Before I came to Dubai, I was a lost soul. Lost, in terms of time, work, priorities, and many other areas. The only thing I knew and absolutely sure was that I was an engineer, and along with that came the perks and prestige of being one. Therefore, I took pride in my work and made absolutely sure that I did my best at it, for that was the only thing I did well.
Then, I came to Dubai, and everything changed. Like the inflection point of a sinusoidal curve. At the peak of my career, suddenly everything just seemed to slide down the deep ravine speedily. In fact, it seemed that everything I knew and earned before then, seemed to dissolve and disappear into emptiness.
Needless to say, I got agitated. I wrestled with myself internally and, fought with others verbally, refusing to accept the fact that there was no turning back. Little did I know that the moment I accepted this assignment, I would be here to stay for at least 1-3 years.
Thankfully, with the passing of time, I gradually came to see the bright side of everything, got my facts correct, and straighened my wry perception towards my Chinese colleagues, locals and social interaction, and myself.
So, here's what I learnt while I worked with my Chinese colleagues. I hope I will, never, ever forget it. May it be deeply engrained in my DNA and my brains.
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Interview the offspring of any Chinese who was born out of China, about what they think about the Mainland Chinese, the most common answer would be, "They are loud, boisterous, uncouth, and calculative. They're very materialistic. Everything revolves around money and advantages. No money, no benefit, no talk. They are communists. They are atheists. Therfore, they are ruthless."
On the other hand, interview any local Chinese from China about what they think of Chinese abroad, and they'll tell you, "They are not Chinese anymore. They have lost our Chinese culture. They do not know how to speak, read and write Mandarin characters. They don't know the history of China. Therefore, they are not Chinese. Even if they are, it is only by physical features, not by thinking or attitude. They have lost our heritage."
So, when I first joined my Chinese colleagues at work, a lot of adjustments of perceptions had to be made. For example, I learned that even though not all Chinese speak English, but they made tremendous effort in learning and mastering this global language to be able to get the message across. When I spent six weeks in Beijing, I began to understand what a struggle it was to pick up English in an environment where more than 90% of the signage, advertisements, broadcast channels were in the local language. Almost all the bookstores sold books in Mandarin language, and one had to travel to the city centre, just to get a copy of a book in English. I also found out that to be able to speak fluent English, some people memorized all the words in the Oxford dictionary, some attended weekly speech classes, while some watched American movies and immitated their accent and slang, ensuring that each syllable was uttered with the exact intonation indicated in the dictionary.
I also learnt that life in the villages of China was tough, and it still is. For my colleagues to be where they are today, it is an accomplishment indeed. One colleague tells of how he wanted to quit school to help out on the family's farm, but was abandoned at the roadside by his dad and forced to attend school. Another colleague talks about how a visit back to his hometown will always involve cash distribution to the whole village and family members. With the Chinese, it is an unspoken rule. Those who are better off, must always take care of the struggling ones. It's an unspoken duty of a filial child-son or daughter. It's a must. Blood is thicker than water.
When I first came, I found some of my colleagues rather aloof and uncommunicative. The whole office would be as quiet as a library at most times. I learnt that this is a result of the one-child policy, most children got everything they wanted, and there was no need for sharing. They learned to demand, instead of ask; instruct, instead of enquire. Kids as young as three, learn to manipulate others (including adults) to get what they want.
In the office, most Chinese found talking a waste of time, an unproductive action. I have to admit, before I joined them, I thought so too! In my parent company, whenever people began making small talk about their families, vacations, friends, anything unrelated to work, I considered it an absolute waste of time too! Why indulge in talking when our precious time could be used to generate productive work? It is heavenly to find that in this respect, I am not alone. There is a whole country's population who shares the same view as me.
But, I also learnt that having an entire team who don't communicate with each other can be detrimental. For a team to work effectively, rapport is important! Otherwise, there will be mistrust, dissensions, agitation and, annoyance. The more stories people share with each other, the closer they bond, the easier it is for them to work together as they unravel each other's true colours.
The most amazing quality that I learned from my Chinese colleagues are their strong spirit of perseverance. In their vocabulary, I don't even think the word 'giving-up' exists. Whenever met with a roadblock, they will always turn and walk around it, or knock it down. They will never, ever accept 'no' for an answer. When encountered with the word 'no', they will argue, debate, reason, and question until they squeeze a 'yes' out of you. In the end, the challenging party will always be the last one standing.
Of course, this spirit is not only demonstrated in terms of verbal arguments. It is also especially evident when it comes to realizing their ambitions. Once, there was this guy who wanted to publish his manuscript, but nobody else wanted to publish it. So, he paid the publisher to publish his book and distributed it for free! Just so that he could claim on the resume that he is an author of a book.
Always strive to be the best and achieve your dreams, here's one of my most treasured lessons. When your desires cannot be fulfilled by your organization, work around it, and it will be eventually achieved. But don't blame others or yourself for the hiccups which occured in your life. It is an immature and irresponsible response. Instead, be accountable for your own dreams and vision. Pursue it with zest, passion and zeal. After all, you're the only one who knows what you truly want and are capable of. It is only with dreams and hopes that we keep ourselves alive. Without these notions, we'd be like zombies, living on a ticking clock, executing our responsibilities, waiting for our time to grow old, retire and pass on, into another realm.
Finally, I admire the Chinese for the calm and cool way they deal with matters. In the office, people have a lot of mutual respect for each other. Nobody gossips or backbites. When the boss gets mad, she just smiles and reprimands you, softening the blow. They seldom, if ever, raise their voices against their subordinates. They dissipate anger with humour. Very little sarcasm or cynicism involved. Direct and straight to the point. No beating around the bush, more time reduced for interpretating whether the boss meant well or actually meant the exact opposite. It is an exteremely harmonious working environment. Integration of unity and team spirit. I learned that there is no need to activate the anger and irate buttons to push others to act. For the two years that I have worked with them, I have never heard a single word of complaint. I realized then, I should stop complaining all together and be grateful for everything that I have, in the past, present and future.
Most of all, I learned that no two individuals are exactly alike. Time and time again, I relearn that the actions of one individual does not represent that of the whole nation; and the mentality or characteristics of majority of a nation, does not necessarily represent those of all individuals. The fact that there's a majority, indicate that a minority exists.
Before I began working with my Chinese colleagues, I was apprehensive, harbouring many preconceptions about my Chinese counterparts. Yet, after this short stint, I learnt that these views are mere sweeping statements.
So, open your eyes, start appreciating each individual whom you meet and discover the core of their souls.
