Mind Your Manners Please...
Because at times I feel that the only necessary way to express my complete and utter disdain is to simply... explode.
I'm a germaphobic... sometimes. Okay most times. I prefer nice clean spaces, rid of dust, insects, and bacteria. In fact, it has been test and proven, studies show that I am quite allergic to certain bacteria found in fungus, mold, and the fun black dusty crusty mess that accumulates in the air vents of old buildings. I also have an irrational fear of getting sick. So maybe, just maybe, you can imagine the fear and dread that pierces my very blood cells when I witness a Chinese citizen spit, cough, sneeze or throw up on the side walk.
I wanted to explore my new city so I set out on foot to venture all around the streets and shops that lie within a mile radius of my hotel room. Immersed into a new culture, I was ecstatic to absorb as much customs as possible, and was ready to make note of the new socialism. As I walked about, I noticed that there were lots of blobs of spit all over the ground. I was trying to make sense of why there was so many piles of mucus along the crevices of the sidewalks, when it suddenly hit me. I mean in the most literal sense, it hit me, in my ear. I was about to cross the street when suddenly I heard the loudest, deepest, and most congested cough on this side of the world. Following the cough, was a uncomfortable influx of phlegm that propelled its way up this gentleman's esophageal tract, into the back of his throat, where he proceeded to hack up this bolus like emblem of DNA, tracheal mucus, and air pollutants. What made it even worse was the fact that this man was standing less than ten inches away from me. To my sheer joy, this gentleman only coughed up on. He was so kind enough to spit in the other direction. I covered my mouth and ran quickly across the street.
I had to visit the city police station to regulate some visa paperwork one brisk morning at 7 am. Of course, the temperature in Northeast China had proceeded to descend, and I had to bear the 10 degree weather unexpectedly while waiting for the doors of the city station to open. The wind was blowing profusely, causing the wind chill factor to make the morning wait quite miserable. I witnessed one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. My scarf was secured tightly around my face, and my hat was pulled so low that only the lashes of my eyes were visible to the outside world. A gentleman in his 40's came around to the city steps and realized the doors were still closed. He then had to sneeze, so he cocked his entire head back, leaned completely backwards, then let his sneeze resonate so deeply that it caused him to whip forward in a slingshot type motion. This man had the nerve to not cover his mouth, even though it was free. Excuse me, I mean this man did not even ATTEMPT to cover his mouth. To make matters worse, it was quite windy, I watched in horror as all of the germ particles from his large sneeze traveled in a current down the side walk. To top it all off, the man had snot hanging from his nose, and instead of seeking a tissue, handkerchief, or even a piece of newspaper, he used his hands to wipe his nose, blew his nose into his hand, and wiped his hand on the wall of the building. ....... I will leave it at that.
In China there are lots of sanitation owners, who are usually more of the older class citizens. As I was standing on a street corner, I saw a sanitation worker riding his bike with a wagon full of trash on it. He looked over at me and gave a polite smile, and I thought to myself, "wow what a hardworking happy old man." He pedaled down to the intersection of the street, and then suddenly stopped. He jumped off of his bike, and threw up. This was not just your average purge, but this man threw up muscular globs of filthy looking fluid, full of solid colors and mounds of unprocessed food. There were other men standing at the corner, who just asked him if he was okay. He nodded, then got back on his bike and drove away. Since that day, I've seen puddles of vomit at least once a day on my adventures through the city.
What would you do if you were on this train, and the person next to you coughed without covering their mouth? I witness this several times a week. In a land of 1.3 billion people, what thought process could have possibly occurred in your neural network, that made you think it was acceptable to open your mouth and cough into the nose, face, and mouth of someone else that you do not know? I look mean sometimes, and the expressions on my face usually are represented by the thoughts in my head. I've watched passengers of all ages, facing in all directions, cough and cough and cough and cough without using any form of protection. And I do not mean the small, my throat has an itch let me scratch it with a cough, cough. I mean the cough that erupts from your diaphragm; the cough that defies gravity and propels air upwards and out of your mouth. The exact cough that your mother and father taught you at the age of three to never leave your soul without covering your mouth. I think what bothers me the most is that in this culture it is okay. They do not mind, and to them it doesn't seem rude. It seems .... just natural.
Many people walk around with guards over their mouths. I thought it was because they were all sick. Then I asked my Chinese friend and she said no, it's because some people get sick from breathing the air. ..... WELL DUH! In one day, you will probably walk past or around close to ten thousand people. For instance, in one day at my public school, I teach 300 or more students, in just one day. I work five days a week so that makes it 1,500 students minimum. Then on weekends, I may do private school classes, which are also six classes a day averaging 20 children in each class. I teach minimum 200 children over the weekend, so that's 1,700 students in one week. I take public transportation for the public school, which is two trains and a short walk, and taxis for the private school. So add together the all of my students, plus the jammed light rail train everyday both ways, plus the streets I walk through, I've probably inhaled more pollution and germ infested air than if I had sipped on a tall glass of exhaust from an 18 wheeler. I've only been here a few months, but I cannot imagine what my lungs, and tolerance would be like if I was born and raised here.
In fact my tolerance is already pretty bad. In order for me to live here, I have to take allergy medicine twice a day, every day. If i miss more than three days without allergy medicine and a Vitamin C immune health vitamin, I become congested, and my allergies began to flare, causing me to cough, sneeze and feel quite sick.
America, I am grateful for the mean looks and dirty stares, and straightforward citizens that inhabit your land. Since birth, we've learned to keep our germs to ourselves if we can help it. I cannot say that much for the Chinese living in my city. With this in mind, I carry wet wipes, tissues, and my scarf everywhere I go. I plan on purchasing one of these mouth guards just to prove a point I think... The Chinese believe in saving face, so they will never outright confront someone about not covering their mouths or sneezing into their hands, so neither will I. Instead, I will teach my students in class the very friendly term, "Mind your manners please"
gummygunk
tangentwithtanner
areudirty
