The first month

I was very excited to arrive in China, however I felt extremely tired due to having travelled for over a full day. The first day, we tried to get our bearings around the campus and the surrounding area. That night, we went out to a local bar frequented by many students from the Tianjin Foreign Studies University. It was a great opportunity to get to know other people from the university but also the other scholars that I was about to spend the next 10 months of my life with.

I remember being quite shocked by the food as it was much nicer and more nutritious than the Chinese food that I had previously experienced.

A few days in, I managed to get lost, which wasn’t very enjoyable but I dealt with it well and managed to make my way back to the dorms. I already feel at home in Tianjin and know my bearings pretty well. I am also confident in using public transport, allowing me to visit different parts of the city.

On the first day of term, we had to sit a proficiency test to determine which class we would be in. Since I hadn’t studied Chinese in over 2 years I was absolutely hopeless and even had to write a small apology on the front paper for answering it so poorly. This, although I had to laugh it off at the time, made me even more determined to learn the language and improve my level quickly.

A few weeks in I felt I needed a haircut and so I popped down to the small barbers in the basement of one of the university buildings. I had it all planned out; I had translated everything I wanted to say to him and had photos of the haircut I wanted. Regardless of all the prep, I still managed to get what some would refer to as a ‘scarecut’. Fair to say, the other scholars certainly enjoyed it when I returned to the dorms.

The university put on a small trip to go see a traditional Chinese Opera in a theatre in Tianjin. Honestly, it was very hard to follow and could only understand a few words of Chinese but nonetheless, it was an experience and a great insight into Chinese culture.

A month in now, I am naturally missing a few things about back home. For example, going to the Celtic games, my family and friends, the Sub Club and Glasgow in general but nothing out of the ordinary. I have thoroughly enjoyed China so far and can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of the year!