A dumpling and his suitcase

Once upon a time in a school in central Edinburgh, a boy called James decided to go to Mandarin club because they gave out free food. He was quite partial to a dumpling or two, or ten. I'm currently sitting in a university dormitory in Tianjin, China wondering how I got here. I spend my hours wishing I'd packed more clothes, eating noodles and mixing it up with the occasional bowl of rice from time to time if the budget allows it. What a rice it was to begin this adventure *giggle giggle*.

The ten months began with two 8hr plane journeys broken up only by the constant flow of orange juice and hand wipes. My dream was to arrive in the transfer airport and go shopping and help myself to a cheeky bit of duty free but instead we spent the 30 minutes we had running to our gate like headless chickens.

Usually in Scotland you step out of a building from a warm, heated room into the cold. In China at this time of year it is the opposite. This was quite the shock when I stepped off the plane and onto Chinese soil. The average temperature during July (the hottest month) in Tianjin is 27.8 degrees so it is very hot at the moment. I expected there to be little to no sun due to the smog but I was sadly mistaken, my pale Scottish skin must sulk in the shadows for much of the day.

We arrived at Tianjin Foreign Studies University very late at night. I was tired, hungry and overheated. I'm sure my new roommate Robin loved getting to know me... The plan was to wake up early the next day and get to know the city. Sadly I woke up at 5pm. How wonderful.

There is so much to see in Tianjin just in the close vicinity of the university campus. If you like to exercise then a coliseum a short walk away, is probably your ideal destination. There is a running track enclosed by arches, a museum and bars. Down an escalator underneath the sports ground is a supermarket and gym. Never have I been more excited in my life to see pesto. It came in a bundle pack along with pasta and spices. There is temptation everywhere. Goodbye daily food budget.

The university also runs frequent trips to tourist attractions around Tianjin. So far I have gone to them all. It is a cheap and easy way to get to know the culture and history of China. The first trip in the evening was to see a Chinese opera. This was definitely a departure from the opera we are used to but was a useful insight into Chinese culture. The Chinese opera was based upon the life of the philosopher Confucius.

We also had a trip where we visited Italian style street and ancient culture street, both of which I greatly enjoyed. Italian street is exactly how it sounds. A street that look very Italian/European right in the heart of Tianjin. After weeks of rice and noodles a proper pizza with kale on it was absolutely amazing. Ancient culture street is beautiful. The streets are filled with stalls selling food, calligraphy and souvenirs. It is easy to get lost in the maze of streets where the objective is to barter and barter hard. Coming from a culture where this may seem impolite it is easy to feel uncomfortable.

I have greatly enjoyed the first month of learning Chinese and fingers crossed for the rest of the year. I will continue to write monthly. Sending positive vibes. James.