Comforts among other things

With each day I spend here, I am assimilating to the culture that surrounds me. I am no longer unease at the traffic and the location. I have taken a step back to look at where I am and enjoy this opportunity I have been given. I am fully aware of the stares American’s get, the jokes we are the butt of, and the inflated prices we are given. Like with any foreign place we come to, we will undoubtedly be treated differently than we would at “home.” That is a natural phenomenon; to stare at things you are unfamiliar with and judge accordingly. Humorously, I have been mistaken for one who speaks Chinese at any place I have been thus far. I have the look of a citizen but lack the conversational skills to get by. Instead, I feel like an idiot, a betrayer of the country when I tell them I cannot speak Chinese and only understand English. Nevertheless, it is quite a sight and experience to see this dynamic between the locals and myself. I refuse to allow myself to get frustrated with this interaction because there is no point. The language barrier is prevalent and at this point, there isn’t a thing anyone can do, so why waste energy being upset about it.

With that being said, I will concede, beyond the many stares the American students receive throughout the city, the people are welcoming and mean no serious harm. Hangzhou is described as the city for loving. “Zhou” in the Chinese language stands for state. Within this providence, there are three states, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Guangzhou. Each state has their distinct characteristic. Hangzhou is considered the place to love. Suzhou is the place to eat (if I remember correctly) and Guangzhou is the place to live. Love, live and eat. Hangzhou houses 8 million people. I feel as though I have come across 100,000 people easily at this point. The city sounds like it is crowded, however, the landscape is large enough to not feel as so. As with my move from Orange County to San Diego, each day I spend here, I gain a larger appreciation for this place. I am fascinated and interested in the lifestyle of a local. How do they live, what do they do, what is life like living in this part of the city, this state, this country. The RMB, also known as the Yuan, is the country’s currency. The exchange is roughly 7 to 1 US dollar, slightly less but for the purposes of mentioning it, this is the easiest way to understand the rate. I have been here for four full days. Each evening I have been out to eat, I have spent on average 100 RMB. This is inflated in part because we went to a fancy restaurant and had lots of wine. But even then, the average of 100 RMB is the equivalent to about 15 US dollars. This is for a dinner that included at least two large beers and a full meal with left over’s. It is much different than what we have in the states where a meal may cost you upwards of 30 US dollars for a meal and two beers. Further, the quality of the food, although at times may in fact be questionable, it is still good and relatively comparable to the US. By no means am I stating that life here is easy when you are able to spend what seems to be lavishly here, comparatively. I am for one, just ignorant to the salary of a citizen here and come from a place where the money is stronger. I will indeed be thinking differently one I make my way west towards Europe and be on the flip side of things. Until that time comes in three weeks, I will enjoy myself here and get what I pay for.