Aidana

My roommate last time I was in Lanzhou is a girl from Kazakhstan named Aidana. Aidana is studying at another university in northern Lanzhou, so of course we decided to get together.

She surprised me one day by coming to my university in between my classes, and we had lunch together. We were so happy to see each other, and we had so much to catch up on.

I went to her university this past weekend and had a great time. Aidana’s boyfriend is from Korea and studies at her school. Even though I had just met her boyfriend, and Aidana and I haven’t seen each other for over a year, we all laughed and joked around like best friends. I guess we are!

Aidana’s boyfriend told me that Aidana has talked about me every single day for over a year. Once, Aidana was sick and he took care of her. But she cried and told him to go away, and that she wanted me there instead!

I think I will go visit them a lot- probably every weekend. Aidana and I both feel pretty lonely and out-of-place at our universities, and being together again is so great.

My Uzbek Friends

I met my first real friends here while in the kitchen. Rustam and his sister Shokhina are from Uzbekistan and prefer their country’s food to Chinese food. Rustam and I speak Chinese to each other, and Shokhina and I speak English. To each other, Rustam and Shokhina speak Russian or Uzbek. Each of us acts as translators at some point during every conversation. It’s a pretty good system.

The night we met, Shokhina was cooking soup with lamb, carrots, and rice. We talked for a long time since it took a while for it to cook. They invited me to eat with them, so in Rustam’s room we talked for an hour more.

Since then, we often hang out and go places together. I really enjoy being with them even though the cultural differences are significant. Many American girls would be offended by the way Rustam treats me; He doesn’t want me to walk anywhere alone, I’m not allowed to pay for anything when we’re together, and he often suggests things I should or shouldn’t do based on how life in Uzbekistan is. I remind him that things are different in America, that I am very independent, and that I have been living my life my own way for over 20 years. It’s just too hard for him to accept sometimes, and it’s never a big deal to me, so he usually gets his way.

For example, one time our taxi driver wouldn’t accept a large bill from Rustam. I had smaller change and paid before Rustam could object. Later, Rustam insisted on repaying me in 1 and 0.5 denominations. We argued about it for several minutes, and there was nothing I could do but take it. Another time, I hung out with Rustam and Shokhina after I had taken a shower, and my hair was still damp. Rustam handed me a hairdryer and made me blow dry my hair because he thought I would get sick otherwise.

I’m learning so much about Islam, Central Asia, and Uzbek culture from Shokhina and Rustam. I’ve watched Rustam perform his ritual hand and head cleansing, get out his prayer rug, face west, and spend five minutes praying out loud, standing, kneeling, and bowing. I’ve learned how sacred bread is to them. “You can stand on the Koran to reach bread, but you can’t stand on bread to reach the Koran.” Shokhina is getting married soon, so I’ve also learned about their wedding traditions and family life in Uzbekistan.

In addition, Rutam has started teaching me Russian. Last time I was in Lanzhou, I wish I would have taken more advantage of all the things I can learn from my classmates. So, I’m going to first learn to read Russian, and then learn to speak it. I don’t expect to learn very much since Chinese is difficult enough, but I hope to get a good background in the language.

Holding Hands

I was running some errands, walking very quickly down a street near the university. I was about to pass a young Chinese girl when she turned and looked at me. Her face lit up and she said hello. Then she told me how happy she was to meet a foreigner and that she thought we should be friends. We walked and talked for about ten minutes, discovering that we’re both 21 years old and in school. Then, she asked for my phone number. I lied and said I don’t have a phone. In China, hundreds of people will ask for your number, and for obvious reasons, I don’t like to give it to people I don’t know.

But we kept walking and I told her I was looking for a place to buy some cooking utensils. She asked if she could come with me. The girl seemed really genuine and sincere, and I didn’t mind having her along so I said it was fine. We were near a huge market that was extremely crowded. In China, friends hold hands all the time, especially in crowded places. It’s commonplace, and even guys hold each others’ hands, but it’s something I’m not used to. So, this girl – naturally – grabbed my hand. We were holding hands the entire half-hour or so we were at the market. I felt really weird about it because I don’t know her.

