Mon ami Dan, has, in a way, tagged me on a meme. But this is a unique one, where when you get tagged, new questions are created just for you by the tagger. I got tagged a couple weeks ago but have been quite busy, and our Internet has been uncooperative (thank you Golden Shield) that my time surfing the ‘net has been quite limited these days. If you want me to “interview” you, leave a comment with your email address or email me, since I can no longer post comments due to the firewalls.

1)      Who is your favorite pre-20th-century author?

I’ve been thinking about this question since it was asked, and it’s been a lot harder to answer than I expected. There was a time period where the vast majority of what I read was pre-20th century, and mainly British, and I thought 20th century lit was crap. Then I took a class on 1930s American Literature that, well, honestly, completely changed my literary life. And it’s now making it really difficult to answer the question, as I’ve moved away from pre-20th century literature these past couple years.

But after much searching, I think my favorite pre-20th century author is Thomas Hardy. His books are tender, tragic, melancholy, and draw you in like no other. I remember reading Jude the Obscure for AP English senior year in high school and totally falling in love with Jude, even though his life was a complete disaster and not at all what he had hoped it would be.

I remember watching the BBC adaptation, then reading, Far From the Madding Crowd in the mid ‘90s and admiring and hating Bathsheba all at the same time, for her stubbornness and her naivety.  

I also love that he wrote strong female characters during a time where women were considered to be inferior.

2)      You've spent several years now in a relationship with a geek. What aspect of nerd culture are you secretly most glad to have been exposed to?

Hands down, I’m glad to have been exposed to comic books. Even though I’ve not read many, and I’m really particular on what I read (if I don’t like the art I have a hard time getting into the story), I adore them. And I love going into comic book stores and seeing the vast array of genres out there. I’m looking forward to going back to the comic book store in Bethesda when we come home.

3) What three European cities do you most want to visit that you haven't already?

Prague, Munich, Warsaw

4) Has spending time in a non-Western culture changed the way you think about American/Western society, either for better or worse?

Definitely, I’ve realized how much I take for granted: clean water, clean air, “Western” toilets, my own bathroom, washing machines, the ability to dissent, unobstructed access to the Internet, newspapers with real news, and the educational system. I also realize that the Chinese have a different idea of friendship than we do. Because the students are pretty much classmates until they go to college the vast majority of our Chinese friends are still friends with their primary school classmates, which is almost unheard of in the States. I can name only a few people I know in the States that are have friendships such as these. The idea of community is much deeper here than in the States, for better and worse. 

Unfortunately, all the things that drive me nuts about Western culture, especially American culture has been intensified since coming here. Things like hyper-consumerism, big cars, the American government thinking it knows all the answers, the government’s inability to separate a people from the government that leads them.

I’ve also realized that I can’t foster change in a foreign country the way I can in the States. If I were unhappy with the, oh say, educational system in America I’d be able to talk with teachers, meet with my local PTA, school board, form a committee, etc. to see what can be done to help make changes.

Here, because I am a foreigner, I can’t do squat and it’s really frustrating. ESPECIALLY when it comes to the educational system. Yes the kids excel at math and science, but they have no life outside of school. They and the teachers are overworked, and it’s not just the strict guidelines set out by the government. The government is slowly trying to change things. But the majority of the parents are fighting against the change. When teachers try to lighten the load parents freak out saying their child needs more work. (Niels had a teacher friend tell him that a parent called saying more homework and exams needed to be given.) If classes get cancelled on the weekends (as they have been for all public middle schools here), parents hire private tutors for all day weekend classes.

The Chinese style of education does have some good qualities, but I think the bad ones far outweigh the good. The students are too dependent on what their teachers or parents think, they don’t learn how to think for themselves; only to memorize and regurgitate. They have no time to foster their individual interests, so when they graduate and actually have some free time before going to university they have no clue what to do with their time.

Change is slowly coming but unfortunately not where its needed most, meaning it’s happening in Beijing and Shanghai, but everywhere else is resisting the change, even though they know by resisting it is hurting the students

5) What do you think American progressives most need to do to get their act together and work effectively for change?

Stop infighting. They need to put their differences aside and work together on what they agree on. I hate to say it but they need to learn from the Republicans on this one. Newt Gingrich did an amazing job in the mid-1990s to unite his party, and unfortunately, the Democrats and the progressives don’t have a leader which they can turn to. And until they get one, they’re going to continue to flounder.