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| Benjamin Whitlock |
Often, there are people in life who impress us immediately. The way that they communicate with us, the way they look at the world, or the ways that they conduct themselves on a first meeting impresses us somehow and influences our communications with others, our idea of the world, and our own immediate perception of them. However, first impressions are usually false because the people we are immediately impressed by prove less than stellar over time. The people who truly change our lives are those who impress us over and over again.
There are those that we fail to connect with immediately. It is the latter, through tedious and constant example, who have the power to change our lives entirely. The latter gives us a new way of looking at the world, entirely. The latter gives us a new reference point. The latter convinces us that they are more than the sum of mere first impressions. Half-way through my experience in China, I found a person who proved to be more than first impressions. That person is Dr. Shiping Hua.
I met Dr. Hua for the first time in the McConnell Center. He was very academic in his comments and thorough in his analyses, but he was also a bit aloof. I also wondered whether he could understand my southern accent. For example: During the first meeting, Dr. Hua showed us a new watch that he had received as a gift from his daughter. "It has too many dials," he joked. "I don't really know what all it does." We proceeded through class; but, during a break, I took an opportunity to talk with him. "Dr. Hua," I said, "Can I see your watch? I may be able to tell you what those dials do." I took the watch from him and noticed that it was very nice - not only did it tell the time of day, it also had a chronometer and a 24 hour clock. I handed it back to him and said, "It has a chronometer, Dr. Hua - a timer." After showing him how to use the chronometer, I proceeded. "It shows you military time too," I said. It became clear that Dr. Hua did not know the 24 hour clock as "military time." I assumed that I had made a bad first impression on Dr. Hua (and may have). Regardless, we did not connect immediately.
I was not pessimistic about traveling to China with Dr. Hua, but I was apprehensive about the group dynamics. The lingering question hung in the air on May 7 when we left Louisville was: How will this trip go?
On the plane, I developed more concerns. The 747 was crowded. Too crowded. I was wedged between Sean, our Head of Class for the trip, and a Chinese lady. Her husband was on her other side; neither of them spoke English. In fact, no one around me seemed to speak English. Already, I felt afloat in a sea of foreign culture.
I felt as if I had to get out! I needed fresh air, I needed to hear familiar sounds, to taste familiar foods, to stretch! Dear God, I wanted to stretch! Just as I was on the verge of doing something that, likely, would have had me in the custody of the Air Marshall, Dr. Hua started a conversation. It was like he knew - he knew that I was uncomfortable. Suddenly, Dr. Hua and I connected.
It seems that Dr. Hua would like to fish. He wants to buy a gun. He wants to hunt deer. He enjoys being in nature... He just needs someone to fish with, or at least show him good fishing holes. He needs someone to take him hunting; to lend him a gun (his wife is too superstitious and doesn't want him to own one.) Who better to show Dr. Hua fishing holes, to lend him a firearm, to take him hunting than the resident Park Ranger/outdoorsman of the McConnell Center, yours truly?
When we landed, I was able to connect with Dr. Hua again. To readers who have never travelled to the PPC, you may be interested to know that the Chinese function on a 24 hour clock... At 1:00 pm, all digital clocks, car clocks. iPhones, and television times read 13:00! MILITARY TIME! It may have been the horrid plane ride - I may have been delirious - but I thought this was hilarious! "Dr. Hua!" I exclaimed, "what time does that clock say?" "Oh! That means it is 6:00," he replied. "Dr. Hua," I joked, "that's military time! You said you didn't know what that was!" "Oh" he said, "I knew that." And then, he did something that made me admire him greatly - he laughed at me. He thought that was so funny! He hee-hawed, practically, under his breath. I learned two lessons about Dr. Hua from the time that we left Louisville: he is incredibly kind and he is incredibly funny.
Over the course of the first two legs of this trip, I have learned from Dr. Hua in more ways than he realizes. He leads from the front. Everything that he does - from delivering lectures to singing karaoke; from communicating with Chinese students to communicating with us Scholars; and from telling stories about his childhood and where he comes from to listening and showing true interest in our lives and where we come from.
I have been honored to know Dr. Hua and to travel so far with him. I would like to travel with him again - to Green County next time - to fish in the Green River, to eat local BBQ, and maybe to shoot a gun or two. I'd like to use this blog to extend that invitation and also to say thank you to him... Thank you for looking past your first impression of me... for showing us such a great time in China... for teaching us in more ways than one... and for changing our lives through constant example and your wonderful heart.
Benjamin Whitlock, of Campbellsville, Ky., is a junior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. He is studying history and political science.