While I was making a purchase, I received a text message from a fellow international student. Luckily, the girl didn’t hear the alert tone! Soon after, we went our separate ways. She wrote down her phone number for me, though. And I think I will call her soon. (“Hi! I finally got a phone!”) You can never have too many Chinese friends, right?

Blue Skies

I used to think that seeing a blue sky every once in a while was an inalienable right of every human being on the planet. Blue skies, cumulous clouds, seeing the stars at night… what luxuries!

It’s always gray outside. And it’s hard for me to decide if it’s completely overcast, or if I just can’t distinguish the clouds from the hazy, polluted sky.

The dust and dirt don’t help the city’s complexion, either.

My friend Tracy told me that when she first got to Lanzhou in 2007, she took lots of pictures of the city and emailed them to her family. Later, Tracy realized her camera was on the black and white setting. She emailed her family back saying, “The pictures are all in black and white, but it’s actually not that different in real life.” So true!

Classes

When I got to the university, I took a Chinese language placement exam. I thought it was pretty difficult, and I expected to test into the beginning-level second-semester course. I guess I tested better than I thought, because I’m in the third-semester course. This course has listening, speaking, reading, and comprehensive Chinese classes. I’m also taking a class to prepare for the HSK, which is the Chinese level examination. I will take the HSK in November. Additionally, I am taking a physical education class called tai ji chuan. This is similar to tai chi, but not the same.

My class has about 15 students, and 10 are from Kazakhstan. A plurality of the international students, however, are from Uzbekistan. There aren’t any other Americans, but an English guy named Andy is in my class – we’ve been trying to keep each other sane through this first week of classes, which is hard. We haven’t really hung out, but we’re both really glad that there’s someone else in Lanzhou that we can relate to.

Anyway, my classes are difficult. Every week I am responsible for over 100 new characters, as well as memorizing grammatical structures. I have lots of reading and lots of homework. The hardest part of my classes, however, isn’t the actual material. It’s understanding what my teachers are saying! They speak quickly and, of course, only use Chinese.

I think I’ll do fine in the classes as long as I study every day. In the U.S. (I hope none of my professors are reading this!) I never study. Maybe possibly just before a test, and only a little before final exams. In China, I have class from 8:30 – 12:30 and sometimes again from 2:30 – 4:00. And I spend the entire afternoon and evening studying. Hopefully as my skills improve this semester, I can cut the studying down to 1 or 2 hours per night, but right now it’s kind of ridiculous.

AND one of my teachers rescheduled a class for this Friday night from 7-9 because she can’t make our regular class time. It’s not optional, especially for me since I’m an exchange student. Great.

Arrival in Lanzhou

I’m here safely!

My flights went well, and I got to Lanzhou on Wednesday night and went straight to the university. It was a rough introduction to campus because they weren’t exactly ready for me to come. I stayed in a random room with some girls from Uzbekistan just for that night. The next day I went to the International Office to get everything settled. I wouldn’t have been able to do it if my Chinese friend Lili hadn’t come to my rescue. Lili kept me from getting stressed out, interpreted complicated dialogue, and let me use her internet to call my family over Skype.

This semester, there are tons of international students. So many that two international student housing buildings are completely full! Consequently, I am in a single room in Zhuan Jia Lou, where I stayed last time I was here. This year, Zhuan Jia Lou is all male housing… but it’s hotel-style, so it doesn’t matter that I’m there. The female housing is full, and it doesn’t have a kitchen or laundry room. I am certainly living the good life.

As nice as a single room is, I wish I had a roommate. I’m in a room on the top floor of the building, all the way at the end of the hall. I feel isolated. I know I’ll meet people, but it’s so much easier when you live with someone.

I feel really comfortable and at home here in Lanzhou and at Lanzhou University because I know my way around. It’s fun to help out the other international students, especially those who don’t speak Chinese (yet!).