I’d like to start off by apologizing for taking so long to update my blog. It’s been a very busy first two weeks here in China. I will do my best to update it regularly from now on!
My Arrival:
My arrival and stay in Shanghai was phenomenal. I got to experience the most futuristic, modern, and unstoppable city in China. Some are turned off by its lack of history, but to dwell on the past in Shanghai would be useless. Shanghai is not about what has happened—it’s about what is going to happen, and everything in the city exemplifies this spirit.
Here is the Oriental Pearl Tower, a distinct landmark in the Bund area.
The trip from Shanghai to Jinan was a wild ride (Jinan is the city where I am studying). I thought that I had to arrive on a Sunday, but really I was supposed to arrive on a Saturday and I realized all of this Friday night. I only had a few hours to plan my departure, so I packed and decided I would go to the Shanghai Railway Station on Saturday morning. The nice thing about China is that you can show up to a train or bus station and just go- you don’t have to plan a trip weeks or months ahead, and that’s really convenient for last-minute trips like mine. At the train station, I went up to the counter and asked for a ticket to Jinan, and the service representative asked “Jinan West?” to which I reluctantly replied “yes.” I started thinking to myself “what if I’m supposed to go to Jinan East?!” but decided to just go with it. I took a bullet train to Jinan and it went SO FAST! Usual traveling time from Shanghai to Jinan is about 10 hours, but I was there in 3 ½. Still uncertain about whether I was in the right city or not, I told my taxi driver that I wanted to go to Shandong University, to which he gave a calming nod.
This is the Main Gate of Shandong University, where I will be studying for three months.
I spent my first few hours in Jinan trying to recuperate from the trip (hauling two 50 pound bags up to the SIXTH floor to my room was exhausting). Shortly after a nap, I attended a really nice orientation held by the student group SICA. They showed us around the campus and even gave out items that would be really helpful during our time here, like a rice cooker! Thanks SICA :)
All the new exchange students and members of the group SICA.
It was also delightful to get to know students from all over the world. I got to meet Man Wa during the orientation. Man Wa (who also goes by Jay) is an exchange student from Hong Kong, and her experience here has been as much of a learning opportunity as it has for me. Although she knows Mandarin (and Cantonese and English!) she finds the Mainland to be completely different than her home city. We’ve been exploring the Jinan together and going to lots of different restaurants—here we are at a hot pot place!!
Man Wa enjoying delicious hot pot, chicken legs included! Needless to say, I stayed away from the chicken legs.
Settling In:
My transition has been pretty smooth. Other than a few headaches cause by having to deal with administration, everything has been manageable. I have a really great room with a roommate from Botswana. I’ve only had the opportunity to spend one day with her because she took off to Malayasia shortly after my arrival, but I am excited to get to know her. My room even has a balcony, which I’ve tried to capture in the picture here!
Here is my room. It is very big (you can't see what's behind me) and has high walls.
Overall, my time here will be pretty structured- nothing like the experience of some of my friends currently abroad who have field excursions and go weeks without being in a formal classroom setting. I have intermediate level Chinese classes Monday-Friday for four hours every day (four hours!). This will be an adjustment on my part, because I’m only used to having three hours of class at the most at Beloit. However, the workload is a lot lighter- I only have about two hours of homework every day, giving me the chance to explore Jinan and practice my Chinese on the streets. I am already understanding more than I ever have and that is really promising!
A semester's worth of books, all under $30 (yay exchange rate)! The books may be pretty thin, but don't be deceived; there's a TON of material covered in these books!
I hope this catches y'all up to speed on everything I've been up to. My next blog will be about the city of Jinan itself, and what discoveries I’ve made. Thanks for reading!
Read about the Jinan, Shandong's provincial capital, in my next blog post!
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