Humans of HUST: Scarlett

Humans of HUST- Scarlett

It’s a windy, gray spring day. The trees are dropping tiny white flowers that invariably find their way into your eyes as you walk. Everyone is sniffling and sneezing from allergies. I meet Scarlett outside the main school library, which is her favorite place on campus. Scarlett likes the library because it’s quiet and she can focus when studying there. But also, she mentions the many trees and the habit she has of borrowing a different book every week to read for pleasure.

Scarlett has been my student for the whole time that I’ve been at HUST, but this is my first time to have an intimate conversation with her. I know her as a quiet but engaged student; she is one of the student leaders in her cohort. Unlike in the United States, in Chinese universities, students stay with the same cohort for all their classes throughout college. The class is usually 20-35 students and all of the students share the same major. They take all the same classes and usually get to know each other very well. Scarlett is a double major in International Business and English. It is her first year of college.

Actually, “Scarlett” is her English name. Similar to American high school students who eagerly choose ‘Spanish’ or ‘French’ names, many Chinese high school and college students end up picking an English name to use with foreign teachers and friends. There’s a stereotype that most foreigners can’t pronounce Chinese names, and this generalization unfortunately is often true. Scarlett’s real name is “Liu Si Jia.” Of her name she laughs and tells me that it doesn’t really have a special meaning besides the fact that her given name, “Si Jia” sounds very similar to “missing home.” I love the tendency in China to pay close attention to which sounds or phrases sound like others. You get the feeling that words matter a lot here. For instance, the pronunciation of “4” in Chinese is to be avoided because it shares a similar pronunciation with “death;” on the other hand, “8” sounds close to the word “fortune,” and must be sounded from every rooftop! I think her name suits her because, throughout our interview, she mentions her home several times with obvious love.

Her name “Scarlett” was chosen for several reasons. The pronunciation is similar to “Si Jia;” often, Chinese people will choose nicknames that share phonetic similarities with their Chinese names. The other reason is more literary. Scarlett smiles and explains: “Several years ago, I read the book ‘Gone with the wind;’ at first I didn’t like the character Scarlett-she’s not that lovely- but later, I found that she is very tough and she’s very resilient, and I think I want to be a girl like her.” Indeed, this name has left an impression, because later, when asked what Scarlett likes about herself, she tells me that she is positive and perseverant. “I’m just like Scarlett in gone with the wind. I will not give up first when I come across some sad facts. I always like to have another try.”

Actually, it is these very qualities- positivity and pure grit- that I first noticed about Scarlett, and the other students in her cohort. As double majors, their university lives are uniquely difficult. While traditional single majors have around 6 classes per week, Scarlett has 12: twice as many classes and twice as much work. Clearly, making a decision to be a double-major had to come from a place of resolve. When asked why she chose her majors, she answers; “At first, it’s out of curiosity. It’s two majors and I think I will have a very busy but meaningful university life. I’ve learned English for several years and I think I love this language. And international business, if I choose this major, I will have more opportunity to see the world outside of China. I think that all (my classes) are very helpful to expand my sight.” When added to the initial shock and difficulty of beginning college, being a double major can be very overwhelming. Scarlett admits that the double major felt like “a burden,” and that it led to some tears because she had little time for her favorite things. However, Scarlett has sought the advice of teachers, and is making a conscious effort to plan around her schedule to make time for herself- doing all the normal college things like hanging out with her friends. She believes that although it is taking her a while to adapt to university life, she is really happy to be making new friends and learning about being a better person.

Scarlett is from Jiangxi province, which is south of Hubei province. She describes it as a developing province that is a little poor in comparison to Hubei. She is from a little city called Ganzhou which is nestled on the banks of the Gangzhou river; a branch of the Yangtze. She loves “the lovely hills and clean river” and loves nothing more than taking weekly trips to walk along the banks. Home is important to Scarlett and was a factor in her choice to attend HUST because Wuhan is only a few hours from home. While at HUST, Scarlett keeps in touch with her family by phone calls several times as week. Scarlett enjoys HUST because it’s quiet and ideal for study. When asked about Wuhan, Scarlett says, “Wuhan, I think is noisy. There are many places under construction. Sometimes I think the city is in chaos.” We very much agree on this point.

In the future, Scarlett hopes to be a manager. She also hopes to spend time on an exchange program in the United States. She tells me, “I’d like to learn more about America. I want to study abroad to experience it myself.” When we talk about culture, Scarlett confides me that she used to be wary of other cultures, but that she feels differently now. She explains: “I don’t really know western culture, and i think there are a lot of new ideas that I don’t know. It’s very important to have conversations to build a bridge between the two cultures.” When asked about her favorite aspect of Chinese culture, she doesn’t hesitate for a moment: “Calligraphy; I think it’s unique. Through writing the calligraphy, I can calm myself down.” Calligraphy, after all, is not only an artistic form of expression, it’s also an internally-directed activity. It works on you as you work on it. Scarlett plans to do more calligraphy in the future when she has more time. Besides this, Scarlett loves reading, particularly contemporary poetry by Zhou Guo Ping, whose poetry has “profound meaning that helps me in my daily life.” She also plays the violin and is inspired by the feeling she gets watching Sherlock (TV show) play the violin under the moonlight, something she hopes to do someday. She also loves watching cartoons and going to movies with her friends; this weekend she plans to go see “The Avengers.”