Exam time
Whilst my friends in Kamloops have woken up by now to “rain or snow“, my classmates tonight are holed up in their dorms studying for exams. Mercifully, classes ended on Friday the 23rd giving us a chance to reflect on our first four months in China. I took the opportunity to do some shopping at Tianjin’s “Golden Street” with my friend, but we got sidetracked. As the bus bumped and bustled through the lively streets my jaw dropped at the sight of the sunlight reaching through an archway to the surrounding street below. Feeling like photo geeks, we abandoned the bus and snapped this photo:
This led to quite the amazing day meeting people and having an experience only possible when you stay long enough. We enjoyed dinner with the top management of a rubber-product factory and even joined them for karaoke. It’s special moments like these that are a good reminder why I’m glad I never thought twice about signing up for a full year, and not just a single semester, of study abroad in China.
Since there is no Christmas holiday, we were glad to have the weekend, our tree, and our friends. After ripping apart wrapping paper, I finally put all my supplies to use and made pancakes. We invited just a couple friends over to try the pancakes and I was shocked at how much they enjoyed the maple syrup. Most people I’ve met here really shy away from sweet foods, but it was a hit. There was also a novelty factor in pouring from the maple leaf shaped bottle. In the end I was forced to abandon the idea of making egg nog after someone asked if we had considered the health risks of using raw eggs as required. Oops! It had seemed like such a good idea until then.
One of the signs of the end of semester here is saying goodbye to our neighbours. The first to leave us is a fantastic young gentleman from Georgia, USA. It won’t be long before everyone packs up and leaves and we wait for the next round of wide-eyed foreigners settle in. Even a few of our Chinese classmates, who have become good friends, will be heading to TRU for one semester. I’m excited for them and look forward to all the stories about what they will find strange about Canadian life and culture. Meanwhile, my travel plans for Spring Festival are still in limbo until a tuition wrinkle is sorted out at TRU when everyone returns from holidays.
This year, like every one that has ever preceeded it, appears set to usher more changes and great experiences allong with new challenges to navigate. I could have never imagined that one day I’d be able to piece together even a single sentence in Chinese. It’s really cool!