need not beg mommy for a loan.
In April, the Bounders all took a trip to the Chongli branch school in Hebei, and it was quite the experience. As soon as we arrived, I noticed that Chongli had fewer people and more wide open spaces. Dongyin said it reminded her of Newton, and I agree. After being in Beijing for four months, Chongli seemed peaceful.
We also saw immediately saw that this school was so much bigger than Jingshan. The first students we saw were huddled around one another. They looked shy, and we wondered if they were our new host siblings, or just stray kids seeing foreigners for the first time. It turns out it was both.
We got closer, and the Chongli students came closer to us, while the Chongli teachers figured out what was going on for the next few days. Eventually we were assigned our new host siblings, and I got to meet Li. She reminded me of my currently host sibling in Beijing, as they both share the surname, a nice little reminder of my host family. I asked Li how her English was, and she said it wasn’t very good. I was curious to see what she meant, so I spoke a little English, but she couldn't understand me. Li tried hard to speak and practice her English, but I could tell that the language level of the Chongli students was pretty low compared to the students in Beijing. Google Translate still had my back if I needed it, though. I met up with the Bounders afterward and we talked about our new host siblings. We were mostly excited and happy for this new experience. It was like a fresh start.
The Bounders all went to the field in back of the school. It was huge! The field was the same size as the track field we have at Newton North, not the cage we’ve been using at Jingshan. We saw some boys playing soccer and we were all hyped to go play, as the Americans always beat our competitors at Jingshan. But these guys actually looked like they played soccer for a living. They had cleats, soccer jerseys, black shorts, gloves--and they all had the same haircut! It looked like a cult, and I was intimidated to play, as we would've embarrassed ourselves. Ben, Austin, Read and Ethan were all getting hyped up to play, though. Ethan kept saying "Nah, we ain’t losing today, not today!" I was getting amped up, feeling the mood. But Mengran, our Chinese guide, said we didn't have enough time to play soccer, and that quickly killed my mood to play soccer. She said we could play tomorrow. I was looking forward to that.
As we were heading out of the field, we saw a bunch of students opening a window, waving and screaming “Hello!” to us in English. It's like we were some sort of celebrity to them! Everyone wanted to say hi. Once we waved at them and said “Hi” back, they all went crazy. It really did feel like we were special, but maybe a little too special.
We spent the rest of our day at our new host siblings’ houses. That part was really nice, but also felt weird. I kind of missed my host family’s apartment in Beijing, even though it was only a few days away, and reminders of Eve kept popping into my head. Li tried speaking English, and couldn't exactly say what she was trying to get out, so pointing really helped. I told her she could speak Chinese if she had troubles. From then on we spoke mostly in Chinese. We talked about life, our families, and the air pollution in Beijing.
Li introduced me to my room, and the first thing I noticed was the giant window facing the living room. It was huge, and didn’t have a curtain and or any way of getting privacy. So when I needed to change into my other clothes, I had to go behind the door so no one would see me. It felt clunky, but hey, it worked out! It was a nice big room with a giant fuzzy teddy bear for sleeping. It was like a dream bed-- so cozy and warm. I passed out instantly for a nap.
We ate some bananas and apples while we watched “Guardians of the Tomb,” which was in English but had quite a bit of Chinese dialogue. There were also tons of spiders in this movie. We also saw another one called “Inception,” with Leonardo DiCaprio, and it was really cool and trippy.
During “Inception,” my host mom brought out this pink bowl of hot water and placed it on the floor in front of me. She said I should put my feet in it to clean off. I was hesitant at first, but I took off my socks and put my feet in. It was very warm, relaxing, and pleasant. After about five minutes, the water cooled off, and she took the bowl to the bathroom. After that, I went to bed, since I was very tired and wanted to see updates from other Bounders. (Fun fact: Ethan got destroyed in Chinese chess by his new host sibling.Three times.)
The Chongli teachers seemed happy to have us, and the class applauded when we walked in. After a few periods Ms Dragsbaek came into our classroom. She saw us and said "Oh great, we have some of my students here. You know what that means." Oh yes, I do. Read and I got up and introduced ourselves in English and did presentations in English. First Ms. Dragsbaek did her presentation about herself and then Read and I talked a bit about our lives in Newton. The English level of the students was pretty low, though, to the point where Mengran had to translate everything we were saying. It was a pretty shy class, and not much interaction, but they all liked skiing.
