I never could have imagined that one day I would live on the 9th floor of a 32-story apartment building, in China, on a city block with nine other identical buildings. Grinnell Corps provided me the opportunity to learn about Macau and life on the other side of the world, to teach, and to learn about myself. My Grinnell Corps experience has made me confident that I am ready to face any challenge. In Macau, I realized a surprising anonymity that I had never known in suburban Michigan or rural Iowa. I grew up in a home with a big backyard in the country and have always appreciated open spaces. In Macau, I suddenly lived amidst thousands of people but knew virtually no one- the complete opposite of tiny Grinnell! There were eight apartments on the floor of my 32-story building, which I extrapolated at roughly four residents per apartment to 768 residents in my building and 7,680 residents on my block. Roughly the entire town of Grinnell could live in Macau's Nova Taipa Garden apartments!
Living in Macau was a huge departure from living in rural Iowa, which began with a flight over the North Pole from Chicago to Shanghai. When I arrived at the Macao airport, the only person waiting for arrivals was Ms. Wong Fond (Candy), and she was holding a sign with my name on it. I had no idea when she escorted me to my apartment that she would become a great friend. In retrospect, relationships with Candy and my neighbor A-Le have defined my Macau experience. My friendships with these wonderful ladies helped me understand cultural differences between Macau and China, myself, and my hopes for the future.
I got to know my neighbor A-Le after deciding to find out who lived on the 9th floor of Nova Taipa Gardens Block #32. My apartment in Macau was very nice but it bothered me that I did not know any of my neighbors. In Michigan and Iowa, borrowing and lending cups of sugar to and from my neighbors was the norm, so I decided to figure out who my neighbors were in Macau. I figured out who resided in three of the apartments on the 9th floor, but never who lived in the other four. Next door to Professor Quan and I, somewhere between four and eight upper-level MUST female students shared an apartment. On the other side lived a senior Cantonese couple. At the end of our side of the hallway lived a Portuguese family with kids and their Filipina maid. Across the hallway lived A-Le's family and her Indonesian maid.
At least seven cultures were represented on our floor alone, yet another clear example of how Macau is a unique international place. I never figured out who lived in the other three apartments, though I suppose I could have watched channel 24 which provided live-feed surveillance of the floor. A few sleepless nights accompanied by loud video game music from another floor made me wonder if a group of students were video game farming (making money by selling video game gold on the internet.)
Well, knowing who my neighbors were wasn't enough; I wanted to get to know some of my neighbors. I succeeded in getting to know my neighbor A-le and her family after running into them several times in the elevator. A-le is the proud mother of two and three year old big brother "sing sing" and little sister "mei-mei." Her three year old son liked to play in the lobby with his maid. I had run into him a few times and said, "Hello." One day, A-le knocked on my door and asked if she could pay me for English lessons. She wanted to practice speaking English so she can teach her children as they grow up. I certainly wasn't going to accept payment from her, but I was very happy to come over and help her with her English. I was excited to finally have the chance to get to know one of my neighbors!
A-le comes from a wealthy family from Fujian province, the coastal Mainland province across from Taiwan. She spent a year teaching at a preschool in the Philippines, a part of her life that she enjoyed very much. A few years ago, her parents arranged for her to meet with a friend of the family. On their second date he proposed and they were married soon after. I realized that A-le's marriage had been arranged by her parents after knowing her only a week or so. She had mentioned to me on one or two occasions that she would like a job teaching at a preschool but that her husband did not want her to work. I did not realize the amount of control her father and husband have over her life until just before I left Macau. About a week before I returned home, A-le mentioned that her husband wanted her to have a third child, a luxury afforded to them because they live now live in Macau. I realized at that moment that he probably had decided when they would have their first two children as well.
My friendship with A-le made me value the equality I have known my entire life and made me determined to promote these ideals in my future. I had considered law school before applying to Grinnell Corps but wasn't entirely sure about the idea. After Grinnell Corps, I am convinced that a legal career is right for me and plan to attend law school in 2007. My relationship with Candy also made a deep impact on my character. Candy taught me the value of being flexible, patient, and happy to experience the surprises life brings each day. Along with my students and A-le, Candy was my window into Chinese culture.
Candy was raised in Macau and has had a completely different life experience than A-le. Candy was raised with her three sisters in Macau, she is a native Cantonese speaker but is also fluent in Mandarin. Candy and her sisters were encouraged to pursue higher education and careers after high school. She began working at MUST after graduating from a university in Guangzhou. Candy is the happiest person I have ever met and she was a great friend to both Carl and I.
Candy was our "cultural confidant" as an anthropologist might say; she took the time to explain cultural intricacies to us. When I would become frustrated with an issue, she would explain to me a cultural facet that I may have never considered. While watching the movie "Shaolin Soccer," we asked Candy what the lines in a song meant. We could understand that the words were "Shaolin is awesome," "Yeah, awesome!" but wanted to know if Hong Kong residents would really sing a silly song like that. She explained that the characters were singing in manner that made fun of Mandarin speakers trying to speak Cantonese, which explained the ensuing bar fight scene in the movie! Candy showed me places in Macau that I never would have found without her, like my favorite Burmese restaurant. Candy taught me the importance of patience and a positive attitude, my Macau experience wouldn't have been the same without her.
All in all, my Grinnell Corps experience in Macao was incredible. I know that I am ready to take on any challenge that I set my mind to. I had the chance to learn cultural differences between Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. I got to see a number of other incredible places, including Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Malaysia. I developed a fondness for Orangutans as an Anthropology major and was able to see them in the wild on a rainforest adventure in Borneo. I learned firsthand what life is like in various parts of China and how American life is radically different from life in other countries. Grinnell Corps was incredible and continues to play a major role in the development of my character. I encourage anyone who is considering a Fellowship to apply!
Feel free to contact me at erikadoot@yahoo.com if you have any questions or comments!
