Drinking Irn Bru in Tianjin

I can’t believe that’s March over already! Every month seems to be going faster than the last whilst living here in China, it’s hard to slow down. After a wonderful two months of travelling, it was time to start our final semester here at TFSU.

We all moved into different classes filled with new students arriving for the new semester. Our level of Mandarin has significantly improved since semester one. From this experience, I have learned that the easiest and fastest way to learn a new language is living in the country in which that language is spoken. We all know how to hold a decent conversation with a Chinese person, even though we may not know all the characters for the words we are saying. This is because we hear words and learn them by using them in conversation, not always having the opportunity to write them now.

One of my main aims throughout this experience was to try and prove that everything you can get in normal daily life in Scotland, you can get here in Tianjin. I think that one thing future scholars may worry about before they come is what they will be missing in Scotland but honestly, you can get everything here and more! China has Dominos pizza, it has most of the same brands of clothing, gyms, western food, sports clubs, cinemas, haggis, even a fake Nandos and Irn Bru (you can order it online!). Yes, it may not be easy to find but China is so advanced there’s a way to find whatever you need or want.

Before arriving in China, I packed my suitcase full of things I was told you couldn’t get here but honestly, you can get everything here. Fake tan is the only thing I’ve found you can’t get anywhere, but that’s not very important. I’ve had my hair cut and dyed many times here, one of the scholars has a personal trainer and we go to watch football games. I’ve had lash extensions and had my phone fixed after the screen smashed. Some people have had to make trips to the doctors for various reasons, two scholars lost their passports, we can cook whatever food we want and the list goes on. Anything that happens in Scotland, can happen here.