Later that night performed our dance again. It was around sunset when we headed to the auditorium to watch the chorus competition. All the students waved their flags and screamed when they saw us. We felt like such special guests. Every group sang the Chinese nation anthem and a song of their choice. The speakers were much too loud, and we were in the front row, so our ears hurt a bit. Ben had earplugs for himself, but just one earplug, so he was half deaf afterwards. During the singing, they also played videos showing China’s military strength. One of the scenes showed Chinese vs. the Japanese in World War II. The strangest part was the background music they played. The music was upbeat and jolly, but the video showed troops battling one another and a sniper shooting heads off of enemy troops. Imagine watching the movie “Fury” but instead the music is like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” It was like that – a weird mix. Enjoyable nonetheless!
Finally it was our turn to perform. We were number 16, so it was a long wait, and oh boy, were we ready! First Read, Austin and Matthew sang their song, “Country Road.” They sounded pretty smooth. Then all eight of us took the stage. The music started, and I’m not even joking-- when we did our very first dance move, the audience just lost it! They were screaming, applauding, and cheering! When we did our jump, they just went crazy! We could tell the Chongli students really loved it, because later that night they asked for an encore and all of our WeChats.
That concert was a really fun experience. I felt really confident and happy about myself, and I think Bounders felt the same way. As a souvenir, the school gave each of us a small “Lucky Pig.” We loved them. Dongyin figured out that if you press the nose inward, it makes the pigs look human, which made us all laugh really hard. Even after we came back to Beijing, everyone complimented our dancing, and I hope this experience inspires the current Bounders (or even future Bounders) to consider doing dancing as a hobby. Chongli was really fun, and I will never forget our fans.
The closest parallel to my time in China was when I left the country alone for the first time without my parents. I went to Italy on a school trip in 7th grade. In Italy, I was away from home for only 2 weeks, which is a lot shorter than 4 months. I was also with one of my best friends and people I had known for a long time, so I had more of a support system to rely on, whereas in China I wasn’t as close with my fellow Bounders.
One similarity between these two trips is the feelings I had beforehand. When I went to Italy, I was nervous about how I would do on my my own, and if I would enjoy it or not. I had my best friend and great chaperones, but I was still nervous about a lot of things. Would I get along with the other kids on the trip? I knew some of them, but others I’d never met before. Would we get along? I wanted to make new friends on this trip. What if I got lost? What if I couldn’t communicate? There were so many things running through my mind. It was the same with China. When I found out I had gotten into the exchange, I was so excited, but also really nervous. Would I get along with the people on the trip? Would I get along with my host family and host family? Would my Chinese be good enough to communicate? There was so much running through my head, more than when I was in Italy.
The other similarity between the two trips was how they turned out. In Italy, I had the time of my life. I became closer with my best friend, and made another friend who has become one of my closest since. I also became close with so many of the other people on the trip, through inside jokes and shared experiences that I will treasure for a lifetime. Everything also turned out great when it came to getting my way around Florence and Rome. I never got lost, and was able to communicate with shopkeepers and people on the street. China was the same. I ended becoming pretty good friends with my fellow Bounders, and became extremely close with my host family in China. Some of the best memories with my classmates was the dance we performed in Chong Li together, and exploring the rice terraces in Guilin. I was also able to communicate with people about directions and ordering food. When we ate hot pot in Chengdu, there was no English on the menus, so Read and I had to help order. We were able to communicate to the waiter, and be understood. When my parents came to China, I was also able to translate for them. No matter how hard it was, I was able to muddle through it.
What I learned is that no experience is ever as intimidating as you imagine it, and it will always turn out fine in the end. You may not know anybody at first, you may be scared, but it is always so fulfilling. By challenging yourself, you can become more confident and be less nervous. Travelling abroad is always a great experience, and you will learn so much from it. If you have the opportunity, take it.
Chengdu was the second major trip all the Bounders took together, and this time, the teachers’ husbands got to join us. I was really looking forward to having a break from the same routine of school, morning exercise, shadowing, learning, and constantly arguing with the other Bounders about who’s more right about various subjects, such as whether water is the same as ice.
Our first day of Chengdu was really interesting. When we got to the hotel, the first thing I noticed was that the owners were panda fanatics. There were panda decorations all over the place. The hall outside our room was covered with green carpet to look like grass, and huge plastic panda figures in different poses. Every time we passed by, those pandas were just there, watching us.
I noticed that was a common theme in Chengdu. Anywhere you go, there will surely be panda merchandise, like headbands with panda ears, stuffed animals, cups, and T shirts. There were so many places to buy clothes. Sadly, I didn't go, because we were busy all day with sightseeing and I would basically pass out from exhaustion when we got back to the hotel. Also, it was really warm compared to Beijing’s weather, and I didn't really want to go out in all that humidity and sweat.
