Living on China time

As I sit down to write my first blog post in China, my mind is overflowing with thoughts - both in Chinese and English, my stomach is full of extremely delicious 宫保鸡丁 (Chicken with peanuts), 莲藕 (Lotus root) and 鱼 (fish), and I have nearly completed my first week in Nanjing, China.

Wow, already?!

Reflecting on this past week must first come with some observations: I am still a 外国人 (foreigner) in this place. I am still just observing the new culture around me. And I am still transitioning, though Nanjing is slowly becoming my new home.

12 hours ahead of most of you reading my blog, I like to say that I am now living on China time. A time that means a many number of things in the Chinese culture. We rush to board buses and metros, foregoing lines or "Excuse me." When we eat, we do so together - each person using their 筷子 (chopsticks) to pick from a colorful array of dishes, along with rice or noodles. When we drink water, it should be hot. And when we try to open bank accounts or order a phone plan, we have to find the right person because 关系 (relationship) is so important.

This is China time, China life.

Adjusting to a new culture has been nothing like I expected while also everything like I expected. I have been filled with life, excited to see all that a busy city so different than my hometown has to offer, while also feeling frustrated and sad as I adapt to a new normal far from home (7,358 miles). Entering into a new culture for an extended period of time means trusting that community will come, neighbors and friends will come, a new place to call home will come.

And I see glimpses each day, promises that Nanjing welcomes me.

I ordered a meal all by myself using only Chinese.

I ran around a lake, exchanging motivation with a young Chinese woman as she also ran. "明天回来了吗,” she asked. Yes, I will be back tomorrow :)

I made friends with a girl named Shelley, who just returned from a year in Canada with IVEP. We exchanged feelings and shared experiences from North America - a small taste of home.

I walked around my school campus and left with a job tutoring a Chinese music student in English.

I successfully traveled by bus, train, metro, car and taxi.

I used a squat potty.

Small signs of promise.

So this is my home, a place filled with the sounds of traffic and hundreds of people speaking Chinese, the smells of 鱼 (fish) and 臭豆腐 (stinky tofu), the sights of high rises built amidst the mountains, a high-speed train, and the occasional 麦当劳 (McDonald's). And I love it.

And one more story for the road.

Today, I sat down with a Chinese woman at my internship. She had me place my hands in a sandbox, watching the sand move around then closing my eyes to feel the cool grains of sand pass through my fingers.

"What do you feel?" she asked.

Then I placed figurines of my choosing in the sand - a giraffe, and elephant, trees.

"What does this make you think of?" she asked.

"Africa," I said. "I went there some time ago."

A Chinese girl, a school and a Chinese monument found themselves in the other corner of the sandbox.

"This is China," I said.

This went on for some time before she asked, "Do you have any other questions?"

"Yes, actually." I said. "If I can ask, why do you do this?"

She smiled.

"It's relaxing, but it's also how we get to know each other. Before, I had no idea you went to Africa. No idea what your idea of life in a sandbox would look like."

So, this is my sandbox - sprinkled with past memories of travel, dominated by the adventure I am currently living in China. May my sandbox only continue to expand as I just let it all happen - on China time, of course.