The Basics

I guess I should cover the basic facts of life in China before I do too much else. My daily schedule and such isn't much different than it was back at WSU. Class starts at 8:00 four times a week, but on Thursdays I get to sleep in until class at 1:00 if I want to. Classes are 1 hour 45 minutes long and meet 3 times a week, except for the pronounciation drill class (2 students, 1 teacher) which is only 45 minutes and 4 times a week. Fridays are my longest day, class from 8 to 5, but Thursdays make up for it because I only have the one short class. I spend a ton of time studying. I think this is the first time in my life I've actually put in as much time as the people in charge recommend. It's about the same amount out of class as in, so average of 4 hours per day or so. It's intense, but I still feel like it's relaxing compared to before since 1) it's just Chinese, and I don't have many other responsibilities to worry about and 2) we get grades but I feel like they don't really matter...it's all about how good I want my Chinese to be in the end. That pure spirit of learning is there in the US too, but here it's not as polluted by grade pressure. And if I need a break, I can always go play ping pong or soccer with the excuse that I'm just working on my practical language skills.

I usually eat breakfast at the dorm. There's a little refrigerator and kitchen with the basics, and I keep yogurt and oats in there. I used to eat yogurt with granola, but since they don't have that here I just substitute plain oats, pretty much the same as come in the quaker cylinder, and it's not bad at all. The yogurt is not as solid here...it usually comes in a jug sort of like a small milk jug and you pour it instead of scoop. It tastes a little different too, but now that I've eaten it for a few weeks I don't even notice it. Lunch is at the cafeteria or the supermarket. The cafeteria has a pretty good selection. It's three stories tall, but we're only allowed to eat on the third story because apparently the other two have food that's less expensive, for the people who can't afford the gourmet third floor. You go in and there's a serving counter that runs the length of one wall. Behind the counter there's an assortment of dishes. You just go up, slide your card into the machine, and point at the dishes you want (because I can still barely say "chicken" much less "bony-chicken-leg-chunks-with-onions-and-leafy-stringy-green-stuff" in "that-one-tasty-brown-sauce"). They scoop up a big bowl of whatever it is with a bowl of rice and take about 30 cents off of your dining card. If you don't feel like the rice and whatever method, there's always bao zi or jiao zi which are both kind of stuffed dumplings, or a bowl of noodle soup. Dinner can be at the same cafeteria, but we generally feel like once a day is enough. There are tons of restaraunts near campus. I could probably eat at a different one every night this summer and never walk farther than 10 minutes from my dorm. Prices for a full dinner can range from maybe 80 cents with a street vendor to two or three dollars at a pretty nice restaraunt. There are even nicer ones around, but so far we've just been going to the ones that cater to the college students. I think the most I've payed for dinner so far was four dollars, and that was at Pizza Hut. That gives you an idea of where pizza hut falls in the price range around here. I'd say it's the equivalent of an upscale Olive Garden in the states. It's a chain restaraunt, but it's always in the best location in town and its kind of ritzy.

I think maybe I got distracted from the basics, but I should study now...whatever I forgot I can always throw in next time.