I quickly realized that almost none of the people who actually lived within the village had a car — the cars were all owned by people who were merely visiting. As we walked into the village, we continued down a narrow path that ran between houses and stores. We had walked about 100 feet when we entered a store that was owned by my professor’s cousin. He had medicine and described remedies of ancient Chinese medicine that are still in use today. I had learned of the use of these techniques, but, with the availability of modern technology, I didn’t believe that they were still alive today. I was amazed at the ingenuity of the Chinese and admired his cousin for keeping the tradition of Chinese medicine alive. After leaving the pharmacy, we continued to walk through the village until we reached a bridge that provided access over a large stream to the other half of the village. While crossing the bridge, I saw villagers kneeling down and gathering water on the banks of the stream. We continued walking, and immediately after crossing the bridge, I saw four older villagers circled around an inverted crate playing cards. This was an activity I saw in various places across China. In many stores, owners would be playing cards with their families and friends while waiting for customers. It was a scene I grew to admire. I have become accustomed to seeing people so engrossed in their phones or other forms of entertainment that they can’t even seem to enjoy the presence of the person who is sitting directly in front of them. So walking through this village, I gained a greater respect for the four people I saw playing cards and the societal ideals of the Chinese as a whole. After passing this store, we continued down a narrow path, walking between buildings that I could have touched on both sides if I extended my arms. Finally, we reached our destination for the day, the childhood home of our professor. We were welcomed with fruit, chocolate, and water. There wasn’t much room in the house, and it was most definitely not
designed to have more than 40 people in it at one time, but it was part of the experience. We were given the opportunity to see how simple life can be in rural parts of China. After eating some snacks, we went for a walk around the village. We had the chance to see some of the regimens of daily life. We saw a lot of people working at a feverish pace in fields, picking plants or hoeing away. They were completely engrossed in their activities — they weren’t even distracted when a group of 40 people walked past them. As we continued to walk around the village, we ran into Xinli’s old elementary school teacher, and they had a brief conversation. The farmers, teachers, and shopkeepers all lived within the village, so there was a real sense of community. We arrived back at the house for dinner, and this was when I realized that although I may have been 7,500 miles away from home, I had found a new home here in this village. It took me nearly two hours after arriving to start seeing how similar my life was to so many of the people in the village. There were obvious things about my life that were different from the villagers, but when we first arrived, I was so distracted by our differences that I almost didn’t see our similarities. I saw a bowl of warm water on the ground, with soap and a washcloth on a stand above it, and I was brought back to times as a child, coming inside after playing in the yard all morning to eat lunch. My parents both worked full-time jobs, so I went to a babysitter’s house for a large portion of the day. I had so many memories and gained so much knowledge at my babysitter’s house. It was a place I felt very comfortable and considered to be my second home. Every day at lunchtime my babysitter would blow a wooden train whistle, and that was our signal to come inside for lunch. We would immediately stop what we were doing and sprint up the stairs of the deck, ravenous and ready for food. When we reached the
Melnick had the opportunity to see life in rural China 2015 November T&G - 39