One Anecdote in Poland as an Exchange Student

I have been back to China from Poland for about four months， and the past memories are still fresh in my mind. After going abroad， I find myself simplifying the complicated world with a more tolerant mind， and higher self-esteem for being Chinese at the same time.

In Poland， the way we had classes was very different from China. There was no fixed schedule for us in the Polish school， and we even had classes at noon. Some people said that it was because Polish people didnt have lunch but had brunch around 10 oclock， and that was why we had classes at noon. Classes included lectures， conservatory， practical class， laboratories， and projects. The way we had exams was also different from that in China. In China， there was usually a big exam at the end of each semester， but in Poland， we had several quizzes and two big exams every semester.

One class was very memorable to me. It was a Linguistics lecture， in which the teacher talked about writing symbols throughout human history. I liked these kinds of classes， not only because of our humorous teacher， but also because of the updated information.

We Chinese students worked very hard in her class. We took notes， answered questions， and sometimes our active participation even surpassed the local students. In that class， the teacher asked， “Do you know the story of Babylon tower？” The whole class was silent. I knew the answer， and volunteered to tell the Biblical story. The teacher asked curiously， “Is there any Bible in China？” This was a relatively sensitive question， and I picked my words carefully， “I read in English.” Then I began to narrate the story.

“OK， OK. Thats right.” The teacher said， “It surprised me that we would have a Chinese student tell a story from the Bible.” One of the reasons the teacher said so was that Polish people believe in Catholicism. Abroad， I was very proud to receive the teachers praise.

After that Linguistics class， I came to the teacher and asked her some questions. Then the teacher thought of something and she said， “I went to India and Egypt several times， though I have never been to China. But I love one of the films directed by a Chinese director， in which some people try to kill the emperor for restoring the conquered nation. Do you know it？”

“Yes.” I said.

“In this film， there is also something which I dont understand. In the film， a man can marry four or five wives. I am wondering whether it is true or not in China.”

I was in absolute bewilderment when I heard this. It occurred to me that many foreigners still lacked the knowledge of what China was really like and judged it with prejudice. Maybe it was not all their fault. Chinese people have a habit of boasting about their glorious past， which always leads to opposite consequences and makes it harder for foreigners to get in touch with the real culture of China.

I hurried to answer the teacher， “It is a story that happened 2，000 years ago， the beginning of the feudal system in China. The real China is different from that in the story. We live in a country that pursues love and freedom.”

The teacher said politely， “OK， yes， thanks.” But I could see that she didnt get my meaning. Suddenly， I felt very guilty， because I thought I failed to properly explain what China is really like. And what was worse， maybe I even left a bad impression on them.

Later I talked with other Chinese girls about it. All of us were a little helpless. One girl told me some Polish boys asked the same question as the teacher did. Friends even drew the conclusion that “nobody seems to understand China， even though we have reformed and opened for decades.”

“No wonder there are so many misunderstandings，” one friend said to me. China and foreign countries have different histories， different cultures， and different languages. Its hard for people to change the way they think， so “refusing to understand” is a natural response， not to mention all the inaccurate explanations. The more we resisted a culture， the more distant we would feel among strangers.

Anyway， from that day I know that each individuals behavior represents his or her own community. The people abroad are the builders of bridges between different cultures. The way people treat us is very much related to the way we treat others. By understanding our cultural differences people can grow up to be responsible citizens.