Music as a Catalyst for Change One of the most important songs for me is You And Me, the 2008 Beijing Olympic theme song. The original version is performed by two tycoons in the music world--Liu Huan and Sarah Brightman. The lyrics are as below:
You and me from one world we are family travel dream a thousand miles meeting in beijing come together put your hand in mine you and me from one world we are familyyou and me from one world we are family come together meeting in Beijing
The reason why this song was a catalyst to me was that it gave me a
new perspective to see my country and the world. I was honored to participate in the 2008
Beijing Olympic Games as a volunteer. It was my first time to serve so many
people who have different colors and cultures getting together to join in such
a fantastic event. The Olympic Games was hosted in August, so the weather was hot.
However, everyone was responsible for his or her work with enthusiasm. Although
we did not know too much about each other, we tried our best to provide guests with
the best service. Our service exchanged for guests’ satisfaction. I still
remembered when I watched the opening ceremony of and heard the theme song, I was
so pound of being the host of the Games. The rhyme, lyrics and performance were
mixed in such a perfect way that I suddenly felt that world peace was the objective
of the whole world and everyone in the globe lived in harmony at that moment. That
was an unforgettable experience. Just like the lyrics write, you and me travel
a thousand miles and we are family.
In addition, the Olympic theme song implicates the spirits of
athletes. As each Olympic Games has four-year interval, athletes have to
devote themselves to exercise during these periods and show their results only
in the competition. Sometimes, we can see that some athletes compete with each
other, but they become true friends through competition. Some athletes injure
themselves, but they continue to reach their destination. The Olympic theme
song tells me what perseverance, friendship and spirit are.
An interesting gesture used by Chinese people is
the V sign. Most Chinese people like posing a V sign when taking photos. They do
not realize and even do not know why they do that. I think the V sign in
my country has several meanings. First, the V sign means victory just because
the V sign looks like the first letter of the English word - victory. Second, posing
a V sign when taking a photo shows a person is very cute. Third, a V sign means
number two. Number two can be used to describe people in Chinese and has a deep
meaning in Chinese culture. In a comparison, in Britain a V sign with the palm facing you and especially with fingers fast moving shows a taunt or ridicule.Many foreigners do not understand why Chinese
people like the V sign, but they have realized that interesting gesture. In
intercultural communication, using right body language in right situations is
really important. We are responsible for knowing that gestures may have
different meanings in different countries. If we know more about other
countries’ gestures, we may avoid some conflicts and set up good social
relationships. Another example is thumb-up. It is used by hitchhikers or it means Okay in the U.S.. However, it means fuck in Australia and insult in Nigeria. In
Japan, it means “five” but “one” in German. In China, thumb-up means good. If
we do not know that thum-up has a negative meaning in Australia, we may be in a very embarrassed situation when we do that in Australia. Thus, we need to improve our ability in observing, evaluating, and behaving in an appropriate and effective way in our daily life.
An interesting gesture used by Chinese people is
the V sign. Most Chinese people like posing a V sign when taking photos. They do
not realize and even do not know why they do that. I think the V sign in
my country has several meanings. First, the V sign means victory just because
the V sign looks like the first letter of the English word - victory. Second, posing
a V sign when taking a photo shows a person is very cute. Third, a V sign means
number two. Number two can be used to describe people in Chinese and has a deep
meaning in Chinese culture. In a comparison, in Britain a V sign with the palm facing you and especially with fingers fast moving shows a taunt or ridicule. Many foreigners do not understand why Chinese
people like the V sign, but they have realized that interesting gesture. In
intercultural communication, using right body language in right situations is
really important. We are responsible for knowing that gestures may have
different meanings in different countries. If we know more about other
countries’ gestures, we may avoid some conflicts and set up good social
relationships. Another example is thumb-up. It is used by hitchhikers or it means Okay in the U.S.. However, it means fuck in Australia and insult in Nigeria. In
Japan, it means “five” but “one” in German. In China, thumb-up means good. If
we do not know that thum-up has a negative meaning in Australia, we may be in a very embarrassed situation when we do that in Australia. Thus, we need to improve our ability in observing, evaluating, and behaving in an appropriate and effective way in our daily life.
