The Exchange - National Committee on United States-China Relations

Thoughts on Suzhou
Joanne Parkhouse
As I’m winding down my last month
here, I find that there are many little
things about Suzhou that I continue to
find novel, many of them juxtapositions
of the old and the new. I share with you
with a few snippets:
I love it when I see a man or woman
dressed in a nice suit, riding along on
an old rickety rusty bike while chatting
on a cell phone. I keep thinking I’ll get
a picture of this but haven’t succeeded
as of yet. (I do find myself thinking that
I’d wish they’d stop chatting and pay
attention to where they’re going. Sound
familiar)
* * *
Trees line the street I live on creating a
canopy of leaves that barely allows
sunlight to sprinkle the street.
Pedestrians and bikes lazily make their
way up and down the street, stopping
in the park or browsing in the little
shops. Such a peaceful scene.
* * *
<strong>The</strong> other day during one of my classes,
a large snail inched its way into the
classroom through an open window.
<strong>The</strong>ir newfound friend pleasantly
surprised a few of the kids!
* * *
Outside the back gate of my school,
several street food vendors gather to
sell treats to the kids. <strong>The</strong>ir large bicycle
carts are either equipped with sizeable
pans of oil for deep frying, hot flat
skillets for cooking egg pancakes, or
small rectangular barbecue type
contraptions for grilling. During the
break between classes, the kids swarm
the vendors for small snacks of pork,
chicken, tofu, egg pancakes, turnip
cakes and more.
* * *
As I ride my bike along the street, I often
see something akin to the following
scene. A brand new Audi or Buick will
be cruising down the street next to an
old rusty bicycle cart hauling
watermelons or furniture. <strong>The</strong> folks in
the car happily coast along in the
coolness of the AC while the person
moving the cargo is drenched in sweat.
* * *
After two years of living here, I still
think my favorite warm weather aspect
of China is all the people who are out
and about (as long as it’s not too
crowded!). <strong>The</strong>re are always people
about, creating an energetic and safe
environment. I love it when I pass a
group of people gathered around a card
table set up on the sidewalk outside
their home or shop. Chitchat and
laughter emanate from these clusters as
they play games in the evening air.
As one door closes...
Frank Colletti
I’m sitting back reflecting on the experiences
that I had while living in
China, trying to make sense of it all
while adjusting to life back in New
York City in the aftermath of the
events of September 11, 2001.
I feel very fortunate to have had an
opportunity to work so closely alongside
many of the Chinese teachers at
Beijing Number 14 Middle School.
Through the interaction both inside and
outside of the school I was touched by
the kindness and sincerity of the Chinese
people and culture. I was made to
feel that my efforts were very much appreciated
and of great value to both the
teachers and students.
Frank Colletti with members of the English Department
faculty at Beijing No. 14 Middle School
<strong>The</strong> teachers warmly accepted me
into the English department and
treated me as a permanent staff member.
Now, I often find myself thinking
back to the many conversations that
I had in the English department office
or while eating lunch in the cafeteria.
My students have also left a very
deep, lasting impression
within me. Most of the students
were genuinely enthusiastic
and eager to
hear my input during our
collaborative lessons. A
memory that I will always
carry with me occurred
during my last visit to one
of my classes. A student
wanted to sing me a farewell
song. She came to the
front of the room and conducted
while the entire
class joined in singing the
song “Edelweiss” from the
“Sound of Music.” It was
so surreal. I’m not sure if
most people can fully appreciate what
it was like to experience that moment.
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