A New Perspective On Life From The Far Side Of The World

By Tanjua Damon

The holiday season was anything but traditional for Kevin Donovan. He was on the other side of the world in an unfamiliar culture spending time with his sister, Kiquis. And from that distant perspective, he could see more clearly many of the things we take for granted in the United States.

Almost a month (December 10 – January 8) in China gave Kevin the opportunity to see a culture that he had heard so much about from his sister. Being able to see the countryside and talk with the people of the world’s most populous country provided Kevin with a better understanding of life there.

Kiquis, 22, teaches English to college students in China. She also works as a covert missionary, which is illegal in the communist country.

“She went there as an English teacher and does her missionary work on the side,” Kevin said. “She’s always had a missionary spirit. She had it in her heart and the opportunity came up.”

Kevin, 25, is doing graduate work to be a counselor at Franciscan University in Ohio. He used the trip to China to help provide some relief to other missionaries there and to talk with some of the Chinese students.

“I wanted to basically help out with missionary relief for the missionaries there. Missionary work is illegal in China,” Kevin said. “The communist government banned everything. Every religion has a patriarchal church run by the government to give the appearance of religious freedom. I got a chance to speak in a lot of her classes, just to share about myself.”

Kevin and Kiquis found a fake plastic Christmas tree on a side street for about $6 that was already decorated and had lights on it to share with Kiquis’ students. Although all the classrooms have monitors, and political and religious topics are not supposed to be discussed, the tree fit in with the cultural class Kiquis was teaching.

Since Kevin lived in Mexico until he was ten, the lifestyle of some of the people in China was not a surprise to Kevin. But the way the lower classes and upper classes were mixed together was something he was not used to seeing.

“I was born in Mexico and lived there until I was 10. I was familiar with the third world living conditions,” he said. or use all day long like in the United States. It is only available three times a day and no one ever really knows when it is going to be on.

 “It was like a camping trip. Running water only at breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” Kevin said. “You never really knew what time or for how long. You knew the rough time it might be on.”

Since Kevin is studying to be a counselor, he observed the students and how they view life. Kevin believes many of the students have low self-esteem because the culture they experience.

“Having problems is not culturally acceptable. Oppression is not outward. You don’t see armed guards. It’s more of like a mental suppression,” Kevin said. “When you talk to the freshmen, they have a box of ideas. The government, communist government, teaches them this. When they get western teachers, they realize other things are out there.”

“You give them new ideas and they’re like, ‘Oh wow,’” he said. “Many suffer from low self-esteem. When they learn about religion, they learn it can help fill that void.”

The Chinese government also promotes atheism, according to Kevin. Because of this, he claimed, people often do not make morally correct choices.

“There are a lot of religious questions because the government had pushed atheism,” he said. “Because it is a godless country, there are no morals. Students have no problems cheating.”

Kevin’s chopstick skills were not perfect when he went to China and many of the students had never seen forks before.

“On the lighter side – the Chinese food – they eat anything that moves and every part of anything that moves,” he said. “They raise dogs to eat them.”

China does not have orphanages either, according to Kevin. They are called “Children’s Centers.” The term “handicapped” is also not prevalent in China.

“There is no handicapped anything. Handicapped people are usually abandoned,” Kevin said. “One of the first things I noticed when I got back was the handicapped signs.”

While in China, Kevin dressed in layers most of the time because the buildings were not well insulated. He caulked the windows in his sister’s apartment as well as those of other missionaries.

“You never get a chance to warm up. You wear three or four layers the whole time,” he said. “I did a lot of repairs to her apartment.”

Although Kevin Donovan was prepared for the culture of China, he admits that the mentality of the country is something he was not prepared for.

“It’s a very clean country. They do a very good job keeping up the streets. Everything is ship shape,” he said. “If anything, I wasn’t prepared for the mentality. It’s barbaric.”

China expects perfection from its people, according to Kevin. An example is that during the Olympics, only the gold medals are counted. Silver and bronze mean nothing in the eyes of the government.

Kevin said his trip to China has allowed him to rediscover things about himself that he had lost. He also realized that often the simple things in life are what are taken for granted the most.

“I have rediscovered my missionary spirit, providing relief for missionaries. I think it is something they appreciate very much,” Kevin said. “People are people. Children here are like children in China. You have to break through and find their heart.”

“I appreciate the freedom. We have a lot more just being able to talk about anything you want,” he said. “You don’t realize what you take for granted. Freedom is an amazing thing.”

Kevin had some new insights about his own conduct as a human being.

“I became aware that I have to look toward others. Get a good look at my own selfishness. A call to love, loving unconditionally,” Kevin said.