Ways I didn't want to integrate...

When we volunteers first came to China, we were given instruction almost daily about how to integrate into our community and school. Most of these things include speaking the language, paying attention to customs and non-verbal communication, and trying to be inoffensive. But our trainers didn't say anything about nose-picking!














I've realized in my short time here that public nose-picking isn't such a cultural taboo. However, I never expected that I'd join the trend. But... that unfortunately has happened. It was during a seemingly uneventful shopping trip downtown. K and I were browsing inside a small clothing shop, and when we went to leave, we found that a crowd had gathered to watch (this is a pretty common occurrence here). At the front of the crowd was a grown woman with her finger pretty firmly planted in her left nostril. I suppose I was feeling a bit feisty/irritated/impatient this day, because instead of ignoring the unwanted attention and walking away, I decided to do some impulsive integration. So... you guessed it... I stuck my finger in my nose and wiggled it around in there for a full 30 seconds (and if this doesn't seem like an eternity to you, just stick your finger in your nose and try it!), all the while having a staring contest with my nose-picking soul-mate. I feel half-disappointed and half-relieved to report that I did not emerge the victor in the nose-picking competition. She was four times the nose-picking woman that I am.

Other ways that I've reluctantly integrated include sticking my head out of a bus window and puking, walking so slowly that a snail could lap me, and making Chinglish my first language (I accidentally said "They're very responsibility." the other day.)

I'm sure our trainers didn't have these things in mind when they gave us advice about integrating, but in a way, I feel like they might be just as important when learning about a people and culture. Now that I've picked my nose in public and puked out of the window of a moving bus, I can't really feel moral superiority anymore when I see someone else do it. So I have learned something from the experiences.

But don't worry, everyone, I don't plan on taking up the noble art of the hack-and-spit.