All This is China

The girl across the aisle sits next to her friend, sucking on a lollipop. They are around 15, and headed home after being at school for 12 hours. The men on the bus wait patiently, while the women gab and discuss their day. The driver, flips through a newspaper as the bus fills to a level that will suit his decision to drive off.

Outside, the air is thick. Smog and dust, clutter the senses and make an even darker December night more black. Neon flashes from the restaurant across the street, and moto-taxis whistle by, amidst the occasional dump truck and mini-van. Everything about this scene is China.

I'm sitting in field full of harvested rice. An older woman approaches carrying stacks of wood. She sees me, keeps singing, and then hustles at a surprisingly quick pace, as two cows and their young calf round the bend. She drops the wood, breaks off a switch, and steers the hungry omnivores around the path. One which they know well by memory, and one which has been tread by cattle for decades before them.

Behind me, dogs bark at a tiny village. A few teenagers ride by on bikes on a road that sees little traffic. Maybe a tourist bus, every now and then. The sky is calm. The sun is out. The woman is met by her husband and they retire for the day. The rice, the woman, the bikes, the air. Everything about this scene is China.

I'm in a room full of Chinese teachers from the school's English department. They stand up, randomly taking turns toasting each other, us, and other distinguished guests. Quietly, waitresses tend to the four tables, placing food of every color, shape and taste in front of us. There is no shortage on quantity.

The men, traverse the room, cheers-ing as they go about. It doesn't matter that I have not met them, we drink til the glass is empty, and then place it down. The laughter is loud, the camaraderie boisterously overflows. The food and the music and the festivities continue, unabated, for about two hours. I get a sense of being in Ancient Rome. Consumption, spirits, celebrating the evening away. No worries to be had. Only the now, and only graciousness exists. Everything about this scene. The hospitality, the noise, the ease with which the Chinese laugh. Everything about this scene is China.