Curious connections, not seeking and finding

During my break from writing, translation, work, and preparation I wandered off in search of Xiang cai (Hunan cuisine). Just outside the main gate, there are a few places and I've come to know them quite well in such a short time. Still, there's something lacking. It's a taste of 'home' but not really home. Inevitably, I miss the voices, the dialects, the laughter and camaraderie of my Chinese ban / working family. From the first, it was destined (yuanfen). Yet, there is something special about missing someone or something, something more than mere familiarity that speaks to the heart/mind and/or soul. It lies so much deeper.

Of course, today, I didn’t meet Hunan ren initially. Looking back, of course, I’m reminded that when one is searching, one is not finding. Cannot tell you how many times I have shared that with friends, students and colleagues. That’s one of the many treasures from Professor Hoffert’s class. At any rate, I just pushed on, taking it all in including the Cantonese (Guangdonghua), which I do not understand. At least, I recognize the speech markers. David Feng probably excels here, like he does in so many places.

Yet, when I reached the bookstore, a little farther beyond the main gate, several students from various colleges seemed to find me as I sorted through various reading materials and magazines:-) Most of the young students were really shy, at first. When they sought something, I just answered them in Chinese., It seemed to put them at ease. The conversations progressed in the mixture of languages, but we all understood each other. (When we listen with our hearts, we understand anyway.)

On female student traveled from Peizhou. She studies now, but wants to go to Guang Wai. Actually, as we conversed, I could not help but think of Lonnie Hodge. She loves literature! She has even studied Indian literature. Of course, I met her again inside the bookstore and we exchanged thoughts on various writers and pieces of literature. She even offered me her precious bilingual literature book, but I really could not accept. I did, however, illuminate how the same books written in English and published abroad often lack the poetic sayings in between the entries in the table of contents and how special they truly are! Still, I could not help but think she should have met Lonnie instead of me. Sometimes, the world is a curious place.

As I perused the shelves with my newfound friend, we also looked at translation and English books, commenting on their strengths and weaknesses. One made me think of David Feng. Of course, it was entitled, ‘A Translator’s guide to Chinglish.’

I met two other English major students from Guang Wai, who admittedly attempted to study Japanese but found it difficult to pronounce. They, of course, made me think of my son, who excels at Japanese. This, in turn merely led to deeper consideration of Shinnyo-en Buddhism and the idea that the world is our place of service, our teacher and the place for cultivation, as well. As Dan Jordan would remind me, “The world is a mirror.”
Upstairs in the bookstore, used books are sold. I cannot tell you how many books are piled into the shop! I did find a Russian phrasebook, hoping to learn a little more to converse with one of the Russian foreign teachers here. I met her in the bank last week, when she was accompanied by one her students. She admittedly has not seen much of China and wants to learn more about it, its cultural, history and people. Hopefully, we’ll get the chance to explore something together. Besides, meeting her reminds me of Larissa, the first Chinese medicine doctor I encountered in the states and the first I learned from. In many ways, sharing with this young woman would be an honour.

I did not find any other book I sought, but I did meet a young woman with quite a wish list of books. I helped her reach some of them and find others. Looking through titles in Hanzi sometimes leads to interesting discoveries. I thought she was a Professor. She is really diligent in her studies! She did tell me where to find some of the titles and works I sought--another connection:-)

Leaving the book store, I encountered numerous works in English by G.K. Chesterton and immediately thought of my good friend Liz Garcia-Gray. While reading through another book, I realized how hegemony rewrites history, even falsely. As I read through a complementary/alternative medicine book published abroad, it revealed how Hippocrates was the first to match medicine to the person. This, is of course, untrue. There were other disputed facts about many other medicines and histories and their associative theories, but I learned something about hegemony, neocolonialism and thought.

By the time I reached another opening I had not previously explored, I decided to ascend the stairs. There I met a fellow Hunan ren from Changde. I cannot explain the connection, the breadth of my smile or the feeling. Words somehow just fall short. We talked about places and experiences and food, places visited, minorities in the province, etc. Notably, as well, the dialect also became Hunan hua. From the anthropologist in me, I recognize inside/outside markers quickly. Admittedly, I, too struggle not to speak like a Nan fang ren/ Southern person. Yet, shared speech, collective memory, shared history and food, etc. somehow co-create and reinforce membership and culture. From an intellectual standpoint I know this, but from an experiential standpoint, the descriptions lack complete meaning. They somehow lack the vivacity of the moment and the connection.

In the small mall, I learned where to buy embroidery supplies from a woman shop owner who was also managing her eight-month-old son. In the last stop, a French video store and CD store I encountered a French Professor here. He told me about his travels and his studies. He taught at Zhong Shan Da Xue) (Sun Yat-Sen U) for 10 years and then Guang Wai for 30 years. He still teaches but helps raise his school-aged granddaughter in the city. He authored more than 20 dictionaries and penned several other books. Of course, he also loves language and reads and writes several more but doesn’t speak them. He gave me some advice and told me to continue on, to write more, study hard, to teach well and continue the journey.

Making my way back, I ran into a colleague from the same department. We conversed for a few moments. In a way, the trip was full circle.

All in all, it was not the day I sought but so much more than I hoped for. Small treasures lie in wait in unexpected places. My friends, family, colleagues and so many people I’ve encountered always travel with me in some shape or form, deeply embedded within my heart. Connections are everywhere once we stop looking and begin finding.