It's things like this that really make me wish I was back home... at least I think...
The Background:
1. All schools in China have ceramic tiled halls and stairways. While aesthetically pleasing, it's ridiculously dangerous. Especially since all school children in China don't go outside to play (on the paved/tiled outdoor areas) for 'recess'; rather, they have 10 minute intervals between classes where they run screaming through the halls. This is one aspect of Chinese schools (among many) that I still haven't adjusted to.
2. Parents usually wait at the gates outside of the school to pick up their child at the end of the day. Parents are not allowed inside the school during school hours unless there is a special reason or it is a rainy day. On rainy days they are permitted to go to their child's class to meet him or her with an umbrella and, often, plastic bags to tie over their shoes/backpack/head (no joke).
The Story:
Today, to avoid collisions with students and parents coming from their classes at the end of the day, I headed to the teacher's lounge for the 10 minute interval between classes. Since it had been raining, the ceramic tile was quite slick. Many rainy days before this, I had imagined myself falling face-first down these stairs and landing on top of an unsuspecting Grandma.
Today, as luck would have it, I did no such thing. Instead, I went feet up, bottom out, down several stairs - cracking my tail bone on each and ever stair as my basket of magnets, flashcards, textbooks, markers and games went flying down the stairs in front of me. All this as a class full of parents, grandparents and students were behind me.
One grandma tried to pick me up by pinching my sleeve while all the other parents shouted "Laowai! ahahah!... [Incomprehensible Chinese] ... LAOWAI!!"
Then, not only did they continue the Laowai chant but they continued their journey down the stairs while I was sprawled out under them. There was one student who went dashing after my magnets and picked them up for me but she was the only child in the bunch who stopped. Parents, Grandparents and students stepped over, around and on top of me and all my things in the hallway as I scrambled to collect myself and my things. Language-barriers aside, not one person stopped to help.
It took every ounce of self-control I could muster not to stop and cry right there over my cracked tail-bone (still to be confirmed by a doctor) and ruined game pieces.
When I retold this story to people later in the day, they got to the punchline before I could finish the story. Common responses were:
"And let me guess, no one helped you with your things."
"And they all probably stepped over you, right?"
"And they didn't do a thing, did they."
In China (from what my friends and I have seen and experienced), everyone will stop and stare if someone is being beaten or mugged but no one will actually do anything. It's the 'survival of the fittest' mentality at its worst.
The Question:
So all of this has left me with a question: Am I just in the late stages of culture shock in thinking this would never happen at home? Is this 'Big City' mentality versus Chinese mentality? Or, are people here just that rude at times?
Tell me please, dear reader, is this story surprising or does it just sound like another account from your own day?
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
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