For our vacation week, the Bounders took turns planning the sightseeing. The first day in Chengdu we saw the pandas. The pandas were all so cute! One got stuck in the trees, and the workers had to help him/her down. We had a tour guide who showed us around and taught us many facts about pandas such as: “if a panda has twins, the mother will abandon one of them because she doesn't have enough milk to support them both.” I was really looking forward to holding a panda. However, they stopped letting people hold the pandas recently, because a few tourists coughed on the pandas and they caught the flu.
Maddie and I organized the day trip to Qingcheng mountain. It was deathly hot that day, so I wasn't really looking forward to climbing the mountain at first. We climbed for a few hours, and all the Bounders except Maddie got separated from the teachers, who made it to the top. We had lunch at one of the stalls there and met back up with the teachers. But after they left, some of us didn't want to go to the summit, so we started to head back down. I felt like we were forgetting something, and halfway down I realized Matthew wasn't with us because he went to use the bathroom and didn't tell us. It turned out to be ok; he caught up after we texted him where we were.
We also went to see the Terracotta Warriors. The tour guide told us they were found by village people who didn't tell the government because they thought it wasn't that important. However, this army was built by the Qin dynasty for the emperor's resting place. Some of the warriors have not been dug up yet, because they want to develop a special technology that will preserve the paint on the statues. Many people believe there are many more scattered around Xi’an, because the tomb of the emperor is in a separate place from the warriors. It was really cool to see the variety of different types of warriors. There were lower class soldiers, higher class soldiers, and horses. The tour guide explained that we could distinguish the higher class from the lower class by the headpiece they were wearing.
Our last day trip was to the ancient city wall that surrounds Xi’an. I was surprised that the teachers allowed us to ride bikes on the wall. Some parts were a little bumpy, but I really enjoyed the ride. We accidentally got separated from the teachers’ husbands because we didn't think we needed to wait for them. We biked around the whole wall in an hour or so.
In Xi’an, there was also a Muslim street that had so much street food. I got squid on a stick, biangbiang noodles and a bunch of other noodles. There was also a noodle place right next to our hotel, and the owner was so nice. We went there almost every day. In Chengdu, I also had a lot of noodles and all the food was really inexpensive: around 21 yuan, which is roughly three US dollars. Every day, the Bounders would go around the city just exploring and finding restaurants. Sometimes we would get back as late as 10:00 and fall asleep at one or two in the morning. While in Beijing, I’m supposed to be home at 9:00 and go to sleep at 10:00 on week days and 11:00 on weekends. I’m really going to miss the freedom of not having a curfew.
Becoming a student at Jingshan reminds me of a very similar experience I had when I was seven. In the middle of 2nd grade, I moved from Brookline to Newton, which meant I had to start a new school where I knew absolutely no one. So during the beginning of my time in Jingshan, although everything was new, I couldn’t help but feel l had been there before: I had that same feeling, like there was no one you knew who could help you out or comfort you. Luckily, similar to my previous new school experience, that feeling didn’t last for very long. Just as when I first moved to Newton, people noticed that we were new students and were very nice and welcoming, and I quickly made some new friends. I also had to stand up in front of the class and introduce myself, because the class teachers expected that in our first shadow classes. I’m feeling really at home in Jingshan and it has become my norm, just as Newton was back in America. I’m very comfortable here, and have made many friends, from playing soccer during PE class, to socializing at English corner, to hanging out outside of school. I know these friendships will outlast the exchange.
Unlike my previous experience, there is a language barrier, so it was a little more challenging to communicate with some of the students and get to know them. But I think the Bounders, myself included, overcame that challenge pretty quickly by just talking a little more to the students and finding common interests with them such as sports, music, and video games. I am pretty lucky that I don’t have too much schoolwork and I can focus more on making more friends and practicing some Chinese, while helping the students with their English. Unlike Newton, I haven’t had to focus on making a lot of friends on top of keeping up with all my schoolwork. Another difference from Newton is that there are way more people to meet at Jingshan. Instead of one or two classes of about 20 to 25 kids, I have a whole grade with 5 classes and about 40 kids in each. In addition to that, there are also people in other grades who want to talk to me and other Bounders during English Corner or other times.
Since I don’t usually do too well with big crowds or people, public speaking and being super social with unfamiliar people, I thought it would be difficult to adjust to life at Jingshan. But actually it was a lot easier than when I first moved to Newton, because I am more social than before. Also, many more people approached me, added me and talked to me on Wechat. My first new school experience has helped me a lot during my time at Jingshan.