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Life in China: Observations

I've been living here for a while and decided to share some things that I thought were pretty interesting!

Cheese is not really a thing here Unless you go to an international store like Aldi or Walmart (which are pretty much non-existent in smaller cities ), trying to find cheese is pretty difficult.

Class attendance Attendance is really strict. It doesn't matter how ill you are, you still need to go to hospital or a clinic to get a doctors note. Even then you get only half a day excused rather than the entire day.

Studying Maybe you could have gotten away with not doing your reading back at home, but the studying stereotype is true. In my home uni we'd learn around 20 characters per week plus the usual grammar and homework. Here? Try 70-90 characters plus the usual self-studying and quizzes, and I'm not even in the advanced or intensive class!

Classroom vs Real life chinese Obviously the language spoken in real life is different than the one in the textbook, but it can be drastically different, especially the dialects which are pretty interesting, but at times diffult to understand.

Pacing yourself with the food Not to say that you shouldn't enjoy yourself, but the food will take some adjusting to for many people. Not even in terms of spice, just the type of meals and the commonly used ingredients require time to get used to them, especially if you don't have these types of meals regularly.

English isn't widely spoken (duh) Despite the whole "big cities are very international, you'll have no problems" shtick, outside of international communities English isn't that widely used so knowing some basic Chinese is necessary.

Phone is my new appendage From paying at the grocery store to sending your teacher your homework and paying your phone bill, wechat is the multi-functional daily necessity that you can't go without. In short, you will probably be superglued to your phone whether you like it or not as it turns out.

Public transport is the way In the larger cities at least, the metro is really well-developed and air-conditioned! A life-saver during the summer, as crowds of people crammed together like sardines during the hot and humid months of summer and early autumn would be unbearable with the a/c.

Frantically switching my vpn on and off repeatedly, because the local sites don't work with vpn and then back on because most of the "western" sites don't work without vpn all whilst trying to coordinate between my host uni and my uni back home.

Life in China #2

There was a cat chilling on the lamp (ignore the poor quality please) in the park last evening.

The online HSK(K) 4 exam

Today I wrote my HSK4 and HSKK 4 exams, which as it turns out are 2 separate exams with 2 separate certificates and doing badly on one of them doesn't affect the other ones score as I'm told.

Since I was left feeling absolutely out of my depth in the beginning, I decided to write about my experience with doing the HSK(K) 4 exams online!

There were a few options for the exam formats. Do note that these formats may not be available everywhere depending on the region and the availability of the exam centres.

Paper-based: Your usual end-of-year or midterm exam format. Pen and paper, nothing particulary out of the ordinary. This type has its own pros and cons, as you have to know your characters really well, especially for the more advanced levels.

Online onsite. You go to a specific exam location, which is usually at a university or a language learning centre, where you sit at a computer and do the timed exam using special software.

Online at home. As far as I know its the same as option 2, expect you do it at home.

Nothing too surprising? Wait until you get to the online HSKK part.

The HSKK

I did the online onsite format, but I naively assumed that the exam would be with an actual in-person examiner.

Little did I know that it would also be online, and that I would have to speak my answers into the computers microphone. It wasn't too bad at the beginning, but then when we had to prepare for the individual answers it was chaos.

And not the good kind.

Trying to say my answer into the microphone in a room full of other people also trying to do the same thing, with my microphone also picking up other people's answers and me being totally thrown off and struggling to gather my thoughts led me to this conclusion within the first 5 minutes of this exam: I am so not passing this.

It is what it is, and once I get my results back (in 60-90 days apparently???) I can try to figure out what to do next. In the mean time I'll be focusing on my chinese studies and see about picking up another skill while I'm here.

If anyone also did their HSK(K) exams recently, what was it like for you?

Wishing for more afternoons like these <3

Life in China: Observations #2

Deodorant what? I order mine from taobao, as I've yet to meet a deodorant out in the wild. Seriously, none of the beauty or health stores carry it, so taobao has been a great help

The bathrooms The public bathrooms tend to be the squat kind (malls and places frequently patronized by foreigners excluded) and you'll have to bring your own toiletpaper and other hygiene items with you. Some places do have the odd western stall amidst the squat stalls, but nonetheless they are the expection. This is in a pretty big city, so expect western style bathrooms to be more rare in more rural areas.

