Spring Cleaning

This is the first year that I've lived here at Peter Hall that anyone has organized a community rummage sale. We have had thrift store type rummage sales - people have donated stuff they couldn't sell and then we have used the profits to support needy students. But why no one thought up this brilliant plan before, I don't know. It is a great way to clean house! And it is also a great way to earn some money. In my case, it is a great way to prepare to move. And while selling things wasn't really emotional, as it was just three years ago when I was preparing to come to China, I know that leaving people at the end of June will more than make up for any lack of feeling today.

I have to say, though, that I have had feelings about these sales. And they have mainly come in the form of selling things as a fundraiser for the needy students. Granted, not all the stuff we have had to sell has been of the highest quality, but we have had many nice things. And while the teachers living in Peter Hall and even students have had no trouble paying our very low prices, some of the workers here and many parent aged types have gone into the cultural mode of haggling to embarrassingly low prices. And it has upset me. A lot. I know they see it completely differently than I do. (They haggle as shoppers, and used items have less value than new stuff regardless of how good of condition it is in. Plus they want to joy of making a very good purchase.) So I have tried to educate them a little. I have had people explain in Chinese what the purpose of the sale is, but they have still haggled to the point of my own despair. During the last sale I actually refused to sell things to a couple people and, in the most forced calm manner I could produce, I asked them to leave. Not good. So this time, when I was asked about selling goods again for the needy students, I very firmly declined. I have found my limit.

It is probably a good illustration of generational culture. And every people group has it. I can't wait for a time when there will be only one culture, and there will be one center of attention. There is a lot of clean up to do before then. Even so, come...come.