#4: The People. I was completely overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity displayed by the Chinese people throughout our trip. A few specific moments stand out, one being my interactions with two women whom I purchased breakfast from in a Wuhan alleyway. They did not speak any English, and at that point my Mandarin was less than understandable, but they were willing to do their best at pleasantly communicating. The hospitality demonstrated by everyone we met at the school, and by my host family in particular was remarkable. Abbie and I only spent one night with our host family, but they treated us as though we had known each other for years. It was so touching to be welcomed into someone’s home, and to be treated as honored guests.\
A second aspect of the people that was especially striking was their reaction to our presence. One of my main questions in the beginning of this course was in regards to how the Chinese people felt about Americans. This was more than answered for me throughout the trip. On our first night in Wuhan, Abbie and I were taken into Steve’s classroom on our way out of the school. The second the students saw us, we were welcomed with applause and cheering. We were only in there for a few minutes, but the feeling I got when I entered that room will always remain with me.
At one point, Steve explained to us how much our being at school meant to the students. “You’re who they want to be,” he said, and I felt that a real sense of responsibility on our part was demonstrated by that statement. I was also extremely taken aback by how we were watched. Everywhere our group went, we were stared at, pointed at, whispered about and photographed (particularly those who didn’t have dark hair.) This was not something I was expecting to occur on the scale that it did- it was almost like being a celebrity.
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