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Published: March 7th 2011
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Hello again! I've now officially spent one week here in Zhejiang Province, and I am starting to get a bit more comfortable with my surroundings. So, let me update you on what I've been up to! A lot of my time has been spent getting things set up in the lab and doing training on the experiments I will need some of the Chinese students to help me run. I miraculously got the 3-D camera set up in only a few short hours; however, it then took another 7 hours to get it working. The studio lights were refusing to synchronize with the system, and then when I got that figured out, the system decided it just wasn't going to calibrate. After much tinkering and a whole lot of brain power, I finally got it up and running. Hopefully, it stays that way (fingers crossed!). Today I went out with some of the grad students to buy a special computer monitor for one of my tasks, so tomorrow I need to set that up and do training with some of the research assistants. A lot of time has been spent getting my tasks translated into Mandarin and then cross-checking them to
make sure everything is still programmed correctly. The lab I am working in just got a new brain wave measuring system that is basically a crossover between EEG and fMRI (it has an electrode system like you would use to measure ERPs but it provides better spatial resolution than normal EEG). They've been doing a lot of training on that since I've arrived and I've sat in on a few of the sessions. The sessions, of course, are all conducted in Chinese but usually someone is there to help translate for me.
But, don't worry, not all my time has been spent in the lab! 😊 I usually leave work around 5:30/6:00 and then have the evenings free to explore and meet new people. On Saturday night, one of the grad students from the lab took me to dinner at a different cafeteria on campus to get a special type of noodle. While we were there, we randomly stumbled across an "English corner" discussion group. This is a group of Chinese students who meet once a week to practice their English and talk about Western culture. The minute they saw me, they were very excited because I could help
them with their English and they, in turn, could help me with my (very poor) Chinese. They invited us for dinner, and there I also met two other American students who are here on campus teaching English. After dinner, a few of the Chinese students asked me if I was Christian and said they were going to a Bible study and that I could come along with them. I said yes, and then we were off to a small church meeting held above a convenience store downtown. The whole Bible study was done in Chinese, so most of the time I had no clue what was going on, but it was still really cool. They said there would be an English language Bible study the next morning, so I ended up going there the next day as well. I made a lot of friends at these meetings, and the students who attend are from all over the world. Most are from China, of course, but there were also people there from Argentina, Japan, Korea, Ukraine, Cameroon, and the U.S. It was really cool to worship with so many people from different cultures who speak different native languages. After worship, we
then went out to a Korean restaurant, where I got my first taste of Korean cuisine. I actually liked it better than Chinese food!
It rained all weekend here, which kind of wrecked my weekend plans to go hiking in the mountains, but there will always be time for that later! Instead, last night, I went with some of my new friends to a board game night being held at the apartment of one of the foreign English teachers. It was a lot of fun, and the apartment was actually heated- the first building I have been in with heat since I arrived! I could actually take my coat off, and it was delightful! I felt so free and unencumbered! I have decided I will never again complain about the Plaza building (where my lab in Canada is located) being so cold because here it is a hundred times worse, haha. I sit there in a scarf and hat all day at my computer and feel like the early 90s version of Michael Jackson because I am wearing a single glove on one hand (I can't have a glove on my right hand because I need that hand free
to use the mouse.). Needless to say, I am very much looking forward to warmer weather arriving!
This evening, I met up with an American family that is living here in Jinhua (I met them through a friend of a friend), and they took me out to a restaurant that serves American food. Given that I'm a pretty picky eater, I have been doing really good so far trying lots of different Chinese foods and giving everything a chance; however, I could not pass up the opportunity to eat a hamburger and fries! They then showed me around downtown Jinhua and the "night market," basically the place where you barter for knock-off shoes and handbags, haha.
So, to sum it up, everything is going really well here and I am learning a lot! Every day, I try to learn a few more words in Chinese. Sometimes the words are actually useful (e.g., what's up, thank you, north gate), other times not so much (e.g., rabbit, sky, um). Send me a message and let me know how things are going in the U.S. and Canada! 😊 I miss you all!
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L, I check your blog every morning while I work, so keep writing. :) We miss you here; it feels like you're another world away (maybe because you are haha). I'm glad that you were able to experience a Chinese Bible study. That's awesome! I'm jealous! :) Stay warm! Love you!