193- 200

Iv'e been in new situations similar to kesslers before. Ironically enough here at Columbia. When I first started I was completely unaware of all the things I was able to do because I was living downtown. I would lock myself up and just get nervous at the thought of going out with all the people, traffic, and magnificent layout in Chicago. It was weird because i'm originally from a suburb here but I had never experienced true life in the city. Every objective struck me as a huge hassle. Going out was shittty cause i'd have to wait for the elevator, walk to the train, train would be busy so I would stand, and then walk finally to where ever I was trying to go. Then once i'd get there i'd think; now I have to do that all over again. It was a real adjustment getting used to living downtown. I came to realize that patience is so important when living here. You will find yourself waiting or stuck but you cannot loose your cool! Just enjoy yourself. Enjoy the experience you're given. This is Chicago, the greatest city in America. You won't be getting any younger and in that sense it kind of helps you grow and adapt. Now I love it here, i'm rarely going back home to the suburbs. Instead of locking myself up in agony of an anxious journey, I am confident and outgoing. I've become ready for whatever journey awaits. It makes me so happy to wake up and see the large stark buildings every morning.

response to 150-200

I can relate to the example of Peter moving to china and trying to figure out his new routines, and ways through ought his days. I like that he said he would sit in a teahouse with a newspaper and talk with whom ever would come by. I can relate to this particular activity, because when I moved to Chicago I had to start my own daily routines and get into my own schedule. I would sometimes walk down to Starbucks and get a coffee and do my homework on my free times. Or go to the library and get a book and read and spend time by myself. I also thought it was very serene to relax and go somewhere else for a change of scenery during my spare times.

193-200 (Sorry that it's so late!)

I felt that these pages really did help show how difficult it really was for Hessler to live in China. It even tells us that it’s hard for him to contact loved ones and use the Internet. His time Yulin was very interesting to read about though. Compared to the other chapters of this story, these pages showed that Hessler really enjoyed his time in Yulin compared to Fuling. In Yulin, Hessler seem to have a better interaction with others as well as not feeling so much like a “Waiguoren.” I can definitely relate to Hessler, because in a way, I had to gotten use to something new. Recently, my family bought a dog around a month ago. It wasn’t easy taking care of this new pet for the first few weeks. Just like what Hessler went through during his time teaching, there were a lot of difficulties for me.  However, I eventually got use to this dog and grew a bond with him as well.  I know that comparing my dog with Hessler’s time at Yulin isn’t very similar, but it’s not the experience I’m comparing. It’s the moment in time when we were enjoying these moments that I’m comparing. I feel that when reading about Hessler’s time in Yulin, I’ve noticed that this is the first time in a while where he was actually happy to be somewhere else and not have to worry about other things that much. Instead, he was able to spend his time to interact with others that he found very memorable to do.

sample post

Response to 150-200

Anna Levy

It was very hard for Peter to live in Fuling for many reasons.  I can relate to that with my example of moving to Chicago.  Even though the circumstances are very different in the way of culture and language, it was still a new place for me.  I am from a small town Michigan so coming to a city like Chicago was shocking.  The first couple weeks I was very homesick and missed my family, just like Peter.  When Peter traveled to Yuling, he liked it much better and felt more comfortable.  The way he explained it, it did not seem so intense with culture.  Even though he had been in China for a few years, he still did not feel totally settled in to Fuling.  For him, going to a different place in China was the turning point of his comfort ability.  In contrast to him feeling more comfortable in a different place, I began to feel more comfortable in Chicago because I got used to the city life.  There is obviously a big age difference between Hessler and I, which plays a part in homesickness, but I think it was easier for me even though I am younger because of the city.  It is much more difficult for someone to move to a foreign country. 

