Hello Hangzhou
I’m finally settled in Hangzhou! And I have internet!
The journey from Shanghai to Hangzhou was a fairly straightforward car → train → taxi. Upon arriving at the university, I mulled around for a little bit before finding Paul and Monica, the only other Michigan State students attend Zhejiang University this semester. They were saints. Since they’d already been in Hangzhou for a few days, they walked me through the many processes necessary to get settled. Every single thing has it’s own process. Getting a room, getting internet, getting heat, getting a SIM card, getting a student ID — all require separate steps. Paul had his electricity shut off his first night here before realizing he in fact had to buy it.
Getting internet… well, that was the big daddy of all the processes. First I had to get a sheet that proved I was a student, then I had to turn that sheet in and pay and get a receipt. Then I had to come back the next day to get another sheet within my login information. Then I was told the person responsible for internet was off duty and I should come back the next day. Then I went back and was told to return in the afternoon. And FINALLY I got my login information.
I’ve spent the last couple days walking around, buying necessities, trying new restaurants, and visiting West Lake. Not too much has happened yet besides taking the class placement exam (not pretty, I’m gonna gloss over the details). Tomorrow we have orientation and then classes start Monday!
I’m definitely ready to have routine. These few days of nothingness have been great, but I desperately want to have something to do. I want to meet people, which a complete lack of enforced activity is making rather difficult.
I keep having very existential I’m on the other side of the world. It’s the same. But different. moments. No idea if they’ll pass or if I’ll feel this way for five months.
TTFN.
China is certainly a developed country, but since the quickest way to get to it from the United States is by digging a hole through the Earth’s core (ignoring the time it takes to dig), there are still some serious differences in the availability of certain things. Some things I take for granted in the U.S. just aren’t available in China. And some every day items and experiences in China are things you’d rarely come across in the U.S.
The Haves
- Walmart, Subway, Starbucks, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and KFC: If you’re jonesin’ for some comfort food, it does exist. I’m trying to avoid it, but it’s nice to know that if I just need a damn cheeseburger and some fries, they’re there for me. The Walmart is great. It’s most definitely a Walmart, but I don’t feel American shopping there, since it’s completely filled to serve the locals.
- Cheap electric kettles: So cheap. ¥39 (around $6). The weather’s been kind of cold and nasty, so I’ve been drinking disgusting amounts of hot tea. Of all of my purchases so far, this is probably my favorite. Ramen, tea, crappy coffee — all accessible to me!
- Bubble tea: All day erryday. Bubble tea really is everywhere. The best is CoCo bubble tea, and a tea that’ll put Bubble Island to shame costs just over $1. You got your fruit varieties, your chocolate varieties, your milk tea varieties, and your who-knows varieties. Mmmmmmmmm.
- Fruit stands: Not sure why, but fruit stands are also everywhere. There are at least three within two hundred yards of my dorm. Some fruit is on par with the general price of Chinese goods, other fruit is crazy expensive. The best is the pineapple. It’s a different variety than typical American pineapple. It’s smaller and sweeter and you can eat the core. Plus it’s BEAUTIFUL.
- The Metric system: I’m struggling. Whyyyy do we still use the Imperial system? It’s 12 degrees out? Why am I comfortable in a windbreaker? LITERS?
The Have Nots
- Toilet paper: One piece of advice you’ll read in every travel/culture guide for China is to carry your own toilet paper. Truth. Toilets are easy enough to come by, but public toilets are never ever guaranteed to be equipped with toilet paper. Ooooh and if you’ve never experienced a Chinese toilet, they’re fun. It’s like exercising while you pee.
Wait. Quick aside. As I’m typing this whoever is down the hall from me is blasting “Shots”. Apparently LMFAO transcends all cultural bounds. That is all.
- Qualms against spitting: Ahhh the spitting. Actually, in recent years, the government has made efforts to cut down on spitting with advertisements and half-hearted enforcement. I’m not sure it’s made much of a difference. Hawking a loogie is just part of the day. I don’t mind the spit so much as the sound. The whole windup and release gives me the willies.
- Potable tap water: It makes brushing teeth a bit annoying, and I do love to brush my teeth. Granted, I’m a bit paranoid, but the only water I consume comes out of a container that I personally unseal. The running water in China is not good. Whether it’s bacteria or heavy metals, it’s definitely not good. Really, the lack of drinkable tap water isn’t that bad. I always carry a water bottle, and 4 liters of water (metric!) costs just over $1.
- Coffee: This is a lie. There are actually two types of coffee in China. There’s the Starbucks kind, which tastes like… well… Starbucks. But it costs about an order of magnitude more than the other kind, affectionately termed “bad coffee”. See, it’s funny, because ordering “one bad coffee” almost sounds like the proper way to order coffee in Chinese (yī bēi kāfēi). This kind generally begins as a powder, and by adding hot-ish water, is magically transformed into a nearly undrinkable but still somehow delicious sugary mess that perhaps had one very very very distant coffee bean ancestor. As a recovering coffee addict, I’ve been drinking my stash of United States-born coffee-that-comes-in-a-tea-bag. Yum.
- Driving laws: Okay. This is also a lie. China most definitely has driving laws. But if we’re being real, I tend to trust more in the laws of physics than in the laws of China. Crossing streets is one of my least favorite daily activities, because while I don’t know offhand the momentum of a several-ton bus driving 20+ miles per hour straight towards me, I can safely assume it’s enough to mash me.
Truly, having already spent two months in China is making everything easier. Nothing yet has caught me upside-down with my eyes closed. I’m sure it’ll happen soon enough, but for now, life is good!
