What do you feel about going there (China)?

As I tried to figure out a name for this blog, Rebecca Zenefski, a friend of mine offered to help. She had me take a number of steps to see if I could hone in on a good name. One of the steps was to answer the question, "What do you feel about going there?" Just write!

So I wrote...

Terrified! I'm the oldest person on the trip. All the other women are much younger than me even the professors. I'm worried I'm out of date, that I'll feel/be isolated. That's scary when I think of being away from home for 3 weeks - the longest amount of time I've ever been away.

It's important to me not to be a tourist. I want to be a student. I want to connect; respectfully participate in a relationship that is not just a benefit to me. I want to understand what lives are like for Chinese women, how does their activism manifest and what can we do together? What can we learn from each other.

In the last 100 years China has undergone extraordinary changes.

In 1912, the 'Republicans' overthrew the last Imperial Dynasty. Before they could really get their government established, Japan invaded China in 1937 and WWI ensued.

Once WWII was over (1945), the Communists and the Republicans united to defeat the Japanese. On the heels of that war, there was civil war between the Republicans and the Communists. We all know the Communists prevailed and the People's Republic of China was born in 1949.

The country then began the transition to a collectivist society and a socialist economic structure. Even though there were some things that worked, there was famine, corruption and hierarchy. In the late 1970's through the 90's, many of those dramatic changes were reversed through economic reform.

As I relate that brief history I wonder, "How does it feel to be an older woman in China who's experienced all of that? How is that different for a woman who lives in the city vs. someone in a rural area. What's it like to relate to a younger generation that's never known what you've known in such a dramatic way?

The dates and events of a country the size of China really only tells us very little about what life is like for the people of China. I think it is a big mistake to think we know something about a people or a place because we know a bit of history of that place at a hugely macro level. It is only in meeting and sharing our stories that we can learn and hope to build some solidarity and community.

I'm still scared, but I look forward to the journey.

In case you are wondering. I'm traveling to China for a global study course. The course is called Women, Work and Well Being. I will be there for three weeks with two professors and 16 other women. We begin in Beijing.