150-200 post

I can somewhat relate to Hessler in some ways because half way through elementary school my mom and dad decided to switch my sister and me out of private school to save money. In private school I could see my sister every day because it was K through eighth grade, but now not only would my sister be going into middle school and leaving me in fourth grade, I would have to make all new friends. Now I know it’s a weird way of comparing me to Hessler because I was so young but we both felt the same when it came to being stripped away from our familiar routines, family, and friends. I had to wake up really early when I went to private school because it was half an hour away but my new school was right in my neighborhood. It is different for Peter with not seeing his family and hearing the news about his sisters’ baby compared to me not seeing my sister at school, but I still came home to spend time with her.  Now another contrast from Hessler and me would be his lack of internet connection, because my new school still had computers and I was never fond of them at that age. Along with Hessler, I wanted to be accepted to. He stated that he accepted virtually any invitation he would get; and for me I would do the same because at that stage in my life all I wanted was popularity and lots of friends. For example when my new friend Ashley invited me to a “club” I said yes eagerly without even caring what kind of club it was. Later, I found out that it was for her churches youth group and she got a free slice of pizza for bringing a friend. I later reminded her how I was Jewish and we laughed it off later. All in all, I feel like no matter how old you are or how far you travel, it’s still an experience that can rattle you a bit because of all the new that surrounds you. 

100-150 kessler

I found the park where Kessler starts to realize Chinese people looks to other countries for info about their country was interesting. I feel like here in America we don't really do that, nor do we believe  everything thats said about our country from it either but still. We aren't worried about what any other countries are saying about us, and I don't think we should since we've been crowned the supposed best country in the world. The chinese people in doing this interest me. Its like they wanna know if they should go along with what their country tells them or if its all a lie. If it turns out a lie how are they supposed to feel? They can't demand truth or protest lies or they'll be punished. It's a Communist country, no one wants to talk, but everyone wants to listen.

My Response to 193-200

Hessler’s experience in Yulin was much more interesting and comfortable than his experience in Sichuan. He had regular conversations with people from Yulin and when he’d talked to them, they did not make him feel as if he was just a “Waiguoren.” Hessler had been told many things about Sichuan. Some said the women were more beautiful in Sichuan than Yulin because of the water and one statement that wasn't quite the best yet obvious was that Sichuan has no culture. Hessler loved Yulin and he did not want to leave. He enjoyed the hotel, the pleasant mornings of traffic and people at work, but the only thing he could not stand was the heat of the days. This reminded me of my visit to California, LA during the Summer time. I was there for about a week. Of course, I was treated like a visitor, but that wasn't much of an issue for me. I enjoyed the business of others’ lives and the mountains. The heat was the only major issue due to my body not being able to stand hot weather for long periods of time because I spent more of my days there outdoors exploring the city. I did not meet any rude people or find anything about LA that I did not like and just like Hessler, I did not want to leave. It is a place that I am actually considering moving too once my college career is over and I need to lift my personal career of the ground which is a combination of singing, acting, and dancing. LA was everything Yulin was for Hessler.  

responding to 150-200

After you've read 150-200, read over the section from 193-200.  Write a post of 250-350 words in which you compare and contrast Peter Hessler's experience as described in 193-200 with your own experience of adjusting to a new situation, whether in visiting a totally new place, or in trying something new at home. 

River Town Pages 100-150

One of the sections that I chose for my 5-10 pages assignment was pages 125-131. The chapter was called The Wu River. The reason I chose this section was mainly because I was interested and a little enthralled on how Hessler described what was going on during this time with the fisherman. He describes and compares the river to others as well as the fisherman not being able to catch any fish. What really had me thinking though was when Hessler talked more about the rivers. He stated that all rivers have a destinct personality and intangible traits that go beyond width, length and swiftness. I learned that it shows how things like the rivers differ from one another, almost like a culture (which he also describes in the reading as well.) In the end, it was a very interesting section to read and write about.

