Orientation Week: Training to teach, celebrity status and dangerous driving!

I’ve lost count of the number of KFC’s I’ve eaten in the past week. I don’t do fast food at home, but I guess a part of me is clinging on to whatever hints of western culture there is over here. Not to say Chinese food isn’t nice – it’s lovely. It’s just comforting to see something you recognise. I jumped for joy at the sight of a Pizza Hut yesterday! 

Also, I have become one of ‘those people’. The ones that go to a country and cannot speak a word of the language. It’s quite comical when a Chinese person comes up to us and just starts talking. We shake our heads, say ‘English’ over and over (or yingyu) but they just keep talking at us. Not in a horrible way but it’s funny all the same. The times I try to say ‘thank you’ (xie xie) I got laughed at. We have had some Mandarin lessons but it’s such a hard language with many different ways to pronounce the words that I’m going to need a lot more time! After learning about how important learning English is to the Chinese, I foolishly believed they would have the basics – nope!

It is quite a task to get about and do anything. My first night in Harbin we caught a bus into the centre – we were reliably told it was the last stop – and ended up in a tiny restaurant that spoke no English. When presented with the menu, it only had Chinese characters (we were hoping for pictures). Thankfully 21^st Century technology is on our side and a brilliant app called Pleco came to our rescue. We managed to get some beef, rice and a drink. The same app has also helped us to get taxis home and agree prices for items.

Speaking of taxis, the roads here are insane. On average there are over 500 deaths on the road each year in China. They literally push each other out of lanes, pull out in front of each other, ignore red lights, no consideration for pedestrians and all you can hear is their horns constantly. The first time I got a taxi was a surreal experience. He was all over the place and had his hand permanently on the horn. One sight I'll never forget, was whilst I was on a bus stuck in traffic, a car clearly had had enough of waiting, so decided to drive on the pavement – causing the pedestrians to move out of the way quite quickly!

The lack of etiquette crosses over to off road as well. Chinese people just push in front whether it’s at a shop or the train station. At first we were quite indignant about the whole thing, after all us westerners formed an orderly queue whilst waiting to board the train and many people just walked right past us up to the front. Did they not see us waiting patiently?!

Then we realised that the only people queuing was us and it’s just not in their nature. We were in the way so they walked around. So now I have to just push in sometimes – otherwise I’m not getting anywhere!

But on the flipside, Chinese people are some of the friendliest I’ve ever met. Whilst on a bus with some friends, we were getting confused about which stop to get off at. A lady overheard us and offered to help (honestly, the only English-speaking person we found in Harbin!). She got off at the same stop and walked with us to the shopping centre, talking to us on the way. When we got there, she asked for a picture and then proceeded to get back on another bus and continue her journey. What a lovely woman! Also every time I’ve had to drag my suitcase on a train (and there have been many times), someone has always helped put it in the overhead compartments.

The amazement in their faces when they see westerners is quite remarkable and for good reason. There is honestly so few of us here. There is no diversity. In England we can walk down the street and see people from many different countries and it’s no big deal, we are a very multicultural society. Here in China, it’s just not like that. And that is why they are all taking photos of us. When we’re eating food, waiting for a train, walking down the road… just doing anything. Some of them ask for selfies, or for us to be pictures with their children. Others try to sneakily do it but it’s so obvious I just wave and smile. Some of the other interns didn’t like it, but I figured I would just embrace it. The best example; I was followed around a shop by a teenage girl who eventually got up the courage to ask for a picture. I obliged and then she put a cat filter on it! I think by the end of this trip there will be thousands of pictures of me (and the other interns) floating around on the internet and in some random family albums. I suppose we’re getting a taste of what being a celebrity is like!

So my week in Harbin has ended. This is where I did some teacher training, learnt a little Mandarin and attempted some calligraphy. Both of those last two I failed at miserably (but so did most of the others so I feel okay about it). I also met and bonded with some of the 70+ interns, only for us to be torn apart and sent to different parts of the country! I’m now in Zongshan with 2 other interns.

It took nearly 3 days to get here from Harbin; an 8 hour train ride to Beijing and an over night stay. Then a 22 hour train journey (photo >) and finally a 2 hour coach journey. China is big. So big in fact, that during winter Harbin will be around -30 degree weather and here, I’ll be melting in 29 degrees. It’s currently in the mid-thirties with 90% humidity – I’m not sure I’m going to make it.

Sorry for the random photos dotted around. I'm sure you can see my calligraphy and mandarin attempts. The picture top right is from the streets of Harbin City centre; lots of lively card games!

Next blog I’ll have some details about my school and some pictures of Zongshan – it’s very tropical and parts of it look like a jungle. A lot different to the north of China!