Sorry Day 5 is late, but my jet lag is wearing off so I no longer wake up at 5AM needing something to do. Thus I will have to write at night, instead of before class.
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Sometimes you have to see things for yourself to understand. And the older you become the more you see things from a mature standpoint. Which is why David said when I was a child, I spake as a child, but now that I am old....
I think this trip is really about my personal development on so many levels. So I try to keep an open mind about everything, and ask myself what could I learn from this, in every situation. I am soo glad that He can take you to the side, and still your world away from the noise and clamor of everyday life, so he can talk to you and work with you....even if its as far away as China.
He's showing me the beauty that exist in being quiet. And not just quiet for the sake of itself, but teaching me to be quiet AND listen instead of talking so much. And for me this is very significant because my entire life to date has been spent making sure that I was seen and heard. I was always spunky, and outgoing, but sometimes my mouth got me into trouble. It burned bridges and a couple of villages too!!!
The Chinese woman have been a very good example to me of artful listeners. They listen to everything people are them say, and just take it all in. And when they say something, its rarely rash or insignificant. They speak with purpose.
I thank God for giving me an example of how to control my tongue, and being more slow to speak. In fact, it seems as though every time I open my mouth the Lord himself asks me..."What are you about to say, and do you need to say it and if so why?"
Yesterday after the first three hours of class, we headed to a Chinese law firm and were given a two hour introduction to the practice of Chinese law.
The Chinese are very interesting people. They have many customs and practices for traditional reasons, but presently they are trying their darnest to become as American as possible. The women walk around carrying umbrellas to hide their skin from the sun and use soaps and cleansers that contain whitening cream in order to make their skin look as white and pasty as possible. They try to hang out with as many Americans as they can find, and they don't appreciate their natural shape because they want to be skinny like white women. They want soo badly to be American, and this baffles me.
I mean I'm not anti-American, but I still believe it needs a lot of work. And I'm truly lost for words on the European standard of beauty. In fact, I think European women don't have anything on the natural features of Chinese women. BUT that's just my personal. And at the end of the day, I know I'm a beautiful black woman, and everything else is moot!
However, I found it very interesting that China requires practicing attorneys to be Chinese citizens. So lawyers from America are merely allowed to work in their law firms set up in China in advisory positions. Why? Because the Chinese fear the takeover of American attorneys on their client base, as they rightly should. Americans still dominate when it comes to services.
After visiting the law firm, I realized that when the Chinese say they want to be American, they really mean they want to be the best and the richest, and that image is currently represented in American. And thus they are willing to change themselves to fit that image in order to achieve that goal. Which is why they won't let American lawyers practice in China, because surely an American could go to a Chinese law school and pass the bar...but real issue is whether Americans would create too much competition in this market.
Unlike blacks, they have no shame wanting to be white if that's whats going to bring them a better and happier life with greater opportunities. I think this mindset is that of survival. They simply want a lifestyle that is not available to them at home.
ME TOO!
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