I'm having a hard time comprehending the fact that it's already been almost a year since our recruiter called us and uttered the word "China." Since accepting our nomination and then, our official invitation, we have made what I like to the think of as our own little two person Evergreen program out of preparing for what awaits us there. While Kimmie is at work on weeknights, we have a habit of ordering pizza and trying to decipher the meaning and significance of Chinese films and documentaries. We've attended Mandarin Chinese classes almost every week since last June, and have recently discovered that we can understand each other for almost an entire conversation without speaking English (especially after a drink or two). We have been reading books, studying characters, following news on US-China relations, essentially doing everything we can to beat China into our heads.
I have tentatively decided on a Chinese name for myself, something that I originally didn't want to do. At first I feared losing myself in the wash of another language and didn't want to try to remake myself too much. I was also afraid of appropriating a name in a culture not mine. Now that I have a bit more of a grasp of what my life will be like over there, and a bit of a feel for the language, I realize that I need to create bridges where I can. I'd like to think a name is just another bridge to help people connect with me. In Korea, I realize that with my foreign looks, language, and otherwise strange ways, I made people uncomfortable. It was the students who eventually became the most comfortable and accepting of me that gave me their own version of a Korean name: A-Goo-Lin. Which as sweet as it was for them to try to make my last name sound like a full Korean name, just sounds horrible (especially when screamed at me from down a long concrete hall). I like the surname An because it means "peace" and what surname would be more fitting for a Peace Corps volunteer (also it begins with A)? I have also always had a fondness for the name Mei (in English, Mae, and May, my birth month) which in Chinese can mean beautiful, or plum depending on the character, and is also the first character of the word "meiguoren" which means "American." Finally, I looked for something that might go well with Mei for a first name and found Lin, which means jade and also starts with the same letter as my middle name (plus jade is green, which is my favorite color). So I still need to run it by my Chinese teacher to make sure I haven't combined any words to make a strange euphemism or some other awkwardness, I think I'll try to go by An Mei-Lin in China.
This week, we will picking up and shipping off our labs from what I am hoping will be the very last of our health screenings. This one was for the actual Chinese work visa, and it's always funny to see a relatively pragmatic doctor go over the tedious and unusual health requirements of the Peace Corps and the Chinese government. June 29th, here we come!
By Katie
