CSC student reflects on culture change

We begin our journey 10 hours by train southwest of Beijing to Liang Dang County, Gansu Province.  Traveling 70 miles through the rough, winding roads of Da Dian Gou’s low, rolling mountains we reach a small mining camp made up of 10, large, army-green canvas wall tents. Amid the crisp, foggy morning air are 40 drillers comprised of men from Mongolia, Australia, Russia, Canada, and America, a Chinese management team with helpers from China, and three women readying themselves for their daily duties in the camp. Yanrong Liang, better known as Doris across CSC’s campus who is from Feng Xian County, Shaanxi Province, was one of three women in the camp.  Her duties included purchasing groceries and supplies, completing times cards, and coordinating and translating.  

“(It was) Really interesting because it was a man’s world,” Liang said. “There were only three woman on our job site, me, as an official employee and two another ladies, cleaning and cooking.”

Liang was spoiled some, but was expected to work alongside the men, being told by her male supervisor,

“OK since you’re here, I don’t want you to think you are a princess, you do whatever we do,” Liang said.

Liang especially enjoyed translating the English language.

“Since middle school, I’ve always been so interested in English, the language,” she said, “I had a passion about this language.”

Liang’s unique experience in the camp translating and dealing with people from other cultures was a stepping stone that better prepared her for bringing her childhood dream of coming to the U.S. to fruition four years later.

“I learned invaluable things from that job. I would say that the most interesting, most exciting, but also a…..I guess it was during that period of time some of my qualities, all of my potentials that I discovered, it’s more like, not how to work with men, but coordinating between foreigners and the Chinese people,” she said.

Liang’s time in the camp helped her make a quick transition here.  However, she said it was a challenge balancing the cultural differences between China and the U.S. that tested her personal beliefs and values.

“When I first got here I was so eager to fit in, or tend to think that this culture is better,” she said.

“I’m not sure why I wanted to fit in or to be more American when I first got here.  I feel most students feel that phase; tend to reject your own culture.  Later on you might feel like you’re in a place, where one thought conflicts with another.  You just feel like I should, this is where I am, I should agree with them, what they say is right.  On the other hand, you feel like that is not what I’ve been taught, that’s not what my culture tells me is right,” she said.

It wasn’t long before Liang struck a balance between the different cultures.

“As you are staying here longer,” she said, “you do realize you know some things you just feel are not your values.  You feel like while you don’t have to be exactly the same as others, whatever they think is important, but you don’t have to think it’s important; you don’t have to agree on their world views or their values.  I guess now I’m at a point where if I think what I believe it is right, if I believe it, it’s mine.  If I don’t believe it I do not force myself to agree with someone else’s (beliefs).”

As I talked with Liang,  who is also president of the international club, I realized one of her most striking qualities is humility. Liang will graduate in May of 2015, earning a bachelors degree in business administration with a certified public accountant path.

Ready to take on her next challenge, Liang will complete a one-year internship after graduation while studying for the CPA exam.  After passing the exam she has no specific plans, but has aspirations of working for a company in international trade in whichever country offers the best opportunity.

With new dreams on the horizon, Liang said,

“I guess my dream was to come here.  Now I guess it came true. I do really enjoy the time.”