I am a student

"I don't know anything.  I am a student." - Dr James Hudson Taylor III

Dr Taylor was born and raised in China.  His whole life was devoted to the Chinese people.  He spoke fluent Mandarin and English.  He was as Chinese as could be - an egg, if you like: white on the outside, yellow on the inside.  He spoke much better Mandarin than any of us Singaporeans in the room.  18 of us were attending a briefing by him before going on an English-teaching trip to Sichuan.

Practical tips aside, the one line that has guided me all these years as I live and travel to different parts of the world and experience different cultures, has been "I don't know anything.  I am a student."  What gems of experience Dr Taylor could dispense are all summed up in this one line.  It has helped me overcome numerous frustrations and made me a much nicer person to be with.

As I meet people from different countries and cultures, I have sought to ask questions and "be a student" of the person I meet.  I don't want to assume.  Assumption has brought me nothing but trouble.  Being a student has opened up new worlds to me.  I have learned that different parts of China use different words for the same thing, even though they're all speaking Putonghua (or Mandarin, as it is called in China).  

Then again, in Lanzhou, Mandarin is called Hanyu, not Putonghua.  Same difference.  But, if I weren't a student, I'd never know that.

Be a student.  Ask questions with an attitude to learn.  Adjustment to a new culture will be made much easier.

Happy learning!

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