Thoughts on travel and identity
In six months I’ll be leaving for China to visit a close friend. When I leave, it will have been almost three years from the time I was last in China. As I think about my journey, I’m reflecting on how this trip will be different from others. It’ll be a lot shorter than my last two trips, but—more importantly—my purpose for going is entirely different: leisure rather than studying or teaching. I’ve never gone to China for pure enjoyment—I’ve always gone with the intent to come back home as something different.
A student
My first two extended stays in China (two months the first time, one year the second time) were for study purposes. I was there for one reason: to learn Mandarin. Of course I had other goals: travel, experience a new culture, get to know China, assert my independence. But my primary reason was to be in a Mandarin-speaking environment and have the opportunity to speak Chinese every day. I left for China wanting to come home a Mandarin speaker.
A teacher
Last time I went to China I taught academic writing at a college. I had just finished my MA and was ready for some classroom teaching experience. While I definitely wanted to work on my Mandarin while I was there, my primary goals for going were to get some teaching experience and to see how I could translate all the theory I’d learned during my MA studies into practice in an actual classroom. I was excited about challenging myself to be an ethical participant in the English language industry. I left for China wanting to become a good English teacher.
A traveller
This time, my sole purpose in going to China is to travel, see a new part of the country, spend time with a close friend, and have fun. I feel an incredible sense of excitement. I feel no pressure to achieve anything or gain any new layer of identity. I’m preparing to leave for China wanting nothing more than to become a slightly more experienced version of what I am right now.
So what?
What does any of this matter? Maybe nothing—maybe I’m just thinking out blog. But I think that going to a place with a specific purpose in mind changes how you perceive that place and your experience within it. When I was a student and didn’t return home as proficient in Chinese as I’d hoped, my feelings of disappointment in myself extended to my feelings about China. When I was a teacher, I didn’t pursue as many opportunities to speak Chinese as I could have. Now that I’m going to travel to China without an agenda and with no set purpose other than to explore and have fun, I wonder what will happen?
