"You're not in Kansas anymore."
Any Kansas Citian has heard it, even if they're from the Missouri . And if you've heard it once, you've heard it a million times. While the witch-threat turned go-to travel joke usually draws out my best fake chuckle, I have relished it far more than any of the other things mimicked from my hometown in my first few days in China.
Quick backstory. My Christian name is Dustin, although I've especially enjoyed the Chinese venders many names for me (ie. "Sexy American" "Good-Looking Tall Man"). Those two names alone should serve as proof than anything you've heard about Oriental kindness falls short of their true geniality. I'm in China working in a volunteer position and not only do I get to enjoy the Olympics, but I'll be writing here daily to talk about my experiences. (I'm forced to do most of my writing from a public cafe since wireless internet costs 450 Euros for the month. Because of this, videos and pictures could be more difficult to post). In the future, my posts will stem more directly from specific events, but I feel like establishing the ambience in this post is somewhat important. If I'm wrong, cut me some slack, it's my first blog.
"You're not in Kansas anymore!" An Australian, a Brit, an Irish woman, and a few Canadians have all taken it on their shoulders at their respective times to let me know I was no longer where I once was. Only, when they say it with their friendly smiles and excited accents, it always gets a huge laugh. Half the time, they sprinkle it with a little profanity to really ratchet up the humor.
The reason it works here in China is because it isn't small talk, it's common ground. An understanding of a shared phrase or experience. From the chair I'm sitting in right now, I can hear five different languages being spoken. I can see people from the Middle East, Africa, Italy, Canada, Australia, China, and several others that I can't identify. It's cultural gumbo, and every talk with a stranger is really a conversational hunt for similarity. Sure, I find that similarity with a lot of people in a lot of different ways, but finding cultural relation through the home-based movie phrase that usually turns my stomach has proven so ironically staisfying.
And in only four days, that ironic satisfaction has proven to be the heart of the Olympic spirit. Hundreds of different cultures find a common cause, and in battling each other in fierce competition, countries find unity. The people are just people, and while I've seen a lot of the stereotypes fulfilled in one way or another (Aussies DO like to drink and get loud), I've seen a lot of them debunked (the world DOES NOT hate Americans). Opening ceremonies are tonight. If there is one place in the world that is THE place to be tonight, it's here. I'm not in Kansas anymore, and I'm jacked!