But first, a quick introduction. My name is Madeleine Colvin and I’m a third-year student at Pomona. As this post’s title indicates, I’m not in Claremont, but in Kunming, China, where I am spending the fall semester abroad at Yunnan University. While essentially everything I see/hear/smell/eat here is remarkably different from Claremont, here are some more obvious standouts (in no particular order) to give an idea of what my life in China is like:
1. Chinese
As obvious as it sounds, Chinese is everywhere. Unlike some places in Europe or even other places in Asia, most people here do not speak any English. It’s a real immersion environment. But even after completing third-year Chinese at Pomona, I still feel flustered and frustrated at times. Sometimes people talk too fast for me to understand. Sometimes I find myself unable to read simple things like street signs or restaurant menus.
Additionally, the Middlebury-run program I am on has a Chinese language pledge that is taken very seriously. I haven’t spoken any English for the past week, and I won’t for the next three-and-a-half months (besides talking to parents on the phone and a week-long fall break in October). It helps that I have an awesome Chinese roommate and that the other students on the program stick to the pledge. It’s definitely not easy, but I know my Chinese will improve loads by December!
2. FOOD. Delicious. Everywhere. Always.
I could write an entire blog post on food here — and I probably will — but for now let me just say: I love food culture in China. I love the fact that there are street vendors on every corner. I love that I can walk out of my dorm right now, at 11:50 PM, and grab anything from roasted chestnuts to freshly-steamed dumplings to cold milk tea. All within a two-minute walk from where I live! I love that I already have a street vendor I go to every morning for breakfast and I love that she knows my order. I eat some version of Kunming’s famous guoqiaomixian (“crossing-the-bridge” noodles, a.k.a. delicious soup noodles) almost every day. Food here is convenient and wonderful, and while it may give you 拉肚子 (I’ll let you Google translate that one) every once in a while, I do think this is one area where China really has it right.
3. Thunderstorms
Kunming is called the City of Eternal Spring, but that apparently just means thunderstorms every single day from May to October. Being from the West Coast, I’m not used to thunderstorms, though they’re a welcome break from dry, drought-plagued California. Even as a native Seattleite, I’ve never really experienced the heavy, spontaneous, flash flood-y type rain that Kunming gets on a daily basis. But as inconvenient as it can be, it’s lovely to fall asleep at night to the sound of pouring rain and thunder. Definitely an experience I won’t get once I’m back in Claremont.
4. My Classes
My classes are all in Chinese, which is the number one distinction from classes at Pomona. They are also all classes best taken in China, such as Kunming Impressions, Yunnan’s Ethnic Minorities, China’s Environment and Development, and a one-on-one independent study on feminism in China. I get to take advantage of being here by going on field trips to places mentioned in my textbooks and I can use my (imperfect but improving) Chinese skills to conduct firsthand interviews.
5. The Madness of People/Cars/Bikes/Motorcycles
Claremont might have a rogue biker or skateboarder every once in a while, but I can’t say I always look both ways before I cross the street. Here it’s more of a life-or-death situation. Cars make their ways through tiny, crowded alleys, competing with bikes, motorbikes, and throngs of people. I’m always on my toes, ready to jump out of the way if a motorcycle comes whizzing around the corner or if a waitress pops out of a restaurant to dump dirty water on the street. It’s exhilarating, but exhausting. Though Kunming is a smaller city (by China standards), it’s still busy and bustling and crazy — definitely no Claremont.