Originality in China

Once you cross through Chinese Immigration, the definition of "originality" changes. We Americans recognize and appreciate original flavor. I can easily find Double Bubble original flavor at CVS. I can eat original flavor Pringles. Somehow the Pacific Ocean modified the meaning.
Earlier this week I went food shopping at Ren Ren Le with a small craving for potato chips. There were several brands of potato chips in a can, including the American classic, Pringles. China has some interesting flavors: blueberry, cucumber, lime, barbeque, prawn, tomato. Everyone wants to be different in a land of conformity, even food. Yet the quest for original flavor was impossible. The closest flavor was potato flavor.
That was only one example of Chinese conformity vs. originality. Conformity is at its strongest in Chinese schools. I can't tell some of my students apart. I've been here 4 months and I still get confused! It definitely doesn’t help that they all wear uniforms. The only visual difference is that the boys wear blue shirts, while the girls wear white. A lot of the boys also have the Jay Chou haircut, the Chinese emo look. When classes start the students all stand up and sit down together. I try to notice little things about the students to help me distinguish them, like sunglasses. If the students are not borrowing their classmate’s glasses, the glasses are the same style and color. Moreover, a lot of them share the same last name. Argh! I wish some of my students would dye their hair, get a nose ring, or shave their eyebrows. Something that helps me identify more of my 800 students. My sophomores are lucky that I see them every week. I only see the juniors once every two weeks. Chinese schools should encourage individuality among their student population. It will help me remember who I’m teaching.