Only Yesterday

Foreign travel makes us increasingly aware of the stream of history. Human practices constantly change. Until 1953, some Tennessee communities still had one room schools like the one I recently visited with my students(above). Amusing sidelight: the wooden desks riveted to the floor (see below) are very much like those I remember from P.S. 206 in Brooklyn where my brother Kenny and I attended.

Start the election without me

I didn't vote in November's election, though I very much wanted to. I requested an absentee ballot from Washington County in August 2006, just before I returned to China the second time. The ballot never came. Alyssa Chamberlain and Neal Palmer with whom I was teaching in Weihai received theirs. The US elections went on, minus the vote of one Rosalind Gann.

This past week I received a note from the foreign teacher program at Shandong University in Weihai. Seems an envelope from America had arrived for me. Its return address was the Washington County Board of Elections in Jonesborough, Tennessee. I was pretty sure what it was, and I asked ETSU's current exchange teacher, Theresa McGarry to open the envelope. Sure enough! An absentee ballot, five months late.

It had been sitting someplace undelivered. Maybe because it was addressed in English, someone had set it aside. Mail to China usually moves faster than this, but you never know.

An apology and a thank you

In the post of March 28, I misidentified a picture of the Temple of Heaven. I captioned it the Forbidden City. My apologies. I try to be accurate. Many thanks to my friend and fellow overseas teacher, Neal Palmer for looking at the blog carefully and noticing this.

Whirlwind sightseeing tours have disadvantages, but on business trips like this last one, there isn't time for much else. Obviously when you stay someplace awhile, as on a teaching trip, there's the luxury of exploring more slowly. I'm more suited to taking my time and drinking in the atmosphere.

The above pictures actually are from the Forbidden City.

A Question of Rank

China is an extremely formal society where, in our minds at least, there is hyperconsiousness of rank. Workers' uniforms differ depending on their level in a hierarchy, and uniforms are ubiquitous. They mark rank. Perks go with rank. A university will send a chauffered car for guests coming to a party two blocks away. On this last trip to China, we were each in rooms or suites large enough for several people. The Dean's was always the biggest. At formal meals, our hosts were particular about where we sat. Tables were round, but Hal Knight always sat next to the 'first host.' The hosts were ranked: first host, second host, third host, and so forth. Each had specific responsibilities such as proposing toasts at particular times. Once I was informed I was the "fourth guest": the Dean being first, followed by Drs. Chen and Rhoton. To an assistant professor traveling with senior faculty, this sounded needlessly blunt for my culture glosses over differences in status. But the Chinese official who offering this information intended no offense. It's a different attitude toward rank-- the Chinese are out front about it; we like to keep it in the background.

Americans observe rank too, even though we use first names with superiors and wear uniforms less than the Chinese. Our social occasions are marked by less formality. But we still have rules, and informality can be confusing to those who do not know them. My undergraduates learn that superiors one calls by first name still write evaluations.

In a recent comment, my friend and fellow blogger Ruth, asked which I think better-- formality or informality. There are advantages to both. Formality makes relationships clear. Informality may promote closeness and teamwork. Whether we are more or less formal is not entirely personal choice. Such things are part of culture, and it is best to respect the context we're in. Our university is located in the mountain South, a region characterized by deference and politeness. I used to ask students to call me "Roz," for to me informality seems natural. When I saw how nervous this made many of them, I became more willing to be addressed by title. But at the university where I was trained, most professors went by first names except when presenting at conferences.

Above: An elegant restaurant set for a formal dinner.
Below: The servers at this restaurant wear several different uniforms, each connoting a specific rank. The ball shaped item brought by the server in blue is a sweet dessert which is sliced and eaten in wafer-like sections.

Easier than you think

Many comments speak wistfully of the wish to go to China. It actually isn't that hard-- if you want to teach or share other technical skills. China, at this time is open to the West and very hospitable to those of us who come. I prefer the extended trip where I work to a fast paced tour where I just see a bunch of monuments. Such excursions cost less, but theys are possible only at certain times of life, for it's hard to arrange a long stay abroad while raising a family. Some people do it, though. Working in another culture takes a willingness to step outside one's comfort zone, but deciding to do this is a choice we make. While I enjoy Chinese history and monuments, I like everday China more.

If you're interested in teaching abroad, be in touch: rrgann@gmail.com

Scenes from everyday China

Above: Man using traditional scale.

Below: Shoppers in a Jinan supermarket

What do I call you?

In a recent comment, John Quigley inquired if our Dean "made" us call him Dr. Knight. The answer: don't be silly. We are Americans, and we are adults. Our culture is extremely informal when it comes to names and titles. But we were influenced by the practices of the Chinese, who are much more formal than we. I couldn't call my Dean 'Hal' if I addressed a host as 'Mr.' or 'Professor.' Social behavior is contagious in this way.

American informality is likely confusing to those unfamiliar with our culture. In China, there are all sorts of markers of rank such as titles and uniforms.

Formal occasions: a ceremonial signing (above); ceremonial banquets (below).

More Sights and stories

This last trip to China was very compressed-- business trips are like that, I'm told. We did lots of work, and a good deal of sight-seeing, butI didn't have much time to blog while I was there. I have a lot more pictures to post and stories to tell. On teaching trips, I often spend an hour or two a day writing and/or playing around with the blog-- more than I do at home. I think that's because I'm always a bit isolated when I'm over there. Maybe if I did something else for a living, I couldn't justify taking so much time from my day for something I enjoy as much as writing. But an academic is SUPPOSED to write, and blogging is lots of fun, since you don't have to follow the conventions of an academic journal.



Above: The Great Wall of China. Jack Rhoton thought I ought to post a picture of this extraordinary structure on its own.

Below: Dr. Knight stands before a temple at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.