Beginnings

To blog or not to blog; I have been playing with the idea for at least a year. Then a few days ago looking at the big pile of flimsy flashcards generated by ‘free-style’ Chinese classes of the last seven weeks, I decided that it was about time. If anything to give something back to the virtual community out there. You see, I am an internet addict with some skills at spotting good things online. But if it wasn’t for all the people who spent time to provide feedback or stories on the net, I would have never thought twice of going to my present Chinese language school in Harbin which has little web presence.

I am also not very good at keeping in touch, so this way some people (mostly my lovely Italian relatives) will know I am still alive even if they’ll have to paste my entries into Google Translate with possibly disastrous outcomes.

Finally, I am really hoping to connect with people who share the same passion I have for Chinese medicine (I wish I could say east Asian medicine…who knows…maybe one day) and all the geeky stuff related. Sorry Facebook friends…I will bore most of you.

So… after seven weeks… here are my impressions of

Harbin : fierce, friendly, fattening city

Fierce: wintertime here does not allow much space for spontaneity; leaving the house requires careful layering with -25 outdoor and 25 degrees indoor. Fierce is the battle between you and the ice that covers most of the pavement. The secret is cultivating the penguin-like walk adopted by most locals which allows you to get to your destination in a decent amount of time but involves sacrificing looking good as it ain’t a pretty sight.

Harbin has a rough edge to it; despite being considered a second tier city, it still offers very few comforts to us Westerners. Be prepared to pay more for a decent coffee than an average Chinese meal and if one wants to add some peacefulness to the experience (which rules out all coffee chains), the choices can be counted on one hand. I could go as far as saying that Harbin is a rather boring place but I don’t want to be too harsh to this city that has so far treated me pretty well. But admittedly, the few Westerners I met came here to study hard and not for the entertainment offered. For that reason, especially in wintertime, it can also be a fiercely lonely experience.

Friendly: I have had more people smiling at me in the last seven weeks than twelve years in London. Most people are just willing to help and chat to you and for that reason, especially if you are learning Chinese, this place is worth a trip.

Fattening: shelves full of junk food, bread, cakes, … if you want a proof that sugar is the drug that runs the world…come to China. I think they are catching up with the West as the same speed they do everything else. I was served a plate of spinach last night dusted with white sugar…all those things I thought I could avoid coming to China. Gone down the drain is my dream of going home trimmer…not only that but I have such dark rings around my eyes that pandas are going to start thinking I am one of their own! However, tomorrow it is the first day of the clinical placement…so who knows…they might fix me.