Tiananmen Square- My Daughter’s First Field Trip

Hello all! Joab and I wrote the below article for his school newspaper. I thought you might enjoy it too.

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Tiananmen Square- My Daughter’s First Field Trip

By:
Joab Meyer (Spring ’07) and Emily Meyer

“Mingtian, women qu Tiananmen.” said Miriam’s teacher when I picked her up from Chinese preschool in early October. I thought I had heard her wrong as I gathered up my daughter to leave However, moment’s later one of her teachers came running up to me and said (in English): “Tomorrow we are all going to Tiananmen Square to celebrate Chinese National Holiday, and we want Miriam to go with us.” I smiled and headed out the door, hoping my silence would communicate a subtle “no thanks”.

I did not think much more about Miriam’s potential field trip the rest of the day. Maybe a result of the fact biking home from preschool through the streets of Beijing in itself is a fascinating exercise. Cars, donkey carts, bikes, buses and motorcycles do a kind of polluted dance as fifteen million people try to get around this city on any given day. Each day our family goes a hundred directions at once and navigating everyone’s schedules within the dance of Beijing has brought lessons for us all. Joab has been working at a U.S. consulting company learning everything from how to register a company in a tiny African island called Mauritius to how to explain spreadsheets in Chinese. I attend a local University three days a week where I am studying Chinese. While I go to school our one-year old son, Asa, is watched by a wonderful Chinese lady, and Miriam, our nearly four-year old daughter, goes to Chinese preschool.

As we finished bed time prayers that night, Miriam announced “I want to go to Tiananmen Square tomorrow.” I really did not know what to say, but I knew that if she had to confidence to go I needed to let her. That next crisp Autumn morning as I talked with Miriam on the bike ride to preschool she asked “Mommy why do they want to all go to a big square”, and “Why do people in China like their flag?” I tried my best to answer her queries, but ended up just feeling more confused myself. When we arrived at school she happily dismounted, quickly clasped onto the hand of her favorite teacher and was bounding off to her classroom in no time.

And then it hit me like a ton of bricks: What have I just done? Did I sign a permission slip for this trip (no)? How many parent volunteers are going along (none)? Again, I was full of more questions as I realized I was entrusting my little girl’s safety at one of the most popular tourist spots in all of China, to teachers I could barely talk to. I could not stop crying as I rode away from preschool that morning. I cried because I knew my little girl was growing up and I cried because she was going on an adventure within the context of a culture I myself was still struggling to understand.

I am not sure what I expected living here in China. In some ways I had no expectations because I did not want to be disappointed if they were not met. I knew it would be polluted and crowded. I knew I would face a steep Chinese learning curve by beginning my studies at age 30. I had read up about culture shock, talked to T-Birds who had done this before, opened a Skype account, assured my Mom we had not gone off the deep end by moving half way across the world and prayed like crazy this would all work out.

However, what I am discovering is that China is changing me. I am growing as a person as I strive to understand how to live in a completely different culture and nurture my children to appreciate and flourish in this environment. Learning Chinese has been one of the most satisfying challenges of my time here in China. It is like making the commitment to spend your money on the best tools in order to build a solid foundation within a new culture. People here love it if you simply say two words in Chinese, let alone ask them how their kids are doing. Sure, I mess up and feel pretty stupid most days, but like a five year old learning how to ride a bike you just have to keep getting up and try again and again. In the end, though I have an increased disgust for pollution, I have been totally surprised to discover how much Beijing feels like home.

It took me awhile to find Miriam among the hundreds of kids streaming off the massive tour bus the preschool had rented for the trip to Tiananmen Square. Chinese kids finally gave way to my blond haired, blue eyed Miriam. As soon as she saw me she ran over and announced “I had a happy heart at Tiananmen Square”. She also recounted how big and crowded the square had been and how she was glad to come home. Living in China has expanded my children’s world view in ways that are unthinkable for an Iowa girl whose first field trip was to the local pumpkin patch. As we made our way home, I began wondering about the types of things Miriam might want to do when she is thirteen, if she has braved the crowds of Tiananmen at three. Until that day comes I will hold my kids close and enjoy the dance that is Beijing.