Thanksgiving

On Thursday our group walked down to West Lake into the gathering dark. Our three months of Hangzhou “experience” was obvious as we sauntered between the once terrifying flurry of mopeds, bikes and pedestrians. We conversed in groups of two or three. Along the north edge of West Lake we came to our destination, the Shangri La Hotel. The imposing entrance and facade would have been suitable to greet a foreign dignitary, but we walked around the side to a nondescript entrance where we were ushered into an expansive dining room.

It was Thanksgiving, although it hardly felt like it: the leaves around had just started turning color, the crush of Christmas & Black Friday ads were absence, and we had just taken midterm exams the week prior.

The meal was satisfying and unanimously declared a success—many of my classmates were particularly appreciative of the “authentic” American dishes—the turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes. Yet pursuing the expansive buffet provided reminders that we weren’t Stateside—particularly the seafood: clams, muscles, oysters, and snails. (None of which I tried.)

And amazingly, (I’m an engineer, but) I’m learning Chinese. I can’t claim to speak or understand conversations yet, but I can form sentences, (abet with a lot of thought) and read over 200 characters. I no longer feel that if I got lost in Hangzhou I’d end up having to do an interpretive dance to communicate. My Chinese class is a blast, we are constantly cracking jokes and laughing at (and with) one another’s mistakes, from the German student who always incorporates baozi (a type of food) into his sentences to the time I misheard a question and responded in Chinese with “America is not beautiful.”

Although my days still hold enough variation to avoid monotony it is rather odd to realize that I have settled into life here, “just in time” to return home in a little over two weeks.

My room faces east, so I enjoy a few hours of sunlight to disperse morning chill. I have noodles and two fried eggs from the cafeteria downstairs every morning. On colder days I get a hot soymilk in between morning classes. Almost everyday I visit a small Halal shop just down the road from north gate for one of my meals. The food is tasty and cheap, with a variety of veggie options while an adorable toddler providing constant entertainment as she dances between the tables. Desert is either ice cream, or a Nutella ‘wrap’ (sorta like a fried crepe). I’ve also gotten in the habit of buying three oranges (although more like tangerines in taste and peel quality) a day and eating them one after another. Long walks have become my go-to activity when I don’t feel like studying or when I need a change of pace. I try to go running/walking on the hill behind campus or shoot some hoops at least every other day. Thursday evenings I got to the ‘Big Bang English Club’ which is often a highlight of the week as I learn lots about Chinese culture and am often asked to reflect even more critically on my own “American” assumptions. And so goes my life in China…

Home for now: The International Student Building

The fall leaves outside my dorm.

Big Bang English Club (I’m the tallest one.)