In my last article, I suggested that Americans could do well to get to know our middle class counterparts in China and hinted that the next installment would be a hypothetical foray into what the conversation could look like, or what items might fruitfully be put on the table. My thought was that, of course, we should do what we can to get to know the entire spectrum of Chinese culture, but as a point of entry, it may be the easiest to start by getting to know our counterparts in the Chinese middle class.  Besides the fact that the similarities in lifestyle and experience and so forth makes these people a lot more immediately 'knowable' than their socio-economically downstream countrymen, these are also the people who are more and more shaping their nation, and by extension, our entire world.

PHOTO BY PÉRE UBU

“It’s happening again,” I thought, with an inner eye roll of annoyance. I’d spoken in perfect Spanish, and I was being responded to in English. Why do so many Puerto Ricans insist on speaking in English to someone who obviously knows Spanish? They even do it to an Argentinean friend of mine, who barely knows any English. Seriously, it even happens quite often to my husband, who speaks perfect Puerto Rican Spanish – he being Puerto Rican. He, however, also has a Celtic complexion and blue eyes.

Image thanks to Peter Walsh Projects

I’ve never been much of a sports fan. Actually, I should qualify that, because I’ve never been much of a spectator sports fan. Getting out there for fresh air and throwing some elbows is great, but watching it? That always struck me as some perverse form of voyeurism for fat old men.

However, the world cup is a different story.  Amazingly, I’ve been interested in it, although the soccer is one of the last reasons. Mostly, I like the world cup because it is a cultural phenomenon. Here are the top 8 reasons why (I could do 10, but why be obsessive compulsive?):

As a disclosure, I am not totally new in China.  I have lived here before for a year in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, and then a second year in Beijing.  To be sure, there is enough grist in those two years to
fill the novels of a more productive writer, but just to make clear that previous to this most recent assignment in Xi'an I have spent more than a little time getting to know China in some more than interesting ways.  After three years back in Seattle though, for whatever impression or gypsy curse the Middle Kingdom has made in my heart, I am back again for another go.  So though it is not exactly brand new to me now, there is no shortage of brand new fascination or beginner's curiosity.

As of two weeks ago today, I am living and working in the city of Xi'an in Shaan'xi Province in central China.  For those not familiar with Chinese geography, imagine a city whose location roughly mirrors that of Omaha, Nebraska but with a cultural and economic importance more akin to that of Philadelphia or Chicago.  If you took the populations of Chicago and Philadelphia together though, you would still have only about half the population of Xi'an and, save the trading floor of the Chicago stock exchange, I don't know of anywhere in those cities where the hustle and bustle compares to an ordinary street-crossing in an everyday neighborhood in Xi'an.  Further,  if you took the historic folklore of the ten most beloved cities in North and South America together, you would probably  barely just approach the scope of accumulated cultural significance Xi'an has to the Eastern hemisphere.

Segunda parte, la primera fue publicada del 22 de mayo del 2010.

Hilandera de isleña

la suavidad del tejido,

me entra por la vida rala

para llenarme de agujas

en tu tejer, mis entrañas

("Para Nemir", Luz María Umpierre)

Nemir Matos Cintrón y Luz María Umpierre se llevan tan sólo dos años de diferencia en edad. Ambas son de Santurce; Nemir estudió en La Central y Luzma en la Academia del Sagrado Corazón, que sus padres pagaban con muchísimo sacrificios porque eran 16 en la casa. Luzma se fue a Estados Unidos en el 1974 y Nemir en el 1975. Ambas vivieron en Nueva York en épocas paralelas. Han ocupado tantos espacios comunes que es misterioso que no se conocieran antes.

Manicured lawns of Long Island northern shore,/ a graying postcard /of the American dream (Marcelino No Bread No Wine, Nemir Matos Cintrón)

Era viernes, viernes del Festival de la Palabra, viernes del día del maestro y yo estaba libre, viernes de marcha al Jardín Botánico a la oficina del presidente; el viernes de mi cita con Luzma Umpierre y Nemir Matos Cintrón. Luzma Umpierre es de esas escritoras que intimidan, porque son brillantes, agudas y no comen mierda. Aprendí de ella por mi director de tesis doctoral Larry La Fountain y hace poco menos de un año nos encontramos en facebook y nos dimos el consabido apretón de manos virtual. Su fuerza se siente a través de la red cibernética. Estaba loca por conocerla, pero a la vez me daba una timidez glacial hacer el “approach”. Los que me conocen saben que no me intimido con facilidad…

Nuestro querido Rey Andújar anda por la República presentando su Paciente Ísola. Está escribiendo una crónica de su visita y he aquí la segunda entrega, la primera publicada el viernes 21 de mayo.

mayo 17 / lunes

El maratonista sale a entrenarse y quiere morirse pero se aguanta y corre las acostumbradas siete millas de los lunes. Esquivo basura, mucha basura, talleres de mecánica improvisados en las aceras, motocicletas mutantes –tienen un canasto en donde va el asiento de atrás, así se llevan los mandados delivery–, haitianos con carritos vendiendo cocos o frituras o frutas o la vida, si se la piden. El maratonista piensa que venir a entrenar para una carrera con obstáculos no sería al final tan mal performance.

The Catholic Church, to the surprise of no one, has been embroiled in yet another child molestation scandal. This time, the allegations go as high as the Pope in terms of what he knew and when he knew. The Church, in response to the latest blast by the media (mainly the New York Times), has decided to play victim and dares to chastise the media for attacking the Church and the Pope. Is this acceptable? No.

Parte II

Para aquellos que viven en Chicago, o cerca de Chicago, o van para Chicago en semana santa, vayan a la presentación de la novela "El Peor de Mis Amigos" de Rafael Franco Steeves.

This topic is filibuster-proof. Al Carbon and I can go back and forth with the xenophobic topic at hand until our fingers bleed and our computers run out of battery. I am not a fan of the “let’s agree to disagree” b.s. That’s what it is, just b.s.

My best friend emailed me an article that was published in El Pais a few days ago. It talks about whether pornography should be considered to be a part of culture or not. In Brazil there is a debate going on about this. There is a senator who proposes to give to low-income workers, those who make less than 1,500 reales (equivalent to 800 Euros), a “culture card” worth about 50 reales (or 18 euros).

..and the list continues! Now, since Halloween is over, let's move from El Chupacabras on to our next item on "The list".

#2: Machismo: The Modern Puerto Rican Girl's Social Conundrum.