VPN can be a hit or miss It's good to have a few vpns as backups in case one starts glitching and doesn't work (it actually happened a few days ago and after 15 min I caved in and bought the premium version for my free backup only for my current one to start working later). Not all vpns work in china, so it's important to do some research before buying any.

Getting stared at It happens everywhere, even in big cities, but after a while you get used to it.

Food is affordable My uni canteen breakfast costs around 1-2 euros, whereas the same meal at a local cafe would be 7-10 euros back at home

Eating out is common Sure you can cook, but it's much cheaper to go out to eat, especially to the local non-touristy places. In a lot of them you just scan a code that's on the table and order and pay from your phone so there's not a lot of in-person interaction other than saying thanks when the food is brought out to you.

Taking the initiative with friends Making friends with people is always great, but ever so often you will have to take the initiative to do things especially with your Chinese friends.

Bottled water is the way to go Everyone drinks bottled water. Local people, tourists, expats, pretty much no one drinks tap water. The explorer in me wants to try it out, and maybe see how much sips I can have before something (probably bad) happens but past experience says no :/

Private hospitals are more convenient Yes, they may be more expensive but if you can afford to pay a bit more it's always worth it. The staff speak English, which is very useful if you don't speak Chinese or if you have a complex issue that requires very specific vocab that you never learned.

Life in China: Observations #3

Vitamins/supplements are necessary Especially Calcium and Vit D. Dairy isn't really that big of a thing here (milk boba tea does not count!!), and with cheese being a mythical creature Calcium and vit D are quite useful.

The city never sleeps The big cities at least are always loud and active.

Sugary drinks Sugar is everywhere. From milk-tea to coffee, everything is pretty sweet. Even some of the bread is sweet as I discovered when eating a sandwich.

Interesting flavours Cucumber-flavoured crisps to cheese-flavoured coffee. Whatever flavour combination you deem too outlandish to be true, chances are its real.

Face masks People wear masks for a few main reasons; Fashion, against the cold, against illness and against the air pollution

The aforementioned air pollution It's a thing everywhere. The AQI index thing does not play about. The cold months are the worst, so you'll see people wearing masks very often.

Taobao I mentioned Taobao previously, but seriously. You can buy anything on Taobao. Literally. Clothes, makeup, household items, vitamins. I even saw some people selling rabbits. And other animals, but you get my point.

The New Year isn't that much of a thing here. It's celebrated but not to the extent that the Lunar New Year is celebrated from what I've heard.

The transport/travel system is pretty well connected. Getting around China has little difficulties. The only issue is getting out or into China especially if you're from a european country that doesn't have that many international flights.

Life in China #10

Today we had our end-of-semester closing ceremony & took some cute photos together!

It's only been 4.5 ish months of studying, and yet I'll miss my classmates and the unforgettable time we had together ❣️

This is the end of this chapter, but I'm excited to see what the Spring semester brings us💐.

The right mindset for an exchange year abroad

There's no singular correct mindset or way of thinking when it comes to planning and preparing for a year abroad. However, there are some aspects that can make life a little easier so here's what you should consider doing.

Accepting being an obvious foreigner If you're doing a year in a country such as China, then be prepared to be the odd person. Yes, chances are you will get stared at. You may hear "waiguoren"!, especially if you got travelling outside of the more international areas. Yes, you will sometimes feel like an outsider, like you'll never fully integrate. And that's ok. A reality that I had to accept is that whilst I may be welcome to stay here, I will remain an obvious visitor here.

Trying new things An obvious one, but don't just stay in your dorm watching tv-shows all the time. Get out and explore the city. Even if you decide to talk a stroll in the local park, that also counts. Obviously there wil be days when you need to recharge and spend some time by yourself, but going out and leaving your bubble can be the greatest kindness that you show yourself.

Break out of your shell Similar to point #2, but this one can be tricky. Trying new things e.g. trying a new dish at your school canteen vs going to a local restaurant by yourself are a tad different. This one takes time, and even the most outgoing person can struggle with this in a foreign place. Baby steps are the way to go here. If you feel anxious about going to the restaurant, try a cafe in a student/university area first. You can order your drink and if you feel comfortable enough, you can find a spot there and do some reading/studying. In time, you'll feel confident enough to try other places that you may have previously found intimidating. Breaking out of your shell takes time, so don't push yourself too much.

