China Chronicles Pt VII - Nanning, Round Two

[gobbledonk]

Back in Nanning, and I realised that CG would soon have to return to her family and the workday grind, and that I would be left to my own devices for the last few days of my stay.

 

Walking around Nannng with CG was becoming a source of increasing unease for me. It was clear that some of the locals didnt approve of our relationship : understandable in such a traditional country, but it pissed me off. CG didnt believe me when I first mentioned it, but she admitted later that some of her fellow Chinese clearly felt she must be a prostitute to be seen walking the streets with a Gwailo. Bear in mind that there was absolutely no contact between us when we left the hotel - even hand-holding is frowned upon in public, although I did see teens testing the societal limits at night. I know the Thais are equally conservative, but they are a lot more subtle in their response to the sight of interracial couples, IMO.

 

CG went back to work, and I got lost. Literally. Must have been four blocks from my hotel, but I couldnt see the towers in the cramped backstreets of what was a much poorer section of Nanning than the one I'd just left. More stares, and no-one who seemed to speak English. Two young guys saw me peering at my phrasebook, and rescued me. This restored my faith in the Chinese, badly battered by a couple of days of relentless stares and whispers. I believe that the younger Chinese are keen to meet Westerners, its just unfortunate that most Westerners only stop in Nanning en route to Vietnam. I did meet a lovely French lady who was setting up a business there (you go, girl !), and I saw a German couple in the Internet cafe ('You speak English ? Oh, thank God !'. Not everyday that you hear aGerman issue those words ). Other than that, I saw no other Gwailo. I did see a Chinese guy who was a solid seven feet tall, but I resisted the urge to stare : I knew what that felt like.

 

The night before I left, I had to got through the ordeal of bidding my CG farewell. Most of us have been there, and it didnt get any easier when I realised that it was more practical for her to remain in China until she finishes her Masters degree.

[Sukhumvit]

A mate of mine is from up by the Korean border, near Shenyang. He did his first degree in the PRC and his Masters in Glasgow. If she's got reasonable language skills then why not go to Oz? Is it more of a financial thing?

 

Also saw a couple of big guys in China meself including a mature bloke dressed very smartly who must have been knocking on 7ft tall. He was in Haikou airport on Hainan Island.

[gobbledonk]

Sukhumvit,

 

Thanks for the reply. The main reason I want her to stay in China for another 2 years is the maturity issue, but I also feel that she will get a much better reception from bureaucrats in both immigration and academia if she has her Masters when she applies to come to Oz. I'm not sure if it has changed, but the thinking when I was at Uni was that 'a Masters in a non-English speaking country is equivalent to an undergrad degree in Australia'. The fees for OS students are a lot stiffer than the relative pittance I paid, and I want to minimise the number of 'make-up' courses she needs to do to get the all-important local piece of paper.

 

In defence of our academics, there are some fairly ordinary tertiary institutions in various parts of the world - 'pay us enough money and we'll see that you get that degree' etc. CG is an incredibly hard worker, so its only a matter of time before she gets whatever qualifications she needs.

 

I'm going to give it 12 months then I'll probably return to China (AFTER the National Holiday ...)