Why is China so Busy? 为什么中国这么忙？

Language barriers, international friends and a really busy city

So we are now 2 months into living in China and now that we have finally overcome the hurdle of VISA applications, residence permits and making our bank accounts we are now official residents of China! (Side note: 2 weeks into October though and we are still waiting on our scholarship money, so we may soon be hungry residents of China, Side note 2: 3 weeks in and we are no longer broke or hungry). The last 2 months have been a challenge, a roller-coaster of emotions and along the way I’ve found that other than the sights, the food and the language the one thing intriguing to me about China, and Tianjin to be specific is: the people.

As someone who is motivated by those around them and the stories of people I meet I love meeting new people and talking to them, which in China can be difficult with the language barrier, but that is often part of the fun. The one thing I can guarantee will have changed about me by the time I return to Scotland next year is I won’t be afraid to talk to anyone, order food in restaurants, or book a taxi and all that stuff that people struggle with for no reason (myself previously included). Because if I can do it in a country where people can’t understand my language let alone my accent, then I have no excuse when I’m back in Scotland surrounded by people who also speak English. Studying in an international university with students of around 80 different nationalities has exposed me to a number of languages other than Chinese and English, and I’ve started picking up different languages during my short time here and it has introduced me to so many different people.

An example of some of our foreign friends are (what I’ve dubbed) “the Russian/Ukrainian squad” who are a group of (you guessed it) Russians and Ukrainians who we met on various nights out and around the accommodation. Lately we’ve become a lot closer to them and Casey (our Russian friend) now even jokes that we are her adopted Scottish children due to the fact we are the youngest in the University. It’s extremely common now to come to Floor 7 and not only hear Scots accents but the Russians too as we have begun studying with them, and even helping them with their English homework. Hanging out with them has also been fun as we have picked up Russian phrases that I’ve now noticed I’ve been casually throwing into conversations with them (so yeah casually speaking some Russian now). One Ukrainian friend, Alex, has also tried to encourage me to try and take up German again (as I dropped it in high school). I wasn't surethat I could do it, but through a basic German conversation I had with him one day I am really considering picking it up as a hobby again and finding a German speaker in the building to study with.

Others we are particularly close to are 6 Koreans that live on our floor. We met during our first week in China when they came looking for a bottle opener. After inviting them to our room for some food and having a mini ceilidh in the hallway with us we knew there were a good bunch of neighbors to share the hallway with. During our holiday at the start of October a few of us decided to study a bit of Korean to surprise them with some phrases when we came home (which they were extremely grateful for), and we have now even learned how to read the Korean alphabet. We have also picked up some Belarusian words to talk to a Belarusian girl that lives in our hall.

During the 1st month I was slightly anxious about chatting to non-English speakers because it would mean speaking Chinese, however now I know enough Chinese to throw together a conversation, I’ve learned there’s no need to be afraid of language barriers because body language and other contextual cues can help build a conversation. Studying at TFSU may even be an opportunity to pick up other languages on the side. 2 months in and I’m throwing Russian, German and Korean into my conversations!

It’s not just non-English speakers we’ve socialised with. On day one we met an American friend called Bennet (who coincidentally enough knew last year’s scholars) in a phone shop and during our time here he’s definitely helped us out with the life in China. Whether it's questions about shopping apps or where the best restaurants are, he was able to help us with adjusting to life here. We also met the father of our American friend Maggie (whom we named “Michigan” for a few weeks until knowing her name). He walked into the same phone shop and began conversing with the staff member. What was interesting about this interaction was we (from a distance) assumed he spoke Chinese and got excited that a potential English speaker could speak Chinese, but he couldn’t. So we quickly learnt that when you don’t know Chinese in China that body language is key; he was confidently using very basic one word phrases along with strong body language to communicate with this local and from that day I’ve always kept that experience in mind, just be confident and use what you know to communicate your message.

Even the English students in the building are interesting to meet, because not only do we miss the same home comforts (we’d all kill for fish suppers from a chippie) but some are also poly-lingual and have introduced us to other foreign students. Just today I was introduced by my new English friend from Floor 16 to Italians and some more Russian people who are really friendly; some are even studying similar levels of Chinese to me, which gives me more people to study with.

Other than the people though I’ve come to the conclusion that not all aspects of China being busy are that good.

Traffic in China is mental.

The rules you need to know for crossing the road in China are simple:

• There are always tons of cars.
• Cyclists cycle on the road and they WILL try and hit you.
• Motorcyclists will go anywhere, even the pavement if they have to.
• Drivers pay no attention to red lights or speed limits.
• Traffic Wardens don't really do anything.
• I'm lying. There are no rules. Just wait for a gap and run.

However, I do feel safer crossing the road here though as drivers are more aware of pedestrians (I've had more close calls in Scotland to be honest). It is insane how busy and crowded China is; the people are always in a rush to get somewhere. In the crowds it’s every man for himself as you have to push and shove past people to actually get anywhere. To survive here we have had to adapt to the good old saying 入乡随俗 (“When in Rome do as the Romans do”… or in this case, China). One specific example of this is when using public transport, specifically the subway, there’s no obligation to allow passengers to get off first so as you’re trying to get in/out the train there will be people shoving you and if you’re not quick enough those doors will close on you.

Travelling the world - Claire's Brief Guide

Rule 3: When it comes to studying abroad, steal the opportunity to make international friends.

Rule 4: Language learning is best done through speaking, no matter how basic the phrases are (you don’t even need a native just find someone who speaks it, perhaps someone studying the language themselves and start talking).

Rule 5: China is busy and you just have to adapt to it, quiet streets and small crowds are rare.

Rule 6: Don’t get hit by a car.

So yeah 2 months in and I’m still exhilarated by the busy-ness and intensity of life in China, and finally I’m feeling a complete sense of home and belonging here as the language barrier is becoming less and my confidence in communicating is growing. My excitement is only growing for the following months to come and I’m already feeling a sense of sadness at the thought of going home next July, or saying goodbye to some of our Korean and American friends when they go home in January. But there’s no point focusing on that just now when there’s so much to look forward to.

But until then, 再见

Claire, 可兰