I am now entering my third week in China, and it has been a whirlwind of firsts. I tried the famous jianbing (煎饼) for the first time; I climbed up the Great Wall for the first time; I used a squat toilet for the first time. All these new experiences were sort of overwhelming, but I don’t think I suffered from a major culture shock. I adjusted to the new life in China pretty quickly, but that may be because there are a lot of similarities between Chinese culture and Korean culture, which is really familiar to me.
The most surprising aspect of China is how relatively cheap everything is. The first day I got here, I bought an 8 pack of 1.5L water bottles, and the entire thing only cost me 18 RMB, which is approximately 2.7 USD. They even delivered the water to my room for free! In addition, at the dining hall where I eat on campus, each dish is around 4-5 RMB. This is great because I feel like I am able to try new things every single day!
Trying new (and authentic) Chinese food!
My favorite aspect of studying abroad in China has to be the cultural excursions. It is only week three, but I have seen so many amazing things! So far, I have gone to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the National Museum of China, a Peking Opera, and the Great Wall. My favorite has to be the Great Wall though. The hike up there was extremely tiring and the steps were sometimes super steep, but the view was absolutely breathtaking. I have never seen anything like it before, and would definitely want to go again.
Looking out at the Forbidden City
I still can’t believe I have been living in China for almost three weeks, and can’t wait for more adventures to come. Next week, I have finals (sigh), but afterwards, a couple of friends and I are going to Shanghai, so I am really excited! Hopefully, I will have time to check out that new Disneyland there.