China trip surprised, inspired Diné scholar

 

After receiving massages, observing modern and ancient architecture, and being questioned by pushy Chinese students, Michelle Yazzie returned home to New Mexico after two weeks in China as part of the International Scholar Laureate Program.

"I chose China because I wanted to learn and experience the differences in their culture and business," explained Yazzie, 34, a native of Haystack, N.M., who is studying business at New Mexico State University.

"It was a great experience, I was the only Native on the trip and the only one from New Mexico State University," she said.

She was selected for the program based on exemplary academics and the leadership she displayed as a member of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and other college organizations.

Yazzie's odyssey began May 17 with a 12-hour flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong.

"We went to Hong Kong then to Beijing, where the program took place, and spent four to five days there," she said.

Her first day there, she met 38 other participants from the U.S., all studying different areas of business.

But business wasn't the only thing attracting Yazzie, who is Naakaii Dine'é (Mexican People Clan), born for 'Áshiihí (Salt Clan).

"I got to see the Great Wall of China, Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City, and the Bird's Nest where they hosted the Olympics," she said, referring to the futuristic structure that now serves as Beijing's national stadium.

Global perspective

The purpose of the trip was to expose the students to a global perspective on business, and the sightseeing was interwoven with instructional time.

"We toured different places and got different presentations on marketing," Yazzie said. "We went from Beijing to Hangzhou to see a green tea (processing) plant and the kind of processes it has to go through."

Compared to Hangzhou, Shanghai was as cosmopolitan as any international city, but more compact than most.

"Shanghai had huge buildings and little apartments like Las Vegas with their neon signs and bright lights," she said. "We got to go to the Pearl Tower, which is the third tallest tower in the world, and had dinner in a restaurant on the 267th level."

Yazzie and her group had trouble finding recognizable food.

"The food wasn't the most enjoyable part of the trip," she confessed. "Authentic Chinese food is not like Chinese food in the U.S. They don't eat that much meat and hardly any sweets at all.

"The only sweets I had were pineapples (and) we had to find a McDonald's for fries," she said. "Maybe that's why they're so healthy."

But she'll long remember the massages she got there - affordable, available, expert.

"Massages were my favorite part of the trip, and the cheapest," Yazzie said. "To get a back and foot massage it was only $17 an hour compared to here where it is $35 an hour and sometimes they're not even that good."

Despite China's vast numbers and low wages, Yazzie said she sensed little stress over jobs among the people she encountered.

"Here, we are grateful to have a job because in the U.S., it's very competitive and hard to find one," she said. "Over there, people in Beijing and Shanghai don't seem to be worried about that sort of thing."

The Chinese way

But there were cultural differences to reckon with, and Yazzie and her group had to learn what they could and couldn't do.

"When you give something to someone you don't give it with one hand but with two, holding it and offering it," she said.

"The number 4 should be avoided because it's an unlucky number and sounds like the word for 'death' in Chinese. Use 2's or 8's instead," she said. "Don't stab your food with the chopsticks or place them down in the bowl. Don't bother tipping because they will not take it.

" It's amazing how they keep order there," Yazzie said. "The police in Shanghai don't carry guns, only the military does."

Yazzie says she and her fellow travelers were grateful to stay in a nice hotel with Western-style toilets.

"The thing that disturbed me was the toilet differences," she said.

In contrast to the tank-and-bowl flush toilets common throughout the U.S., "there, they have 'Eastern-style' toilets, which is basically a bowl on the floor."

As part of a survey the students were asked to prepare, Yazzie visited a university in Beijing.

"Chinese universities are very different; all they had were lecture rooms," she said. "They had an English corner where they were only allowed to speak English, in order to learn it."

The Chinese students were very curious about the Americans and their accents, she said, especially one member of the group who was ethnic Chinese but spoke with an American accent.

The American scholars also had to do a presentation that required an interview with Chinese students, but things got turned around and the Chinese students interviewed the Americans.

"We really stood out," Yazzie said.  "They were very curious about Obama and asked a lot of political questions.

"Another thing that surprised me was their behavior. I guess it was normal for them to be pushy because they didn't seem to be bothered by it," she said.

Despite coming from all over the U.S., the tour participants bonded and now there's talk of getting together for a reunion once they all get their degrees, said Yazzie, who currently lives in Milan, N.M.

A graduate of Thoreau High School, Yazzie plans to enter graduate school as soon as she has her bachelor's degree, probably also at NMSU.

Yazzie is the daughter of Alta and Michael Yazzie. Her grandparents are the late Henry and Betty Martinez of Haystack, and Harry Yazzie and the late Francis Yazzie of Prewitt, N.M.

"I've learned so much on this trip, it helped me see the world differently and on life and they way to live," Yazzie said. "Now I'm thinking about going into international business or maybe tribal law."

The International Scholar Laureate Program offers international travel-study programs for college and graduate-level students interested in anthropology and archeology, business, diplomacy and international relations, engineering, medicine and nursing. Information: www.scholarlaureate.org.

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