The Dam Project

What's interesting about the section?  Why?  What can you learn about writing from it? 
 I was really trucked by the whole look on the dam project. They had all these important China officials that were looking into the affects of what could happen if the dam was to not built. What issues the people would faced with was crazy that they would just let that kind of harm happen to them. With out doing anything about it at least to save themselves and their homes. I thought that it was crazy that certain people did not care about what potential problems that they would have once the dam would give out. How the people of the towns would be affected by the damage. I felt like the signs that read 177m around the town that Peter would see was like hints that the people should be some kind of worried about the safety. Few people thought about preserving some of the China history, looked into relocating them to high ground so that they would not be destroyed. But they just carried on with their lives as if their was not something bigger that was on going that should have been worried about. The fact that the government was an any kind of rush to get the new dam built. Peter had been their all most two years and had not seen any kind of constructions began. Everyone in these small parts of the towns of Fuling should be coming together as one, the fortunate and less fortunate, and speak out to their government officials  about dam project starting the construction.

pages 100-150

I am choosing to write about how building the dam will affect a lot of animals, history, and people but yet no one who will be directly affected shows much care for the matter. I am interested in this section because I feel it should always be taken into consideration when innocent creatures and wildlife are put into danger along with the history of a city! I'm the type of person who enjoys the simple things in life whether it is man-made or created by a higher power, we shouldn't take these gifts for granted. Even though politics and the government are involved there should be that certain group or person to stand up, but I think we also need to take into account that China and America are very different; people who grew up in China have been taught to follow what the government tells them to, so no one will disobey usually. When I read about how if the ancient artifacts and tombs aren't preserved and such that within a short amount of time the river with all of its silt in it will ruin these engraving forever and it will be lost with no afterthought, it really upset me! Without history there isn't anything truly to learn about, also because we tend to repeat history and there isn't a "real" original idea left in the world; without it how can we learn. History is needed with in culture because without it how would you know what has happened or not. Now I know that Peter does state that many of the people of China cannot even understand or read the artifacts but that shouldn't matter, in my mind it is still important just for the fact of it having to do with your ancestors. I have learned from writing this that China has a very different approach on things compared to America.

Response to pages 100-150

Anna Levy

Pages 100-150

My favorite section of 10 pages from this reading was pages 125-135.  It starts off by talking about the Wu River.  Peter explains the river as its physical appearance but what really stood out to me was the way he talked about the other rivers in comparison.  He explained how each river had a different culture, which made me think deeper.  I thought outside of just the river itself and the fisherman who was not catching any fish and thought about the surround areas and people.  He states” All rivers have distinct personalities, intangible traits that go beyond width and length and swiftness,” I found it interesting how different the two rivers are in Fuling.  As for the people that hang around the Wu, I characterize them as relax and thankful because they did not sell their fish, they ate and enjoyed it themselves.

Moving along to the death of Deng Xiaoping, I was not surprised that many people were very upset, especially after I found out that Deng Xiaoping was from Sichuan.  I saw a strong attribute of culture when Peter talked about the different smiles that Chinese people have.  He explained how Anne had hidden her sadness through a distinct smile.  From that, I took away that in Chinese culture you have to be strong even when you’re upset.  People do not show sadness that is equivalent to how they actually feel.   I also enjoyed the fact that Deng Xiaoping was a hard worker in the coalmines just like a normal person.  I feel like in the US, people who are elected from high position jobs in the government do not talk about their childhood or young adult years as much.  I definitely think that because Ding Xiaoping grew up where many of Peter’s students did, they had much more respect for him as a person. 

My Blog - Pages 100-150

Pages 109-115 interested me the most because of the way the people of Fuling and outsiders of Fuling responded to the Dam project. Most importantly, how Peter took everything in. Through the uncertainty of the Dam project, the most unsettling part of it was that the project had a secrecy set on it and it became something you did not question, just accepted. I believe that if Fuling was true to its people and being a community, those affected by this project would have a say. It’s clear that Fuling isn't much of a community at all and the culture is set by force. Hessler asked Teacher Kong if the coming changes worried him and with a strange look on his face as if in shock to have been asked such a question, his response was, “If you’re an immigrant then maybe you’d be worried. But for most people it doesn't make any difference. “This makes it obvious that because the Dam project did not affect any of his life, no one else apart of Fuling mattered which shows lack of consideration. Those outside of Fuling showed more consideration than those living there and Hessler main concern was how the nature of the river would be affected. Although the Dam project had some good to it as far as having electricity which represented progress, I believe that the town is worth more because of the strong risk of losing it, completely over decades. Everyone apart of Fuling should come together as one, the fortunate and less fortunate, and speak up about how this project could possibly change the town not only for the good, but for the worst as well.   

for responding to 100-150

Please choose a five-ten page section that interests you and focus your response on it.  What's interesting about the section?  Why?  What can you learn about writing from it? 

