What's going on in China today?

For the past month I have been in Nanjing I've experience a plethora of new things. Other than consistently learning the Chinese language, I've been soaking in the culture like a sponge. There are many components of China that always make me say "We're not in America anymore." Although this may be true, I still remind myself that this is all apart of the cultural roller coaster I signed up for. Everyday is an adventure in one way or the other.

I don't know why we're smiling

A couple of weeks ago I signed up for a member at a gym called Vera. The facilities were very nice and they seemed to be well established. The staff was nice and there was a loyal clientele. My friends Lanier and Sam joined at the same time I did. Lanier found the gym and convinced us to join with her. We considered paying for three months because they offered a great discount for a longer duration of time, but we decided to just try the gym out for a month. About a week into out membership Lanier and I arrived at Vera to find the lobby filled with roughly twenty police men and a lot of angry club members. We were confused as to what was occurring. Suddenly, an English speaking native approached Lanier and I and said told us that owner of the gym took all of the money from the savings and fled the city. He said that the boss could not be found anywhere and that this was the last day Vera would be open. Lanier and I kinda glanced at each other, humorously swapped some profound words, and tried to contemplate what was occurring. Shortly after, the kind man said, "Welcome to China. This is as real of an experience you will get here. Stay and soak in the culture!" He along with numerous other people began to curse the ineffective nature of the police force. As the policemen sat in the lobby smoking and continued to do nothing, the members of the gym began to grow more impatient. One nice lady told Lanier and I that she had an eight year membership. It was quite sad to see how upset and how unfortunate the situation was for many of these people. I will say that I am quite fortunate that I only lost $80. Over the course of a week the members of Vera and the employees gathered on the front stepped of the gym where they proceeded to block a major intersection in order to gain the provincial governments attentions. Unfortunately, their efforts were simply ignored. I turned in my information with no hopes of seeing my money again.

"Can I borrow a smoke?"

Since we're on the note of protest, it's an eerie time to be in Nanjing if you're Japanese. Due to a lot of old culture conflicts and debates of islands between China and Japan, the Chinese people are lashing out against the Japanese. Nanjing will always be remembered in history for the Nanking Massacre. During the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, it's estimated that 300,000 Chinese people were killed in the city of Nanjing. As a result of the incident, Nanjing is known for holding the most animosity towards the Japanese in China. Due to recent events over the issues of islands ownership, many Chinese citizens have taken their frustration to the streets and have banded together to speak against the Japanese. This week I saw an enormous wave of red flood the street as people gathered to speak against Japan. It's said that many Japanese citizens are being persecuted as a result of the island conflict. The Japanese embassy in Beijing is being trashed and Japanese store owners are forced to close early and they are also forced to deal with damages to their shops. Children are also frequently asked by there parents to only speak Chinese and not to speak Japanese in the public. CIEE, my study abroad program, requested that students with Japanese heritage reframe from letting people know. Our culture professor informed our class of Japanese friends she has in Nanjing that have woken up to signs outside of their homes telling them to get out of China. Of course I'm sugar coating the harshness of the true message. 

With so many things occurring on a daily basis, I'm amazed by how much I've been capable of experiencing since I've been here. Whether it be good or bad, all I can truly do is be a spectator as a outsider in this country.