Day 10: August 5, 2011

So, I just have a short post today. I'm very tired and was trying to read a book but my eyes kept closing so I figure it's time to go to sleep. Today was pretty relaxing: class, tutoring, came home and read and then had a nice dinner with Jing Jing and dad. Mom still isn't back from work yet! It seems like we're all never here at the same time. Someone is always missing, usually mom or dad.

Nothing much exciting to post about today, I guess. Something I haven't talked about yet is how there is no diversity here. Coming from America, I am used to seeing people from all around the world. But here there are only Chinese people. (True, there are a few outsiders like myself, but I rarely see them except while at school.) Growing up where I have, and seeing so many different kinds of people, it's kind of shocking to come to China and see that there are basically only Chinese people here.

This made me think about other countries too. For example, there are a lot of Italians in my class here at BLCU. The ones I've talked to have been very nice. But it made me think about what their lives are like at home in Italy. They don't have the diversity of America either. Neither do the people in my class from Japan and Korea and France. This makes me appreciate America so much more, and I realize what a great living experience I have as an American. I get to see different cultures, different people, eat different types of foods, and explore other aspects of the world without even having to leave my country. Granted, the foreign things in America aren't always as authentic as if you went to the foreign country, but they can be pretty close sometimes, and they also give you a glimpse into other cultures and people.
What I've learned is that they don't really have that in China. Or anywhere else in the world, for that matter. So while other countries are connected to the rest of the world, they also live very much in a separate world of their own. It's so unlike America, and I guess I never realized that people around the world don't have the same opportunities as I do to see so many people and experience so many things without ever leaving their country.

While I'm enjoying China, I'm glad I have the diversity of America to go back to. It's something I will respect and appreciate even more now.