I feel the earth move under my feet...

Things which are taken for granted as stable in the States seem much less so here. Chengdu is the largest city in Sichuan Province, which is where the May earthquake hit, and though I haven’t noticed much damage in the city, several nearby towns were devastated. The majority of coverage I’ve seen estimates that roughly 60,000 people perished. Several of the teachers who have been here a while recognized that most of the torch bearers in the city were earthquake heroes (and Coca-Cola executives). Of course, this recognition came when they saw the torch being passed along on TV, not on the street in front of us, because we weren’t invited L

Since I have been here, the earth has shivered twice. Both tremors left me gazing down at the floor and wondering about the trustworthiness of the tiles at my feet. I was watching a movie on HBO (I don’t remember exactly which one, but odds are it was Blades of Glory) the afternoon of the first tremor. My couch shook as if it were sitting on top of a large elephant, taking quick steps across a circus ring. I looked outside, instinctively searching for some clue as to the duration or scale of the quake, but all I saw were the skyscrapers going up across the street from the school. The same countless cranes were poised to pile more rafters upon rafters – plate tectonics be damned.

The second tremor was during a staff meeting. Our principal didn’t miss a beat in his discussion of “the sustainable use of school resources,” but we all shot each other troubled glances across the room. One teacher piped up, “It’s an earthquake!” And our principal calmly replied, “Yes, I know that,” and continued his monologue. Note to self: acknowledge earthquake and pause for shaking to stop before continuing with class. Students will not listen while worrying about whether or not the building is going to crumble down around them. (Don’t worry, though, Mom… so far the tremors have been short and slight, and no one expects any catastrophes in the near future.)

There are other aspects of daily life in China (so far) which challenge my Ameri-centric notions of safety and stability. Yesterday, I was walking back from lunch with a group of Pakistani teachers, all of whom are incredibly qualified, beautiful, brilliant women, when one of the teacher’s legs slipped through a storm drain on the side of the road. Luckily, she was only badly bruised, but it could have been much worse. In the road here, manhole covers are often be missing entirely. One teacher told me she once noticed a child’s shoes beside one of the manholes and has been haunted ever since by the idea of a child who fell undetected.

Another aspect of Chinese life which is more mutable than in the States is the authority of road signs, lane lines, or really any obstacle preventing you from getting to where you want to go. I would love to get an electric bike and have total independence to go into the city, but I have been warned to spend at least a month observing the Chinese “road mentality” before attempting to navigate it myself. Supposedly, the road in front of the school is one way – but cars go down in the other direction quite frequently. Supposedly, pedestrians have the right of way – but don’t expect a car to slow down just because you’re walking in front of it. Supposedly, there should only be on car in a lane at a time - but somehow the Chinese bend space and time to fit up to three cars in one lane. Supposedly, red lights mean stop - but most taxi drivers only see them as a suggestion to slow down and look both ways.

The effect that all of these quakes and slips and “cross at your own risks” have on my psyche is interesting. To a degree, I do feel less protected. I feel less of a cushion of safety between myself and the world, but it’s also exhilarating at times. The earth shakes! You have to watch out for yourself! No one is going to give you a “fair price” because it’s the right thing to do… you have to earn it (haggling will have to wait until a later post). I’m sure there will be times when I miss living in a society that is governed by rigid traffic laws, and that is literally much less tumultuous, but right now it’s all so exciting…