Running

Peter Hessler's race or the White Crane Bridge section in this response. What especially interests you about one or both of these?  Why? 

 I was captivated by Peter Hessler's race that was in this section.  He seem to had really found something that he he clearly enjoyed doing and he didn't let his thoughts keep him for doing it or what others may thought about seeing him run. I was astonished by how he visually describes the surroundings of the race course -the deadly cliffs they run beside. In sections he says this statement " that's when the race becomes a chase.- one man against the rest of the field- and I've always felt that this is the loneliest feeling in the world. With me being a film and Video major and also being a visual understanding person, I could see everything that he was describing vividly through my own eyes. As if I was running the race with him. Crossing that finish line and winning must have proved to himself and others that you can do anything that put your mind to. Towns or college people could not call  a "waiguoren".  For someone that could have gotten injuried becuase he was being carelesss about going to get an x-ray of his chest. It not like the x-ray would have hindered him from completeing the race.  However, he just went out their on the course without the mandatory x-ray and just ran and won as well. You could tell that Peter enjoyed the participation .

Running 75- 100 Butch

In this little section of the book peter is in a race against the town of fuling. He manages to take the lead while all the natives fall behind. He is yelled at by bystanders saying "out of country person out of country person"while watching the race since he is white. these people judge him for being foreign. He has a unique way of thinking once he is in the lead. Since a while back he was in a basketball tournament; where the ref of the game was calling ghost fouls on peter and adam profusely. Peter said at one point even if he just touched the ball the whistle was blown. Peter remembers this as he's running in first. He see's how stubborn the people of fuling are towards him, just like the ref. But this time there are no refs, so peter takes full pride in showing the town what he's made of. When he finishes first the people still chant out Waigouren again and again but it didn't bother him a bit.

River Town Pages 75-100

This section was very interesting to read for me. Although there are a few things about alcohol that I found interesting to read about, I really did enjoy the race that Peter had participated in. As mention in other sections, Peter often does running on his spare time, meaning that it must be something he really enjoys doing. He even admits that the reason he enjoys it is because he is good at it. I was very surprised that Peter won the race; especially do to the fact that wasn’t even from China. Another reason why I was happy for Peter was simply because I felt that he needed something to get away from all the stress he has been through. Plus, it was an accomplishment that I felt he very much deserved.

Pages 75-100

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For this section of the book, I was excited to see the energy from Peter.  As we talked about in class, running was something that he loved to do, aside from teaching.  It is common for people to have a passion outside of their profession.  I am glad Pete didn’t hold back and won the race.  It showed his ambition.  It was nice to see him succeed in something in China.  He has been struggling with the new culture and learning the language so when this race came along I was excited to see what his reaction was going to be.  I also think it was a great situation to let go of the stress he had built up.  It definitely cleared his mind and helped his attitude.  The reactions from the local Chinese people were angry and ashamed that someone from China did not win.  From previous knowledge, it is known that Chinese people train very hard for their sports, for example, the Olympics.  With that in mind, I was not surprised at the reaction the locals gave the new reporter. 

In response to the reading that was assigned, what I thought was very intriguing was the fact that peter wouldn’t go get an x-ray of his chest. I questioned to why he would refuse to get a simple chest x-ray. However the fact that he was able to continue running even with ought the mandatory x-ray was very interesting. Why would he be the only one who could be writing off of the x-ray? Another thing that truly stuck out was the race that he was in. The significance to him winning the race was very shocking. How could someone of the Chinese nationality win over someone who was a true native? It was very shocking at the fact that peter won. Many people might have been disappointed that the fact that a foreigner won the race over someone who has trained in china. 

response 75-100

I really enjoyed reading about the race that Peter participated in. It is something he enjoys doing and he didn't let the thoughts of what others may think stop him from running. I felt very intrigued by how he describes the set up of the race and the deadly cliffs they run beside. He says " that's when the race becomes a chase- one man against the rest of the field- and I've always felt that this is the loneliest feeling in the world.", this part really caught my eye. The way he describes the whole race and the way he feels along with the very vivid imagery about the beginning of the race is very captivating to me. I loved how he won the race and didn't even second guess if he should of slacked off and let someone else win; he was in it to win it and his mind set is very relatable to mine in the sense of going hard and trying your best. He was so happy and in his zone as he was getting closer to the finish; he wasn't a "waiguoren" in his eyes everyone else who was so far behind was out of place to him. Peter enjoyed to know that he was able to show up the others even though it was for a celebration of the Chinese.

