Perspective

While walking down the hall a couple of days ago, my Chinese principal told me that I should stay in China forever. She said I looked good, and China must be agreeing with me. I laughed and pointed to the roll around my middle. I'm certainly not losing any weight (no puking-from-food-poisoning diet for me); must be all the fried bread I eat in the cafeteria. Oh, no, she told me. You look so strong. You all look strong.

From my Western perspective, I am soft, squishy even. According to a doctor, I'm overweight. Not grossly so, but I count as a fat American girl. On a good day, I'm comfortable. On a bad day, I'm just fat. The Chinese, by contrast (my principal included), are thin and slight. They look good in any style of clothes. They brush down the sidewalk with grace and ease, opposed to my lumbering, sweating, hairy self.

From the Chinese perspective, however, my bulk means strength and health. Chinese thinness is fragile and breakable. They do certainly all seem cold all the time. And if you consider yourself breakable, a little bulk wouldn't seem like such a bad thing, I guess. 

Maybe I should stay in China.