China – Always a surprise!
With two cats and a girlfriend...
Wyatt Olson, headed for a new experience teaching English in China. Wyatt grew up on the family farm southwest of Cannon Falls. He had been a journalist doing features and investigative articles at a Fort Lauderdale, Florida newspaper when he saw a notice about a teaching job in China.
So for the past two years, he has been teaching English language and journalism skills to university students in China. They were from 17-21 years of age.
Recently Wyatt came back to visit friends and family in the Cannon Falls area.
He explained that he enjoyed teaching in China. At 6’3”, Wyatt is about a foot and a half taller than most Chinese!
He found one main difference in the styles of teaching in the U.S. and China - “The Chinese memorize stuff and regurgitate it on a test.” Wyatt was trying to teach his students that learning should be fun – but this was a foreign concept to them.
Although Wyatt was home during the Olympics hosted by China, he recalled the effort China made to put it on. The government designed a zone from the airport to the Games site which was created for the world to see.
Wyatt felt “The Olympic Games presentation was to show a more positive collaboration between the government and the people.” And “The Olympics was a show for the Chinese people.” Due to the closely controlled newspapers, TV and internet, Wyatt explained that basically “China is a self-absorbed, closed society.”
The promotional build-up for the Olympic Games, he believed, “took on an almost religious fervor even describing the Olympic flame as “sacred”.
Wyatt personally has never felt anti-American sentiment but during the preparation for the Olympic Games this summer he felt more scrutiny – possibly from their concern for terrorists.
The Chinese are a pretty reserved people, he has found. So he found it strange to see the girls competing in the gymnastic competitions hugging each other when they finished their competition. Hugging is not usually done in the Chinese culture.
Wyatt continued, “Culturally the Chinese are not a demonstrative people. Even their language is indirect.”
When asking a question that just requires a simple Yes or No, you find you won’t get such a simple answer. For example if you asked, “Does this bus go to Hong Kong?” the answer would be a repeat of the verb, either "Goes" or "Not goes".
Also, in many cases a yes or no question is too forward. In the case of asking to interview someone, you might make the statement: “It would be interesting to interview you.”
Wyatt explained, “Now, an American probably wouldn't view that as a request, but in China that could be interpreted as asking for an interview. If the person being asked doesn't want to, he/she would simply ignore it. This way, neither party is put on the spot or embarrassed.”
“If, however, you came out and directly asked someone for an interview in a yes/no question, rarely would someone directly say ‘no’.
“One of the all-purpose phrases in Chinese translates to: ‘That would be inconvenient.’ This can be used to mean ‘no,’ ‘ask me again some other time’ or ‘it's an inconvenient time.’ (Yes, it's enough to pull your hair out over!)”
Wyatt explained this cultural aspect with an experience that happened to him in China. “I was with a student's father once. He was driving me around the city showing me some sights. He spoke no English, so I was using my limited Chinese.
“We passed a Starbucks, and to make conversation, I told him that I liked coffee very much. From that moment on he was hellbent on taking me to a coffee shop, figuring, quite naturally in China, that I had just asked him to take me to a coffee shop.”
Wyatt loves China. “It’s challenging,” he enthused. “Everything is new to me. You’re always surprised!”
And although Wyatt’s girlfriend decided to go back to the U.S. with her cat, Wyatt and his cat, Carl, will be making the move to Shenzhen, China later this month. He will start a new job as an editor at a government controlled (“They all are.”) English newspaper. The newspaper’s website is: http://paper.sznews.com/szdaily/.
The sports writing class Wyatt taught.
"We went to a bowling alley for the final class. Most of them had never bowled before."
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