How Do You Say...

There’s no malice behind it, but when you receive the glare, it’s a little uncomfortable. The strangest part is that it doesn’t disappear the longer I stay because I’m constantly running into new people on the street who haven’t seen me here before. Lastly, the subtler social norms such as reciprocity, honor and gender roles are all things I’m still working on adjusting to. These don’t affect me as directly as the stares, but they involve me even when I’m not aware.

There’s still a lot to adjust to in Shenyang. While I feel very new to the place and the people, I can’t help but admire all the progress I’ve made so far. I order food without using my phone now, the classes are a lot smoother, my lesson plans are taking less time to make, the other teachers recognize me on campus when they see me and I’m slowly getting accustomed to the short glares from the community. Everyday things are getting easier. I can’t wait for everything to start to feel natural.

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