The local customs will endure long after you have left My professors back at my home uni always said "the local way trumps your way", and they were proven right time after time. Certain things are done a certain way, and whether you like it or not they will continue. The best thing to do, is to research in advance and try to adapt to them. Who knows, maybe in time they'll grow on you (aka me almost forgetting how to use a fork after using chopsticks for so long).

It's usually curiosity, not malice Sometimes you will get stared at, or you may be asked odd questions that in your culture would seem bizzare or perhaps a tad offensive e.g. how much do you/your parents earn? are you married? do you have children? Usually it's asked out of curiosity, rather than to cause offense or malice so try to keep that in mind.

Overcome the feeling of temporariness This is an odd one, but the fact that I'm here in China only for a while sometimes gets to me. Like why bother decorating my dorm room if I'll leave in the end? Why buy an extra blanket if I'll have to donate it if it doesn't fit into my suitcase? Forget this mentality. Yes, you're here for only a year, or maybe even half a year. But. This doesn't mean that you should neglect yourself and your living space. If its affordable and if it'll make your life much more easier and comfortable, then get that thing! If you don't have space in your suitcase, then either ship it back home, sell it, give it to a friend or donate it.

Don't forget about your life back home Keep in touch with your friends and family. You don't necessarily need to call them everyday, but do sent a message every once in a while. A simple "good morning!" text can be enough to reassure your parent(s) that everything's ok. Make sure to keep in touch with your home uni academic advisors, and to make sure that you're meeting all the necessary requirements. Mark the application deadline for those summer internships in your calendar, and don't forget to send your auntie that happy birthday message. You have your current life, but please don't neglect your relationships with your loved ones back at home.

Life in China Observations #4

It's been a while since I last did this, so let's go again!

Identity is complicated The question "where are you from" can be just as complicated as it is simple. For many people, their country of birth is where they're from, which is usually the case here. However, if you happen to be born in country A to parents from cultures B and C, immigrated and became a citizen of country D and now attend university in country E and are now on an exchange program in China, the question "where are you from" is not that easily answered. From what some of my friends told me, where you're from is actually the place where your dad was born in even though you may have been born in a different city which is a pretty interesting concept known as the "ancestral home" - 祖籍 (zǔjí) or 籍贯 (jígùan).

You have to make the first step I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but people are constantly doing something and unless you specifically and intentionally reach out and work on your friendship, you may end up drifting apart. Maybe this is a specific thing, but back home I could go a few weeks without really reaching out to my friends and then someone would suggest grabbing lunch together and it would be like no time had passed at all since we last saw each other. Here? Quite different.

Beauty and pop trends There are all sorts of weird and wonderful trends that you can come across in China. From using bread as a study tactic to decorating your workplace with banana plants, I feel like the more I assimilate here, the bigger the reverse culture shock will be when I go back home, and not just for me. dr.candiselin covers some of these trends on Instagram (not a promo post!), and I recommend checking out her content, it's quite brilliant.

Taobao You can buy anything on taobao. Literally. I saw someone selling a house there. I was previously a little shocked to see animals such as cats and bunnies being sold, but after seeing houses and cars being sold I honestly don't know what else is there to surprise me with.

Prepare in advance (foodwise) for the lunar new year During those 8-12ish days during the holdiays a lot of stores were closed. The convenience store outside my campus was open thank God, because otherwise I would have been living on instant porridge and instant soup which was my main food source 2 weeks prior due to being ill and there is only so much instant oatmeal that you can eat before slightly losing it.

Being ill is a nightmare And I mean the mandatory-bed-rest-no-going-out-for-at-least-5-days ill kind. You need to go to the hospital or a clinic to get a note to give to your school otherwise the day's you're absent will be counted, and once they reach a specific percentage you won't be allowed to take the exam (which can seriously mess with your grades, even more if you're there as an exchange student).

The weather can change at the blink of an eye I remember back in December the weather was in the negative digits and then suddenly the next day it was around 20 celcius?? The very next day it went to 3-4, and even now in March it's very all over the place. The weather forecast is not that useful because I'll leave the dorms wearing my coat in the morning only to return carrying my coat, jumper, long-sleeved shirt and wearing only my t-shirt.

More affordable beauty products I saw some products go for around $80 online?? And here on Taobao they cost under $10? I'm assuming it's the shipping costs that drive up the price so drastically, and now I'm pondering whether it would be cheaper to order online or to travel to China every couple of years just to stock up on beauty products.