Time flies...
Trip Start
Jun 25, 2006
1
5
15
Trip End
Aug 16, 2006
Hangzhou,
China
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Some friends went to the big western style grocery store to satisfy some of their more pressing needs this week - cheese, chocolate, Italian ham, German beer, and assorted other impossible to find western treats. They spent like a months wages for the average Chinese person - not a trip I would take but have to say their pantry looks pretty enticing!
Hangzhou is...
Well for starters its hot, but we've covered that
01 - EARLY morning housekeeping run
. Our teacher asked us about all of our home countries today and everyone is talking about how much more comfortable it is, what a great time of year it is in Barcelona/Paris/Vancouver/Rome/wherever. Once we were all done she asked us if its so nice at home right now and so gross here, what the hell are we doing here?!?! Fair point...Hangzhou is really a crazy place. Its proximity to Shanghai, natural beauty, reasonably nice climate (except now) and first class university have combined to bring a lot of foreigners as well as LOTS of Chinese tourists to town. This means a surprising amount of interesting restaurants and bars, yoga classes, salsa dancing classes/nights and assorted other events and locations.
On top of that, we routinely go out in groups where the Chinese and Italian guy are speaking German as its their only common tongue, while the Canadian and French kids speak Chinese, and the Mexican and Indian students are speaking English. If you actually stop and listen to all of it your head starts to spin! And people are rapid fire switching between Spanish, English, Chinese, French, German and whatever else in the mix. I can have a 30 second conversation and utilize three languages without thinking about it - nuts! I was totally left out when my Chinese, Italian, German, Ukrainian, and Belgian friends were all speaking German, but we flipped it when an equally odd group went off in Spanish for no apparent reason - muy raro.
Keepin' busy
Have been keeping pretty busy on top of trying to learn this tongue-numbing language
02 - Frederico awakened by housekeeping
. Last week went to the salsa night at a local club and you would be AMAZED at the quality of salsa dancing here. Ridiculous, seriously. Did what I could and actually remembered a surprising amount from my time in Quito and my few classes at home, but still... Had to let the girl I was with take a few turns with the GOOD dancers, damn them for making it look like so much more fun! Oh well, we did ok ;-)Other than that I've been hitting the local running track quite a bit - an interesting social study all its own with the assorted soccer players, wing chun and tai qi practicers, people running and walking (forwards and backwards) and assorted other random (and I mean RANDOM) activities and exercises going on. One thing in China - build a public facility of ANY sort and they WILL come!
David (SFU friend) left his bike while he's away travelling so I've been exploring a bit farther afield. Looking to make an effort to see some of the requisite tourist sites, maybe this weekend. Someone I've become quite close to is leaving on the 22nd as well so have to 1) plan a big going away, and 2) prepare for said person's absence. Honestly, her room is just down from my class and there's freaking breakfast ready for me everyday on my morning break - ridiculous, but incredibly sweet. She also speaks near fluent Chinese and is my constant conversation partner which helps immeasurably. The fact I leave soon after should make things pretty cut and dry though I guess...
On that note, this seems to have gotten pretty long pretty quick and I shall love you and leave you in my nana's words. Lots of love from China and hope this finds everyone well. Take care,
--Shawn
Comments
At least you're enjoying all well hey?
Hi Shawn, it's nice to keep informed about your amazing trip in China. I've been to China once but not in Hangzhou. It sounds pretty interesting that you can meet a lot of friends studying the same language. Chinese is among the most difficult language to learn in the world, I think, and glad that you have a fluent friend to practice with. Living in the original country of the language is the best way to fully explore it! Keep enjoying your cool life there! Get used to the hot weather soon! :-)
:-)
well it's nice to know that someone is taking the initiative to feed you. Wouldn't want you to turn into the nipples and bones episode that you were in Tianjin back in 2003! heaven forbid!