The Only Quiet Place in China

I feel like I’ve just stepped into the twilight zone – I’m in a quiet room.  In earlier posts I talked about the oppressively high volume of everything in China.  The dorms are open and loud, and the restaurants and tea shops are really just for eating, not parking with books.  I knew my students study, but I couldn’t figure out where.

In America, libraries are full of books.  In China, libraries are full of students.  The first floor is filled with books.  The space on the second floor is split evenly between books and students, and the third floor doesn’t have any books at all – just one massive, open, silent room, full of students.  There are maybe 150-200 people in a room the size of a small basketball court or two mammoth choir rooms, and no one is talking.  Apparently ‘studying together’ in China means studying in the same place, not speaking with one another about class content.

This is the first time I’ve felt overwhelmed by my singular whiteness.  Maybe it’s because it’s so quiet.  Or maybe it’s because every face is down and I was surprised with a sea of black hair when I expected books.  As awkward and strange as this is – it’s also so CALM.  I love it!  My phone just went off – so awkward!  I feel the tension seeping out of my shoulders now that I’ve found a place where the loudest sound is a backpack zipper or muted cough.  This is fantastic…