TheauthoratthefrontgateofFuzhouUniversityonherfirstdayofclassesinChina.courtesyoftheauthorItriedtokissthecheekoftheyoungChineseguyfromtheuniversitywhopickedmeupattheairportwhenIfirstarrivedinChina.Thisscaredhim.Shyandembarrassed,herepeatedlyinsisted:“bu,bu,bu,bu”(no,no,no,no)andhidbehindthegirlwhoaccompaniedhim.HisEnglishnamewasLeo,andheprobablythoughtIwascrazy.Wasn’tI?Whokissesstrangers?Iquicklyrealizedthereweresomemajorculturaldifferences.
WithtwoheavysuitcasesandthehumidityofsoutheasternChinasoakingmybody,IgotintothecarandwentacrossFuzhou,thecapitalcityofcoastalFujianProvince,wheremyuniversitywaslocated.Thesceneofthecitythroughthewindowstruckme:colossalgrayresidentialbuildingseverywhere,oneafteranother,liningtheMinjiangRiver.ThetotallyunfamiliararchitecturesurprisedmeandremindedmethatIwasfarfromhome.ButwhenIarrivedatthecampusontheoutskirtsofthecity,Iwassurroundedonlybynature:greenmountainsofdensevegetationinasubtropicalclimate.Ispentmorethanayearinthatplaceanditchangedmywayofthinkinginmanyways.
Just“nihao”andafewotherexpressionscomposedmyChinesevocabularythosedays.Itriedtolearnsomebasicsaboutthelanguagebeforecoming,butmyeffortsseemedcompletelyuseless.Moreover,theaccentwassouniquetherethateventhesimplestwordssoundedtotallydifferenttome.An“F”wouldbepronouncedlikean“H”,“R”likean“L”,andsoon.Somehow,Ifeltlikeababyabandonedinanewenvironment.Myonlytoolsweremimeandimprovisation.Sometimestheyworked,sometimesIgotfrustrated,andmostofthetimeIendeduplaughingatmyself.
FirstDayofClass
SinceIhadarrivedinFuzhouthreedaysearlier,Ihadn’tmetmanypeople.Iwasexcitedaboutstartinglessonsandgettingtoknoweveryone.Myclassroomwasinabrandnewbuildingjustnexttoalake—verydifferentfromtheenvironmentofmyuniversitybackinSpain,whichwaslocatedrightindowntownGranadainahistoricalbuilding.
Istillhadjetlagandcouldn’thelpbutbeabitnervous.Andontopofallthat,Iwasreallylate.Iopenedthedooroftheclassroom,gaspedforbreathandsaid“sorry”overandoverbeforerealizingtherewasonlyonestudentandtheteacherinside.Shesmiledatme.Andasixty-yearoldKoreanwomanwasmyonlyclassmateduringthefirstsemesteratFuzhouUniversity.Atthatmoment,allIcouldthinkwas:“WhereamI?”
Things,ofcourse,gotbetter.Oneortwonewstudentswouldcomeandgo.IwouldlaterrealizethattheChineseteacherfrommyfirstdaywasthebestChineseteacherIhaveeverhad.Theoldwomanintheclasswasamazingandhadlivedallaroundtheglobe,butwouldstillshowsurpriseandcuriosityatanythingIsaid.Mylearningschedulewastight.
Theteacherwouldaskyouwhereyoulivedandwhatyouhadforbreakfast.“Didyouputonweight?”“Whenareyougoingtomarry?”“WhatwasyoursalarywhenyouworkedinSpain?”Questionsweredirect,honestandsimpleandIgotusedtothem.Privacywasn’tanissueforthem,norforme.AsforimprovingmyChineselanguageability,threeyearslater,Iamstillworkingonit.
LostintheCity
WhenIfirstarrivedinFuzhou,thecitydidn’thaveametro.Atbusstops,onlyChinesecharactersspelledouttheroutesorstops,notevenpinyin(asystemofLatinlettersforreadingandwritingstandardChinese),makingbusesimpossibleformetotake.However,showinganaddresswritteninChinesetotaxidriversmadeitpossibleformetomovearound.Thecostofarideinthatareawasreallycheapcomparedtofaresbackhome,soitquicklybecamemyprimemeansoftransport.Butthetaxisystemhaditsownpeculiarities.Forme,normallywhenyoustopataxi,ittakesyouwhereveryouneedtogo.However,Iquicklylearnedthathere,thedriverhadthefinalsay.Andifitrained,itwasalmostimpossibletogetacab.
OnedayIwenttomeetsomefriendsinanunfamiliararea.Lackinganumbrella,Igotsoakedsearchingforacab.InFuzhouitneverrainsgently—waterfallsviolently,andthicklayersofmoisturecovereverything.Idecidedtotakeabus.Myphonewasoutofbattery.Theaddresswasinit.Imissedmybusstop.
WhenIgotoffthebusinthemiddleofnowhere,Iwascompletelylost.Wadingalongthefloodedroads,Iwasunabletofindanyknownplaceandendedupinatinydumplingrestaurant,anxiousduetothelackofcashinmypocket.Fuzhoudidn’thavemanyforeigners,soeveryonelookedatmeandsaidthingsIwouldneverunderstand.Theytalkedtoeachothercuriously,andthentheoldladymanagingthecanteengavemehotwaterandhomemadefood,worriedthatImightcatchacold.Imanagedtopointtomydeadphoneandshowedthemthatitwasdead,andtheysmiledandgavemeacharger.Feelingcomfortedandgrateful,Iwaitedthereuntiltherainstopped.Withthephonepoweredup,IcouldpaybyscanningaQRcode,andIfinallygotataxithattookmehome.Sincethen,Iwasn’tafraidoftakingbusesanymore.
June22,2017:Gui’anHotspringResortinnortheasternFuzhou,FujianProvince.VCGFewForeigners
TheexpatcommunityinFuzhouwasalmostnegligible,especiallyconsideringthecityhasmorethansevenmillioninhabitantsaccordingtothe2010census.Localswerenotusedtomeetingus.Neitherwerewe.AfterhearingsomanyChinesepeopledeclarethepassingofa“laowai,”referringtoforeigners,IstartedtosaythesamethingifIencounteredanon-Chineseface.Ijoked,buteveryoneintownseemedtonoticeifanewforeignfaceshowedup.
Inmyexperience,whenyouliveabroad,yougravitatetowardsfriendsintheexpatcommunity.Andthedesireforthefamiliargoesevenfurther:Ifyoufindthechance,youwouldchoosepeoplewhoshareyournationality,language,religionoranyothercommonfeaturethatcanbecomethesourceofasenseofbelongingtoacommunity.InFuzhou,itdoesn’tworkthatway.Therearenotmanypeoplewhoshareoriginsorculturalbackgrounds.Consequently,youoftenfindpeoplefromEgypthangingoutwithCostaRicansorKoreans.AustraliaandSpainseemlikenextdoorneighbors.FranceisbestfriendswithKazakhstan.“DoyoureallyhaveChinesefriends?”OfcourseIdo.
TheauthorisaninternationalstudentfromSpainwhostudiedatFuzhouUniversity.ShecurrentlystudiesatPekingUniversityonascholarshipfromtheSpanishOfficialCreditInstitute(ICO).