Job Discussion Forums

[anthyp]

Happy Dragon Boat Festival!

Some of you might not know it, but today is the start of the Dragon Boat Festival here in China.

I love these things! Festivals in China are a fun excuse to dress up and try exotic foods - like zongzi, rice wrapped in leaves and cooked with meat and spices. It tastes about as great as it sounds (which is not so good), but hey, I welcome these kinds of opportunities to try new things, and do something I've never done. This is what it's all about!

What I want to know is, how much of an effort are you really making to get to know the culture of the place you're working in? I mean, we all say we want to work abroad to "experience a new culture," but how many of us are actually out there experiencing it? Learning the language? Making non - native friends?

How important do you think it is to "get to know the culture" of the place you're working in, anyway? Or are you one of those who doesn't really care, and prefers to while away the days in drunken, blissful ignorance? Either way, your opinions are welcome.

[struelle]

The students are unfortunately writing exams so there won't be any zongzi parties here. We had a nice mooncake party at the beginning of the year for Mid-Autumn fest, back when the workload was light.

The teachers plan to go out and eat zongzi, so I'll likely join them.

As for experiencing the culture, it's a big reason why I'm here. Some surface elements include:

- speaking the language
- making Chinese friends
- trying new local foods
- participating in the festivals
- getting a Chinese name

But there's a lot more underneath the surface, especially the underlying beliefs, values, and history. This is like the engine that drives the behaviors common to this culture. Becoming familiar with those is much more complex and takes more time.

Steve

[Roger]

The dragonboat races have taken place every year for dozens of years, and every time I attended them in HK, itwas a consumer festival. On the mainland, they have been resusciated more recently, and you have to travel a bit before you can enjoy them; here in the Pearl RIver area I don't know a town that hosts them (apart from HK). I herard they are fast becoming popular up north in Guilin.

[denise]

I'm in between. I came here for the job, and teaching is my #1 priority. Improving myself as a teacher is more important to me right now than immersing myself in the culture. (Those who disagree can flame away, but hey, those are my priorities, and I'm not changing 'em!)

That said, though, I am studying the language, finally starting to meet Japanese people not affiliated with my school, exploring the area, going to events and festivals, etc. I also think mundane things like having to pay bills every month, navigate a train station, do bank/post office transactions, etc. are cultural experiences in themselves. Not as glamorous (or as quaint?) as a local festival, but still fairly revealing.

I'm not one of those foreigners who shuns the company of other foreigners in an attempt to "go native." Nor do I sit around every day and drink and complain. I try to appreciate the good things about Japan and vent to like-minded colleagues about the bad things.

d

[Ludwig]

Yes, it is a public holiday here in HK today to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. Do you get a holiday on the Mainland for it now, too?