Culture Shock 4: Black in China

First things first, I am not the only black person in China. Infact, there are hundred thousands of us from all walks of life. Some of us are students, teachers, professors, ambassadors or a foreign delegate of some sort, business men and women, tourists, entertainers, professional workers and the like. You already know which group I belong to :)

It's difficult for many locals to accept this fact, since nothing comes to their mind when they hear those two words - black people. Who can blame them? I mean media reports on Black people is mostly negative. From AIDS and Corruption in Africa to criminal activities by Black men in North America. And so since they are limited in the amount of information they receive from the outside world, most just sit back and passively take in what their government present them.

                                                 Advertisement poster on the subway train

I like to take photos of black men and women in the media because it shows that not all locals are close minded and it's possible to make it big in the country despite popular believe.


Some popular stereotypes of black people in China
1. The men are drug dealers while the women are prostitutes. Oh, I forgot to mention that some of us (Nigerians) are also drug dealer and prostitutes. Infact, this has made it nearly impossible for Nigerians to get Visas to the country. As a result, many schools and businesses are forced to reject a Nigerian applicant due to visa laws.

2. Every black person is from Africa. Most times I just tell people i'm from Africa, since they won't believe that I can be from another continent. This is a very stupid misconception since many male Chinese absolutely love basketball and they keep up with various teams and games religiously. So although they are aware that Black people are living outside Africa and the president of a White country is even Black, somehow being a Black American still sounds foreign to them.

                                                    Adidas poster on the subway

Ignorance is a disease. On some personal experiences
1. Having many locals asking me how I styled my hair, if my hair is fake and then wanting to touch it.  Now when they ask me such question, I simply relay the question back to them and ask them if their hair is fake and if I can touch it. I mean they don't ask me if my skin color is fake, so i don't see why they are so curious about the structure of my hair strands

2. Looking for teachers from Canada and the U.S, only  WHITES will be considered. Most jobs will ask for teachers to send a picture with their application.. Sometimes I will send a resume without my photo and will then immediately receive an email saying they liked my resume but i need to send a picture before they ca n schedule an interview. After sending it in, I then get no response. Luckily since there are more demand for teachers than there are supply, I eventually get jobs

3. Blacks are clowns or masquerades: it's common for people, particularly men to point, stare and laugh at every black person they see, i'm yet to figure out what they specifically find funny. Some babies on the other hand will cry when they see a black person or sometimes a while person.

NBA stars. Many Chinese LOVE basketball

P.S: not ALL Chinese are ignorant, I have met many who just see me as a human and don't ask me dumb questions as to why I am not so dark or why I am Black but claim to be from Canada.

Culture Shock 3: Chinese Food is Healthy...NOT

A common explanation as to why Chinese and other Asians are skinny is because their food is healthy.
Although this might be partially true, I think it is more false than true. Because I believe there are many biological and social explanations as to why most are skinny.

There are no fortune cookies in China BTW

Below are some of the reasons why I think Chinese food is NOT as healthy as it is thought to be and eating it can make you FAT.

1. Practically Everything is stir-fried and often with too much oil. I've had to pour out as much as 1/2 a cup (125ML) of oil out of my food.

2. They eat fat, because it's believed to be good for the skin. I guess this explains why many don't use lotion. I usually have to remove fat off my meat which often times leaves not much meat, so I end up eating the fat, and then feel fat after eating it. :(

3. Primary meat is pork: Most dishes are served with pork, which explains "why they walk so slow" according to a Nigerian friend of mine. lol!

4. Portion sizes are HUGE! This was a big culture shock to me because I have never seen serving bowls that huge on dinning tables, unless its at a big event. Also, I would expect portion sizes to be smaller since there are more mouth to feed. These excess food often goes to waste because it is just impossible for people to finish them. Especially if they are served to a group of girls who are "watching" their weight because they think they are fat. So it makes me wonder why they don't reduce food portion to reasonable sizes, also since people often order multiple dishes

5. Staple food is Starch: depending on what part of the country you are from, your main food will be either rice, noodles or bread. It's not uncommon for many Chinese to eat rice three times a day everyday. Although they eat a very small portion of it with lots of meat and veggies as side dishes

6. Food is cheap and abundant: Thanks to advancement in science and technology, most Chinese can now enjoy a variety of food from all parts of the country and globe, and they can have it in abundance. Just about 30years ago, China was like North Korea where many thousands were dying of starvation. May be this is why portion sizes are so large, because the older generations are trying to catch up on eating???

