frauke at large

I have now spent a whole week in NingBo and being called an ‘alien’ at immigration has never felt so appropriate than it has over the last few days.

I guess here on campus it is very easy to survive without ever speaking any Chinese or even trying to understand this large, socially, culturally and horticulturally intriguing country. Being on campus can feel a little as though one is segregated from the rest of what is going on around. A venture into Ningbo yesterday for hot chocolate after an otherwise busy day of work made that very obvious. I had my very first experience of going shopping on my own – in a Tesco mind you – and yet the only understandable thing which I could read was ‘promotion’. Seems like a good ‘2 for 1’ has not managed to escape the repertoire of marketing strategy in China. So there I was in Tesco trying to find supplies for the next week and wished I could connect with this alien place. I felt a little like being put in a vacuum and not being able to communicate with the outside. Things were not helped by the fact that some of the products which I was looking for are not really part of the local cuisine and therefore not positioned in one of the more obvious places in the supermarket.

I would really like to be able to mix with some of the locals and ask them about China, its change and development and get a better feel of the country and its people; so I have made contact with a very nice Chinese lady in our library who will hopefully be able to teach me some Mandarin, so that I can escape this helpless state. It’s so easy to settle into a routine here on campus where one does little more than work and relax within a radius of approximately 2km, – but that would defeat the purpose of me being here. I must say that whenever I do venture off campus I find something new, alluring and fascinating, so I can’t wait to explore more. Have already made a list of things to go and visit around here in Ningbo. Will keep you posted.

Coming back to more campus and university related things: there have also been plenty of new things on the menu. I had my very first Japanese dinner experience – which was great! I really enjoyed it. Figured out how to use several of the mod coms using exclusively Chinese instructions – the washing machine plays a little tune when you turn it on and when it is done – very odd; and have taken up running again – have even started my yoga today. So, my first week in Ningbo has been very busy. I’ve had to organise various things for my lectures, had to acclimatise and adjust to a very new way of life. I do think however that I have taken it all in my stride.

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