Eric's Beijing Diary

Cake and coffee for 10 yuan. I'm sitting here at Marley's Cafe in Dali. Originally, I had not planned to come here. But, as I mentioned earlier, a young lady from Chengdu put the idea in my head when I was in Lijiang, so I got on the internet at the hotel and found a place to stay, and here I am. Yesterday, I visited a small country church outside of Lijiang. Turned out to be a communion service, with heavy Naxi bread, and some kind of tea. This church did not have English translation like the one I go to in Haidian, but I was warmed by the fellowship and the realization that we are all part of one family. The lady who was leading the service wanted me to share something, so I shared a few thoughts on the scripture from II Corinthians 4, and my friend interpreted for me. "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." I met a Japanese lady on the bus this morning. She did not speak Mandarin, and had no place to stay, so I took her to Jim's Guest House and helped her get a room. I was kinda worried about her, because she was traveling on her own, but we had some stew at a local restaurant here, and after I had a chance to talk to her I realized that I needn't have worried. She has done quite a bit of traveling. But she did make one observation that I have heard from several foreigners. She said in most countries, when you are traveling you can usually find a receptionist or something who speaks English. But in China, as soon as you get away from the big cities, very few people speak English. This is true. And you don't have to leave the big cities, either. I live on a university campus, where it is very easy to find people who speak English. But if I step outside the West gate and go to a small restaurant or store, it is very unlikely that the folks I am dealing with will speak enough English to carry on even a moderate conversation. This language problem is something China is trying very hard to address. This is partly, I suppose, why they are hiring folks like me to come to China and teach content courses in English. But I am very concerned about the young people. On the bus from Panzhihua to Lijiang, I was sitting next to a young lady. I said something to her in English, and she said, "ting bu dong." (literally, "I hear you, but I don't understand you.") I was a bit troubled by this. For the older people, it is not so much an issue. This is China, after all. Chinese people should not be obligated to learn English. But for the younger generation, English is becoming very critical. What kind of future will the young lady on the bus have? The best jobs are reserved for those who are bilingual.

Labels: Language Learning, Summer 2004