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November 26, 2000
Standing Room Only: Lecturing to tourism students.
The faculty of the College of Tourism invited me to speak to their English speaking students. I spoke to standing room crowds on two different occasions. The Chinese students are hungry for information about the United States and anxious for the opportunity to hear Americans speak. Wherever I speak to a group I am greeted by warm applause when I enter the classroom. Both lectures were ably translated by a Professor in the Tourism college.
The first lecture involved many photos of St. Louis and Missouri and a discussion of geography and tourist sites. The entire audience responded with sounds of awe at the photo of the St. Louis skyline at night and a dogwood tree in full bloom. They liked the photos, but when asked, they preferred that I talk of the U. S. and answer their questions.
During the second lecture I talked about Americans and how our cultural ideas of independence, privacy, and efficient use of time create a different type of tourist than Asian tourists. I shared many funny stories, complete with descriptive body language, of my time in China. I thoroughly enjoyed the translators use of body language and expression to convey my meanings.
The students especially enjoyed my stories of an American learning to cope with the Chinese cultural norm concerning getting service at a bank, post office, or any other business. These personal stories brought much laughter from the crowd. The Chinese people do not line up and personal space is non-existent. If I leave any
personal space at all between me and the person in front the Chinese will simply step in front of me. When I first arrived here I couldn't get to a counter to be waited on; the number of people in front of me just kept increasing. I finally learned to eliminate any personal space between me and the crowds in front. Then I could get to a counter but some one behind me would simply thrust money in front of me and still be waited on first even though they were behind me in line. I've even experienced Chinese men standing on the counters at airport check in counters to thrust their tickets in front of others, and these were people with seats already assigned.
I now use my elbows and body to block access to others so I can claim a space. I've become use to standing in crowds with people touching me on all sides. One of the interesting things about these situations is that when you complete your business there is no way to turn and leave. All you can do is use your elbows to form a space to turn around in, and then force your way back through the crowd. I behave here in ways I would consider rude in the U. S.
I told these fledgling tourist guides that they would need to train U. S. tourist to handle these situations in China. I also warned them that we like to be informed about the days events and don't like to be herded. They also will be confronted with people impatient with wasting time and individuals who will want to be on their own for parts of the tour. Many Americans are not good group tourists. They were surprised to learn that taking group tours are uncommon in the United States for U. S. citizens. In China almost all traveling is done in groups. Traveling alone in China is particularly difficult because it is seldom done, even by Chinese, and all the systems are designed for groups. They expect all tourists to be under the guidance and control of a trained and licensed tourist guide.
After the second lecture the student leaders presented me with gifts. I asked for advice from the Tourism professor concerning whether to open it immediately or not. The Chinese usually put aside a gift and open it later in private while Americans prefer to open it in the presence of the giver. The translator explained the difference in the customs and I opened it in their presence. It is a beautiful two-sided
embroidery and I held it aloft for the students to see. They applauded with delight and I said, "Now isn't that more fun?"
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