English teacher in China, “Roll with the punches.”在中国的英文老师，从容应对

Since my arrival in China, I have found that many of my previous habits and mindsets have changed and I’ve had to learn to adjust:

1. Roll with the punches: I have always been a planner, needing to think about the future and stressing about what is coming next and what I need to do to get there. No longer. Here, it does not do my mental health good to think too far in advance. Yes, it’s important to plan (and planning is an integral part of teaching) but I’m not as concerned with making “plans” for anything. I know that when the time comes, things will work themselves out. No need to worry about them in the meantime.

2. Patience: I have learned to be very patient. There are a lot of things here that I have no control over. My teaching situation, information I am told, language… Despite all of this, I have learned to be flexible and adaptable. There are times when I get frustrated and need to vent (although I think that happens to everyone), but for the most part, I have learned to take things in stride. Always keeping in mind that things usually have a way of working themselves out.

3. Cleanliness: Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a very clean person. I would even go so far as to say that I like cleaning (gasp!). For me, it’s always been a way to relax and distract myself from other concerns/ stress. I become engrossed in swiftering floors, dusting tables, and scrubbing bathroom sinks – knowing that by my efforts, they will be sparkling clean when I am through.

China has changed this. After living in Lincang and adjusting to the “squatty potty,” I no longer worry about the necessity of having a perfect living area. Granted, this is mostly due to the fact that the cleanliness is out of my control, BUT I am accepting of the situation – big step. It’s not that I don’t want to worry and clean it, it’s more the fact that there is NO POINT. Because I guarantee you no matter how hard I tried to clean my dorm in Lincang, the cockroaches kept coming and the floor and walls still looked stained. Passive acceptance.

Despite the various factors that have been out of my control since my arrival in China, I have realized that all I can do is to control what I can (i.e. general attitude), and keep hoping for the best. Adventures in life never turn out the way you expect, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned since coming to China, it’s to roll with the punches.自从我来到中国，我发现很多我以前的习惯和思维方式都发生了变化，而我也学会了如何去适应。

1. 从容应对：我从来都是一个有规划的人，需要去思考未来，注重下一步是什么并且我需要如何努力才能达到这个目标。现在就不是这样了。在这里，提前做太长远的打算对我的精神健康没有任何好处。 诚然，规划是很重要的（规划也是教学不可或缺的一部分），但是我并不觉得需要对任何事情都做“规划”。我知道当时机成熟的时候，任何问题自然而然的都会解决的。 而在此之前，不需要为它们太过烦扰。

2. 耐心： 我学会了保持耐性。在这里，有很多事情是我无法控制的，例如我的教学情况、我获知的信息、语言等等。尽管这样，我学会了如何变得更灵活变通、适应性更强。有的时候我也会沮丧，需要发泄（虽然我认为这会发生在每个人身上），但是大部分情况下，我已经学会了如何甩开烦恼大步向前迈进。时刻牢记，事情通常都会有办法自己解决的。

3. 整洁： 任何了解我的人都知道我是一个非常整洁的人。我甚至可以毫不夸张的说我喜欢做清洁(深呼吸！)。对我来说，做清洁永远都是放松和让我自己从其他烦扰和压力中解脱出来的一个好办法。我陶醉于拖地、擦拭桌子和擦洗浴室水槽之中——因为我知道通过我自己的努力，当我大功告成的时候它们会变得闪闪发亮洁白如新。

中国改变了这一切。在临沧生活过并努力适应过蹲式厕所之后，我对于拥有一个完美的居住环境已经不再有过多要求了。 当然，主要原因是清洁度已经不在我的控制范围之内了，但是， 我在接受这个现实——这已经是很大的一个进步了。不是我不想去为它操心并打扫卫生，而是事实上这是没有意义的。 因为，我可以向你保证，不论我如何努力的打扫我在临沧的宿舍，蟑螂仍然不停地窜进来，地板和墙仍然看起来还是有污渍。 我只能被动的接受这个事实。 

尽管在来到中国之后出现了各种超出我控制范围之外的因素，但我意识到我能做的就是控制我能控制的（也就是我整个人的心态）,并保持对最好结果的希望。 生命中的冒险从来不会跟你预期的一样，但是如果说我在来了中国之后有学到任何事情的话，那就是：从容应对。