I arrived in Kunming, China, at around 10pm local time. I thought I would feel uneasy, but instead, I felt rather at peace and excited at the same time. The night was just getting started; the streets were full of flashing lights and abrupt honking. Our program director recommended I buy a few large bottles of water in order to stay hydrated, so I crossed the busy and frenzied street to a small local shop, where I found huge gallon water bottles for 2 yuan each. Or, 31 cents. Shampoo and toothpaste? 1 U.S. dollar and 22 cents, respectively! If only I had food points here, I would never run out. To say I was pretty stoked for the shopping adventures is the understatement of the century!
Before I impart upon you the strange but fascinating beginnings of my study abroad in China, let me introduce myself a bit. My name is Jaimie Woo, and I’m from Orlando, Florida. I’m a Cultural Anthropology major and a Political Science minor and I love running, swimming, dancing, and Disneyworld (go figure). Although I am 100% Chinese, and have two years of Chinese study under my belt, I am far from being fluent. My dad grew up in Canada, so rather than taking his road of indifference in studying Chinese, I decided to participate in the Duke in China study abroad program to finally master the beauty and practicality of the Chinese language. Other than that, as an only child, my parents have always been quite overprotective (okay maybe having strict Asian parents had something to do with that as well…) and so hopefully I can use this trip to finally prove to them that yes, 20 years old is really 20 years old, and that I can actually survive on my own without getting pick-pocketed, without getting kidnapped, and without dying for lack of pizza and cheeseburgers.
We traveled like ants through the honking cars and crowded sidewalks of the brightly lit and chaotic streets of Kunming. Exploring this vibrant city proved to be quite intimidating, so we always walked together, awkward foreigners in a sea of black hair and small features. I, of course, was a part of two worlds. One that consisted of my Duke peers, and one that mirrored my outward appearance in Chinese-ness.
Whenever I traveled with another Duke student, particularly Ally, who had fair skin, blonde hair, and green eyes, street-side venders would always yell “Hello!” to show their consideration. They often said “Hello!” followed by the item they were selling, so please imagine this in a broken Chinese accent: “Hello Tshirt!” “Hello rice and noodle!” and my favorite, “Hello banana!” Fitting, too, because according to people who live in Kunming, Chinese people like myself are considered “yellow.” Having been born and raised in the states, I could very well be a banana – yellow on the outside, and white on the inside. Ho ho ho how clever of me!
Besides only hearing Chinese, however, the most bizarre thing I’ve encountered has been the absurd driving and traffic habits. Yeah, traffic lights and street lines exist. But do they matter? If you think a place like New York has crazy drivers, please, tell them to come to China! When the lights turn red, cars don’t slow down. When pedestrians walk on the crosswalk, buses and cyclists ignore them completely. And those bikers, those sly sneaky bikers on mopeds and bicycles – they whiz by you without the slightest hesitation! Jaywalking is a norm and honking is absolutely necessary. Almost getting hit by a car doesn’t exactly help the Asian driver stereotype…
It’s only been a little over week since I’ve moved into my room, and I already feel like it’s been a month. I’m already starting to talk with higher weirder pitch voice because of the frequent tone changes in Chinese. My roommate is the cutest thing ever. She absolutely adores Lady Gaga. I often hear her humming the tune of “Poker Face” around the room. She is super excited to take me to a karaoke bar… probably to sing some more Lady Gaga, though I totally don’t mind! Although I have Internet access, it’s quite shaky, and I’ve only been able to access Facebook once in an Internet café (thanks a lot Duke VPN!). I have yet to share with you all about the spicy but irresistible food, the interesting fashion choices, the many beautiful historic sites we’ve visited thus far (the pictures are of our trip to the mountains of the Stone Forest and an underground cave) and of course topics such as relationships, night life (picture like 10 Spanish galleons on one block), and everyday life. Can you believe even a trip to the Walmart (yes, they have those, and KFC as well) is the weirdest thing ever?
Can’t wait to update you all soon! Best of luck as you’re settling in to Duke… and until next time, Hello Banana!
JWOO