Diaoyu Islands and being a Foreigner!

Business as usual despite the protests down the block

 I was prepared for the worst yesterday.  Yesterday was September 18th, the day of the Manchurian Incident.  An incident that the Japanese used as an excuse to invade northern China back during WWII.  So I was prepared for really terrible anti-japanese protest, but when the day came all the universities practically locked their students on campus.  Our school kept their gates closed most of the day.  Around mid-day I heard the protesters from my apartment.  They were walking up Yingpan Lou towards the huge public park, Martyrs Park.  Which makes sense, but the anger and the sheer craziness of the protests seemed a little less.  Maybe once again I was protected by the school, or perhaps I was just expecting really extreme craziness.  But needless to say, my Jiuyibashibian (九一八事变) passed without too much excitement.
That night I was speaking to a friend, he just started university in Guangzhou.  He was telling me that he wants to leave China.  He proceeded to tell me that if you have money and relationships you can do anything you want in China.  If you don't you are screwed.  He wants to leave, become a soldier in another country.  To be strong.  He thinks that the government in China needs to change.  I told him how I like China, and it has bad things and good things.   Then he said something that made me think.

"You are a foreigner, you don't feel it because of your face."

It is true, my experience abroad is my own.  I cannot possibly understand what it means to be Chinese.  I can never truly be Chinese.  I am not sure I would want to be Chinese.  But I am a guest in their country, and they treat me as such.  People can be so patient with me, but I must never forget that they give me special treatment.

I have never felt as foreign as I have during these protests.  While I vaguely understand why they are protesting, I really don't get it.  I don't think I ever could.  So today at clubs day there were students working on a sign that proclaimed their feelings about the Diaoyu islands.  I was cringing hoping they wouldn't ask me to sign the signs.

The above sign says "爱国护岛卫我主权" (aiguohudaoweiwozhuquan).  Love country protect islands guard our sovereignty.  The students all signed it, and took pictures in front of it, and were chanting anti-japan sentiments. Ignoring the fact that you can study Japanese at Yi Zhong.  I was able to stay away from it, but as Becky and I were translating the sign when the students went to eat.  Some students came up to us to ask us to sign it.  Becky smiled sweetly in her precious Becky way and answered.  "This is just for students."  "no, anyone can."  "We are not students"  Then we booked it to the safety of their office.

Later I was approached by a student of mine for last year.  This kid has amazing English, and I think of him as a worldly fellow because he has facebook.  Not because he has facebook, but he can access facebook and therefore can access news outside the "Great Firewall."  He asked me "Have you signed your name?"  Without missing a beat, I said " I am a foreigner, this is for Chinese."  It is true.  This is China's mess, if something happens between China and Japan.  I will have to leave.  It is my friends in China who will pay for whatever goes down.  Needless to say, I don't think anything will happen but I am keeping my fingers crossed that Japan and China figure their shit out in a non-violent way.