The first month

So it's been a month since I first arrived in China and began my studies at Tianjin Foreign Studies University (天津外国语大学). Aside from the initial adjustment to dodgy internet access and a much earlier start to the day, settling in hasn't been as difficult as I had first imagined it might be, although I feel that was helped hugely by the fact I had visited the same accommodation before during the summer immersion trip, and the fact that I'm here with 21 others who are in the same boat as I am. One of the most the most noticeable differences I've come across here compared to my life in Scotland is the huge sense of community that has been established between everyone living on Floor 7. The communal washroom and kitchen are excellent social areas. The variety of international students we're around is another huge factor I love about living in the centre of international exchange. I've already made lots of new friends from places such as Korea, Belgium, Portugal, Russia, Ukraine, Columbia, France, Ivory Coast, and many more.

Many of the other foreign students have little knowledge of English, so we're forced to communicate using languages we've either studied back at high school, or better still, through our new common language of Mandarin Chinese. As far as the Chinese development side of things is concerned, while talking to and understanding people is still a very difficult task, I am already noticing improvements in my capabilities and am beginning to pick up more and more of what people are saying every day. This is a very rewarding feeling after a week of classes taught entirely in Chinese in which I often have little idea of what exactly is going on.

The combination of the eight o'clock start on top of complete immersion into quickly spoken Mandarin was very hard going at first, but I feel I'm beginning to adjust pretty well to the routine, and as a result my language skills are coming along.

The adjustment to the culture in Tianjin has been one of my favourite things about life here. The amount of wacky occurrences that happen each week keeps it exciting and unpredictable, and the general kindness of the majority of Chinese people make most exchanges at street food stalls and shops pleasant ones.

All in all, settling in this past month has been one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences ever and I look forward to what the rest of my time here has to bring.

Robin