7. They eat too much: Because many can still remember what it feels like to be Hungry, they will often go all out at restaurants to show how far they've come and also to ensure everyone has enough to eat. See Chinese eat in a communal style where several dishes of foods are shared amongst many people.But back in the day where people didn't have enough to eat, this means siblings had to have a "eating race" during every meal. This is when the older and often faster eater with a bigger appetite will "out eat" the younger and slower ones. I guess this explains why many Chinese can eat while the food is hot and also eat fast.

I think this communal eating style is a huge sabotage to one's weight. Depending on how big a group is and what the occassion is, one can have about 15 different dishes on the table for. These 15 dishes can include pork, chicken, beef, lamb, fish, potatoes, noodles, bread, rice, sweet potatoes, and assorted veggies. It's only in China that I started eating all these foods together in one meal.  Also because you just eat a little bit from each plate, you don't really know how much you've eaten until you suddenly realize you've had too much.

It's common for girls to gain weight when they come to China while the men loose weight (mostly muscle mass). I was one of these girls, but I lost all these weight when I stopped eating like the Chinese and started cooking my own food. Because, I realized I would need the special gene they have that allows them to eat a lot and stay skinny.

On to the next chapter

As I  prepare for my exit from the factory of the world, the orient, China, or whatever name you want to call it. I will be launching a new series on culture shock. These blog series will also talk about some of the things I will definitely not miss about living in the country. And because I like being fair and not bias, I will also be posting on some of the things I will definitely miss about China. I purposely mentioned "some" because there are just too many things that I will miss about this country that I might be unaware of.

So, hope you enjoy the series.

The Chinese evolutionary explanation as to why we are Black

Few nights ago, as I was sitting at the bus stop, waiting for the bus; a curious Chinese man who noticed me sitting by myself came to take a seat next to me. He, like every other Chinese asked me the usual questions about my background, including my marital status and age. After "testing" my language skills, he then proceeded to a general discussion about life in China and if I like China and Chinese people? Like Duh, what else am I suppose to say? Then he said he especially likes the variety of seasons in china where its cold in the winter, wet in the spring, hot in the summer and breezy in the fall. I nodded in agreement. He then continued by saying "Unlike AFRICA where the only season is summer, and so this is why Africans are black, because they are exposed to too much sun! Simply Hilarious! I just laughed, and again, agreed with him!

I mean, what else am I suppose to say? If so called evolutionary scientists can claim that  human being evolved from Apes, then I guess a less educated Chinese man's explanation as to how black people are black is not so far fetched.

Now, since most Chinese share same/similar views and are exposed to the same quantity and quality of information about the outside world, I can only assume that every other Adult Chinese would have the same "evolutionary" explanation as to why I am black. Kids are exempted of course, a lot of them just think I didn't wash up after playing in the dirt!

Sunny Africa
*source* 

Apparently, based on a quick google search, this curious Chinese man is not the only one with the opinion! I wonder how they explain the skin color of North Africans or the hair texture of BLACK people.

Because there are too many lions and giraffes in Africa? haha!

What? Nigeria has city buses?

Few weeks ago, on a bus ride home from church with a friend, a bus driver who seemed to be going to work or coming from it took a seat next to us. After a long staring session, he decided to interrupt us so he could "get to know us". He first asked about our nationality, which we answered Nigerian. Immediately, his face lit up as he said "WOW! Nigeria is such a rich country!" I looked at him and thought huh? Then he went on to say that it is rich in oil, so it must be a rich country. I was surprised by his "knowledge" about Nigeria because many Chinese don't think much of Africa. And so I was even more impressed that he didn't have anything negative or ignorant to say about Nigeria or Africa.

*source* 

Anyway, we later carried on with our conversation, only to be interrupted again by the curious bus driver. This time, he asked, "Do they have public buses in Nigeria too?"  I answered, "YES! of course!. He was surprised and said "really? do they look like this one?"  Again, I answered YES! (but with a smile :) and went back to my conversation.

I was a bit confused by this man's set of questions because earlier he mentioned about Nigeria's main rich resource and now he's surprised they have nice and comfortable city buses to take people around town?

So it got me thinking, "was he surprised that Nigeria has city buses because he wouldn't expect anyone to take public transportation since they are all too rich to ride in a bus; and would rather drive their own private cars? Or was he surprised due to his preconception about Africa as a poor continent?
Whatever the case might be, I just look forward to the day when people would stop asking ignorant questions about Africa and may be go out there and see for themselves!.

We're not from Brazil, but from Mozambique

or Spanish, Italian, French and any other colonial language.

