Small town girl, living in a crazy world

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March 30th 2012

Published: March 30th 2012

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Jeh Jeh

Delicious goodness

There are stands after stands of diverse delicious creations. All you have to do is point, nod and hope for the best.

Small town girl, living in a crazy world

I’ve been in China for a little over 2 weeks now. It feels like it has been longer, but the time has flown by incredibly fast. Being here, (like many of my other travel experiences) feels like a dream. Sometimes I wonder if it’s ever going to feel real, or if I’m going to suddenly wake up. I often think about how I came to be so lucky to have the opportunity to live through many of these experiences.

I am struggling with the language barrier, as Chinese is… well, Chinese. I am blaming my difficulties on my Acadian roots; nonetheless, I am trying. “Ni hao!”. That means: “hello!” It took me two weeks to master, but it is safe to say that everyone I encounter understands me when I say it, and then there is that awkward moment when they realize that that is all I know. I smile, nod and point a lot, since there is no English in the “small” city of Changzhou that I have chosen to live and work in. This “small” city (dubbed small by locals – NOT by me) inhabits a mere

Grub time

3.5 million people. This is nothing compared to the astonishing population of Shanghai; I believe there are 23 million individuals living in this bustling city. That’s a lot, especially for a Kent County girl.

Even though I almost never know what is coming when I order food, I am continuously delighted. When it is time to eat, I am forced (and amused) to point at random Chinese characters to servers in the restaurants I stumble into. I have a new appreciation for restaurants with pictures on their menus. Most people around here eat out (3 times a day) and I am one of them. The food experts work restlessly to produce their masterpieces that I would never be able to recreate to such a degree, so why wouldn’t I eat out? Moreover, the food here is inexpensive, but most importantly, tasty. There are food stands and restaurants everywhere (and when I say everywhere – I actually mean almost everywhere). Certain types of food appear more often than others, but it is impossible to pin point exactly what Chinese food is, as there are so many different types of cuisines in this vast country. Needless to say, the Chinese love

Yum.

their food. I fit in, perfectly.

Breakfast is usually about 3 yuan, which is equivalent to almost 0.50$CAN. Lunch and dinner varies in price depending on what is ordered and where it is ordered, but generally a good meal can cost 7 – 15 yuan, which is equal to 1 – 2$CAN. However, if you indulge in a coffee and pastry at Starbucks (there are 4 around the city – I have found 3 of them), this will put you back by more or less 50 yuan, which is equivalent to 7.5$CAN. It is hard to justify that purchase; however, for a coffee addict living in a world where Nescafe seems to rule, Starbucks is god-sent.

As for the night scene of Changzhou, you have to live it to understand it. I will not try to explain it; however, I will say that it is unlike anything I could have ever imagined. In China, “Gumbai” literally means: bottoms up. It is rude (unimaginable, even) to refuse to drink the remainder of your beverage if someone “gumbais you”. We have to respect other cultures, right? … Enough said?

The people of Changzhou are friendly and curious. As a

A proud grandma

Socializing in the park is a big part of life in China.

foreigner, there are many stares to be expected and in my case, it is hard to blend in at 5 foot 8 inches with blonde hair. The people I am blessed to work with are friendly, welcoming and hilarious. Our students are adorable, curious and F-U-N, sometimes my face hurts from smiling and laughing too much by the end of the day. It takes a lot of energy to keep up with these youngsters, but I am up for the challenge.

I spend a lot of my free time walking around, exploring and trying to understand what this country and the people who inhabit it are all about. I have a feeling that I would have to do a lot of walking to fully understand China, but that is not going to stop me from trying.

Miss J

*Shanghai Blog coming soon*

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