So I think I’m actually starting to settle down in Nanjing inasmuch as that I now know where the good and bad food places are, I know where the bank is, I know where to go for a great breakfast, and I know the name of the building where I’m staying. That being said, after a week at the Nanjing Foreign Students Dorms right next to the Johns Hopkins SAIS building, I’m moving to my very own apartment. So, after spending a week learning the characters and correct pronounciation for my current room, I’ve got to relearn it.
I’m basically moving right down the street, literally. I’m 5 minutes away from my current dorm (I timed it) and the location is pretty sweet. I’m right across from the grocery store, close to a cheap internet cafe (1 RMB per hour) and close to the cheap DVD place (still not sure if that’s a blessing or a curse though!)
I’m moving in tomorrow and I’ll let you guys know how it goes. It’s a two bedroom apartment and it’s pretty nice for just myself. So now if anyone’s in Nanjing, you can have a place to stay. I’m getting new furniture too. New washer, new fridge, etc. etc. so I’m pretty pleased.
One of the biggest differences that I’ve seen between here and the states is the way people talk to each other. For example, the other day when I was with the landlord and my friend who was translating, it seriously sounded like the landlord was really really upset about something. I was worried that maybe my translator had insulted him or spoken badly about his mother or something like that. But apparently the guy just speaks like that. And it’s not just him, it’s seriously just about everyone here! I’m not sure if it’s a Nanjing thing or a China thing, but gosh, they sound angry! And when one doesn’t catch all of the conversation, it’s even worse! But apparently the guys was just talking about how proud he was of the apartment and of how surprised by how young I was, and other non-angry type things. Oh, and the Nanjing accent apparently cuts off the ending of words, meaning that all those audiotapes that I listened to and practiced with are all for nought since I really can’t understand anyone in this city. They are yelling, talking with different accents than I’m used to, and cutting off the ends of words!
Another fun part of Nanjing is the traffic…coming from Honduras and all, I was pretty sure that I could handle traffic any where else, but I had forgotten about the bike factor. On my first day here I was walking down BeijingXiuLu (one of the main streets (lu’s) in Nanjing) and I was a bit distracted trying to make out a character when a bike hit me. Unfortunately, the only word I could think of was ‘xiexie’ which means ‘thank you’. So while this chinese woman was yelling at me, I kept on repeating ‘thank you’! I was unhurt, but it def. was an eye-opener in general for me. So if it’s not the bikes or the pedestrians, it’s the cars. I’m pretty sure that the lanes are supposed to mean something, but it seems as if some of the cars ignore them. But it’s really not too bad as long as you pay attention.
But it’s not too bad, really. Slowly, but surely, I think I’m starting to get used to being in Nanjing. I don’t think it’s really hit me that I’ll be here for a full year, but as long as I take it a day at a time, I hope that I’ll be speaking the language soon. And it seems as if the weather has finally taken a turn for the better. Today I was finally able to take off my coat and hopefully it’ll stay that way for a while.