Blog of Pages 75-100

Besides the alcohol, the race was the other part of this section that interests me the most. In class, the question was asked why we think Peter runs or likes to run. Peter specifically explains he enjoys it simply because he is good at it. This was understandable because he felt that he wasn't good at the things he came to China for anyway such as the language that he tried picking up on and being successful at teaching the students in a way they all could learn together. Another interesting fact is how Peter was still able to run after he refused to get the chest X ray. It was said how every runner must get this examination before running, but Peter was excused from it therefore it showed the reader those in charge wanted him apart of the race despite any previous issues from the sports he played with them. Lastly, the response of Peter winning the race also caught my attention. When the reporters asked for others to explain how they felt towards a foreigner winning over a Chinese, it wasn't so nice. One person said they were very ashamed and how it gives them a wake up call. The students and adults need to improve their strength. The other person basically explained that the victory of the “waiguoren” was good without any excitement of his win; it should be studied. Peter was not content in this so he made no attempt to be pleased or interested in discussing it with his students.  

response to 75-100

Since we'll  talk about alcohol consumption in class, please focus on Peter Hessler's race or the White Crane Bridge section in this response.  What especially interests you about one or both of these?  Why?

The City

What additional insight into culture do you gain from reading this section? 

Next insight on the culture is shown through how the certain people of town work on a daily basics. For example the stick soldiers (pg.29), to see them work is to was understood why they so often rested because in a hard city there is no harder job. They were typically " were short, stocky men, their bodies shaped by the hilly city....from the nature of their work". You really began to understand and see how the poor people had to work so much harder than others, just to make a decent living and to support their families.

Next, is the culture of the college and what issues and responsibility that the students where faced with. Such as college fines (pg.34) it says  "the room was their responsibility... had washed the blackboards between classes, twice a week had clean the floors and windows". In addition students would get fined for things such as "missing morning exercise, for skipping classes, for failing examinations, for returning late to their dormitories at night". You see that the students really had a lot weight on the shoulder to do well in school plus help maintain it as well or if not they where going to punished financial, knowing that they couldn't afford any additional expenses.

Another culture clash is when he brought up the topic on what did think about the character "Robin Hood" (pg. 37). Really was able to tell what the certain group of students felt about the character as some some him as Good and other preserved him as Bad. Also how the character ended at the most of the stories was that he would have been caught and sent to prison or exiled.  I assume that they made their discussions or are concluded completely from the college's rules (pg.36) that are set in place.  Show culturally how the government and the college wants it people to learn and how that want them to think about things in life.

Questions for 25-75 Butch

In these pages I feel like Peter is starting to notice more and more about how the eastern world views us Western Americans. He also seems to be understanding  more how his young Chinese students think, or at least have been taught to think. Adams partner Brian uses a textbook to teach class called a "Survey of Britain and America." This book makes America seem unorganized and dangerous. There were chapters which mentioned religion but quickly refrained to the Jonestown mass suicide. You can see why this makes us look like freaks. Then in another part called "Social Problems" The book reads about sexual relations before marriage and homosexuality. Adding that since Americans are supposed to be adventurous, our sexual preference can be as well. Peter also assigns the students to write about how robin hood would go about his story in China. It was interesting because none of the students ended with robin hood getting away with it. He stole from the rich and gave to the peasants, but still was always caught or punished in some organized manner. So I feel like Peters students and China in general are really foreign to the idea of mass culture and freedom in the western world. The students are  so often restricted to anything that isn't "The right way." It seems hard to be different because it's frowned upon in their society.