While at a women's small group ministry on Tuesday evening, I overheard two women conversing in an unfamiliar language. So I asked them what the language was, which they replied, Portuguese. I ignorantly assumed they were from Brazil or Portugal, but was surprised when they told me they were not from neither country, but from Mozambique. They later gave me a quick history and geographic lesson about Africa.

Who gets which part and how much of each part?

I've always thought the main languages in Africa are Arabic, English and French, with the most prevalent language being English. But I just never thought some African countries speaks other European languages, especially languages like Italian or Portuguese.

Official languages as a result of colonialism

So, what is the importance of this post? 
Africa is a diverse continent indeed! One does not need to trek the globe to study Spanish in South America, Portuguese in Portugal, Arabic in The Middle East, or France to study french. Rather, money can be saved by simply spending time in select African countries!

Beijing 2010

A quick summary on my venture to the far east two years ago. 

What was I doing in Beijing (BJ) in 2010?
I came for a 6months Internship to teach English to preschool children in a small English language center


How did I get the internship? 
I got it through Aiesec McMaster, which is one of the many local aiesec clubs across the world. The whole process from the time that I joined to going abroad took about 3months.


Working Hours
I worked in the evenings and weekends with two days off during the week or whenever I could get them off.



Language
Since one of the main reason why I chose China was to study the language and culture, I decided to put the 6months into good use. I signed up for an intensive course in a nearby language school which offered morning classes M-F, 2hrs/day. I studied for 4months and was able to get around on my own after 2months, rather than always calling a friend when I needed help.



Some Culture shock
TVs everywhere, in buses, taxis, subways, elevators, on buildings and so on..
I was (still am) a walking clown, with people wanting to touch my hair and just so surprised to see a black person walking around.
China is different from what you see on TV
Chinese eat with huge *wash* basins. I mean bowls i use to wash stuff are placed on dinning tables
There is NO culture...at least in BJ
BJ is soo polluted
Almost every Chinese man smokes
and so on and so forth. This is a HUGE topic, and i will be discussing this in a series of blog posts!


Names locals called me...
People calling me "black person", "African", "old foreigner", "foreigner". Other black people I met told me they've been called "black devil", "monkey" and other degrading names. While others might think of this as racism, I just think it is pure ignorance.


Cuisines 
I ate out most of the time, so I tried lots of street food, foods from different parts of china and famous cuisines such as hot pot, barbecue kebabs, different types of hand pulled noodles and sooo much more. Again, I will be posting series of blog posts on this.


Travels
Towards the end of my stay, I decided to visit Inner Mongolia, Shanghai and Suzhou. My favourite place out of all three was Shanghai because there are more things to see and do
The world is a small place
I met people from all over the world including countries I have never heard of or that I don't know much of.

***Overall, I had a great time, met lots of people, got culturally exposed and was able to check off some tings on my checklist. However, I was still hooked, I was craving for more, so i decided to return for the second time in 2011 for Part II.***

Short video
Since pictures speak louder than words, I decided to put the video I presented to Aiesec McMaster after I returned. I prepared a narration for the video, so I appologize if some parts seem out of place or don't make sense. I haven't figured out how to add an audio clip without messing stuff up, so bear with me while I work on this skill :).

Enjoy!

At last, I have a Blog!

You are welcome to my blog, and thank you for dropping by. I'm excited about finally getting around this instead of just thinking and talking about it. One of my motto for 2012 is "More doing and less talking".  I can already predict 2012 to be an amazing year with many fresh starts and new beginnings. Although few predict it will be the end of the world (may be for them), I can already feel many of the great things that are in store for me this year.

On this blog, I will mostly be talking about my experiences in Beijing, China. I specifically mentioned the city as opposed to the country because China is a BIG country with many minorities and well, few majorities. Also, because Beijing is like a pot of soup with many people from all parts of the country and world; it is nearly impossible to have a general view and thoughts about the City.  This also makes it all the more exciting!
Apart from sharing my personal experiences in the city, I will also be talking about other topics that I find interesting. Topics may range from current affairs to Black (African) hair.

And because I enjoy giving, I will be having contests from time to time with great prizes to be won. These contests have no boundaries, the only requirement will be to have a valid mailing address. So watch out!! I hope you enjoy your reads and you leave more informed. Also, remember, sharing is caring <3. Please feel free to share any posting on here you think a friend might find informative.

Once again, thank you for dropping by and I wish you and your loved ones a successful 2012. See you soon!

Stay Blessed :)

Adeola.