Dorm Life! Gettin my groove on
Trip Start
Aug 09, 2009
1
11
31
Trip End
May 08, 2010
Finding the rhythm of life in China is taking some time, but I am finally developing a comfortable daily schedule here and feeling more grounded. This past week a lot has happened… Chunli's mother has fallen and broken her hip and so the family asked me to stay in the dorms on campus temporarily because they needed to care for their mother in their home. I was worried at first about living with the other students because it would be a challenge and I was still trying to get school stuff worked out at the time, but it has been an awesome experience thus far! I am considering staying here permanently through the semester. I have a roommate named A Hua, pronounced A Hwah. She is a 5th year Chinese Language student but this is her first time in China so we are finding our feet together. She is a wonderful Chinese Language tutor and I have also been teaching her English…along with every other foreigner in my hall! Everyone wants to speak English…how am I ever going to learn Chinese!!! I am offered dinner just about every night so that everyone can practice speaking, tasting the foreign foods has also been fun. Every day I step outside of my room and into the hustle and bustle in the halls here and am stopped daily by everyone who wants to say hello….. I even receive random phone calls from the girls and guys here just to talk about the weather or their family (in English) because that is all they have learned how to say so far which is very funny because most conversations last about 5 mins and usually end awkwardly, but all in all it’s fun to say hello 45 times a day I guess. There are students here from all over the world! I have met and befriended some incredible people already and am very excited to have so many new faces every day. Some of my classmates are from Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Russia, Iceland, all over Africa, Iraq, Jordan, South Asia, India and the list goes on! In total, there are 4 Americans here including me and two are married. The other guy is the epitome of Napoleon Dynamite’s older brother. He looks and talks and ACTS just like him….he sounds like him even! It’s creepy and hilarious! So, my American status has made me quite popular here and I have many many friends! Dorm life is fun! My classes are in the same building as my dorm so I don’t have to go far to get to class each morning. In fact, I could stroll into class in PJ’s if I really wanted to…but n-n-n-n-no! My classes begin at 8:10 every morning and we adjourn for lunch at 11:30, and next begin our study hours through the afternoon. The classrooms are nice and there are about 15 people in my class. The classes are actually really difficult and I am struggling to keep up, but I know I will be ok. I can comprehend most of what we are doing and so I think that in itself is a good sign. Some other students are worse than me so as long as I am not the worst I am confident I can handle it haha. My school’s campus is on the beautiful Nanhu Lake (which means South Lake) and so in the evenings my friends and I often take walks through the park after dinner. Everyone here ranges from young to old as there are both undergraduate students and doctorate students all here to study language and other subjects. This past weekend was my neighbor Anwar’s birthday, one of the Iraqi doctors and a friend to my group. We celebrated at one of the nicest bars in the city here at the ShangriLa Hotel which they were familiar with and I had so much fun! We all danced the night away and celebrated our new journeys and memories pictures below. More than anything else, I am enjoying the stories from everyone here. Listening to the raw perspectives from foreigners about America and at the same time being reminded that the world can be a very scary place makes me thankful that I am an American. The Iraqi doctors are actually refugees and most of the people from the Middle East that are here have many horror stories that literally gave me nightmares; many Africans I have met have also struggled. These stories and experiences shared over cups of tea or dinner or whatever are what I cherish the most out of my experience here so far J. For now, I am excited to be here, I have gotten all of my school stuff completed and the 3 weeks of paperwork and the "Registration Gauntlet" is finally over!!!!
Comments
Hey
Sounds like you are definitely getting into a groove there boo. I am glad to hear that you are settled and meeting new people and having fun! :)