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Q: What is the most enjoyable, hilarious and/or weird experience you've had in China?
Continuing the theme of my good mood today, I'd like to know what has made other people happy while living in China. Not everything, just that one incident you'd never have seen back home.
I have had several very moving experiences here in China, among others.
One was when my mother passed in the States. The parents of the children that I teach, who are far from a rich group of parents, offered to pay without reimbusement, my airplane ticket home and back, so that I could attend the funeral, no strings attached. I was really, really moved. I did not accept.
The second one involved the parents of the children again. After having been taking out to dinner so many times and after having put on a great deal of weight, they actually went out and bought me a gym membership for one year. I was really touched.
The most frustrating experience and still funny experience that I have had was the "joke" that the bicycle club played on me when I joined. They told me that on "x" Saturday we would go for a little ride around the city where I live for maybe 2 hours. OK, so I joined them and it turned out to be nearly a 14-hour cycle of about 120 kilometers up and down at least 10 "mountains" (they called them "hills") through the backlanes of the province where I live.
My most memorable and humbling experience was this year when the Chinese Government honored me with its "Friendship Award" for significant contributions to the country. I was put up in a state guesthouse for two days, entertained at a series of very official dinners and receptions and then invested with the medal by very, very top government leaders. The mayor of my city attended the award, the governor of the province attended, and the party head for the province attended. That was my memorable event.
And there I was at this state dinner sitting with fifteen other persons for the 2011 Friendship Award -- several heads of large Japanese corporations, several very, very distinguished medical researchers, several very distinguished university researcher and me, just simple little me. Really memorable.
kchur:
Yes. Simple little you. You should have added "immanently humble" just so we'd be entirely clear.
derek:
What was the question again...ah yes. "What was your most humbling and memorable experience that you are too humble to tell us about?" Got it.
981977405:
kchur, do you mean "imminently humble" is that the word that you meant to use? Or do you mean "eminently" humble? Perhaps your word is a Sarah-Palinism, I am not sure. In any case, thank you for comment.
981977405:
Good show, Derek, I am glad that you have "got it". Only I am not sure what you have got. Rancor perhaps.
DaBen:
Really, you can't use the "simple little me" comment. To be honored as one of China's top 50 picks for Laowai for 2011, what exactly did you do?
paulmartin:
I cant see what the guy as posted to get such negative responce,well done what ever you did,and you should feel proud,as long as it was something positive
981977405:
DaBen and Paul, thank you very much. It was an honor truly and totally unexpected. I just did my job, was kind to my neighbors, helped out some poor people a little bit, honestly, just what we would call in the West, acts of Christian charity. And I mean it. As for the naysayers, let them be. It's their modus operandi and it's just sour grapes. As the French say, "cela me coule comme de l'eau du dos d'un canard". Thank you both for your kind words.
Anything my GF does amuses me. She is tiny and just so cute. Mostly things she says make me laugh because of cuteness. I hope she never gets to where she thinks I'm laughing at her. I'm still chuckling over the "I very very busy" she said the other day.
It might not be funny, or hilarious or weird, but it was truly enjoyable for me. I had met this local Chinese family, grandma, divorced mother, teenager daughter struggling thru Mid School with a severe eye condition that will eventually render her blind. Dispear, depression, and much arguing going on because they did not have the money for the operation to stop and correct her eye condition and save her sight. So, I decided to be a good samaritan and with my GF went to Military Hospital and spoke with eye doctor treating her. After a long chat, I convinced him to be a "good guy", lower his fee for the operation, and keep his mouth shut. I "donated" the 4,000 Rmb for the operation, and the patient was called and told she would be operated at no charge because her grandfather was a military hero and recipient of a few medals (true fact).
She was operated, quite succesfully, her eye sight fully restored, and today she is a quite happy little girl.
I thought I have gotten away with it, when one day the grandma showed at my door step and told me thru my GF that she was not fooled, and a friend of her at the hospital eventually told her who had made the operation possible. Now I am a member of a grateful Chinese family who is fully convinced that laowais are not that bad of a person.
Sometimes when I do see this girl, the happiness in her face, the future awaiting for her, all black clouds over my head dissapear like magic. And when she calls me "Uncle", I do feel that what I did was the proper and right thing to do. I just wish I had more means to be able to help more persons with similar needs.
GuilinRaf:
Awsome story! Makes you wonder at the trolls who gaveyou a thmbs down. However, really awsome!
I never intend to come across as a naysayer. My reason for the comment I made was purely due to the fact that the post seemed over the top and I initially viewed it as rather off topic.
Upon further review, I want to commend 9819770405 on his accomplishments. Well done, I am sure you are proud of the accoloades and I, in no way am attepting to diminish them. Congrats!
981977405:
Thank you very much. I was interviewed on CCTV two times, in the newspaper two times, and today the People's Daily called again and I will be interviewed again next week. The local television station came to school, etc., etc. I had no idea of any of this as I just continued to lead my daily life. I knew something was going on, really, however, when my neighbors told me that the police had come to most of their doors asking questions about me. I had no idea why at the time and was visibly a little worried. Today the PSB called my boss and told him to make sure that I was taken care of during the holidays and not neglected. Just for being kind to some local folk and to the little children, nothing more, nothing less.
It comes from the Bible, I guess, the saying about "suffer not the little children" and the story of Joseph and his two coats. And I told them that during the process.
And Derek, again thank you for your kind wishes.
It's just the lesson that I have learned in China: most of the time, if you are kind to the Chinese, the Chinese will reciprocate. I feel that kindness is not viewed as a flaw here but rather a strong moral character because where I come from, if you are kind, more than not it's the saying about "no kind deed shall go unpunished".
Well my moment is going to sound like crap compared to other people. I guess one of the best moments so far was when the students in from 2 of my classes chipped in to help me buy a pair of boots before coming to Japan. It was just so sweet, I didn't expect it at all. I always feel like a horrible teacher, but they like me anyway. So for that reason, I'll keep trying to get better and better.
philbravery:
nothing wrong with that you must have done somthing good that left an impretion on them good on you
2nd day off the plane i'm walking around the city of hohhot, (my attitude was i'm an american and the women will love me). i walk past a "hair salon" and the women insidecame to the window and waved me in. "i'm gonna get laid my second day here " i thought. one girl spoke very little english and we communicated. after a few minutes, i noticed no one was getting there hair done, and there was no actual equipment. so i asked what store is this then they said "anmore" sounded sth like that. they gave me a tour of the shop, brought me upstairs. the one that spoke a lil engl was really into me. the other girls basically followed her lead. she unbuttoned my pants so they could examine me, "touch me and i'll touch you back" so i started feeling up the girl that was the lead and doing the talking. these were the first pai of chinese breasts i ever felt and i thought damn they are tough i mean solid. as i felt her up some more "down south" , i realized that she wasnt a girl.
