Wuhan is hot. Really hot. Inescapably hot. To beat the heat myself and some of my new friends have been heading out to the beautiful streets of Hankou to indulge in local thirst-quenchers.
Wuchang, the ‘suburb’ of Wuhan we live in is not the most attractive area. Don’t get me wrong, it’s considered a very affluent area, the apartment building is set within a large block of other apartments all of which is surrounded by lofty trees. It is pleasant enough, but the glamour of Yanjiang Dadao (the main esplanade of Hankou) is undeniable, and a perfect spot to meet locals and swig a few beverages.
Allison, an American girl who is about to be here for her 2nd semester, has been my tour guide/translator of sorts. Between her and my phrase book (kudos Custard) I’ve managed to have a few chats with some curious natives. A conversation typically goes like this:
Wuhan-er: Where are you from?
Me: Australia
Wuhan-er: AH! Sydney?
Me: No, I’m-
Wuhan-er: MELBOURNE!
Me: No, I’m from an island called Tasmania.
Wuhan-er: Oh. (said with a tinge of disappointment.)
When walking through this hilarious club called Song Song (think of a Chinese ‘Lonnies’ crowd but with a comical karaoke element) we’re treated like royalty. Everyone moves aside for the foreigners and we’re given the best spot at the bar. Men buy us drinks and bar snacks and write out their phone numbers for us, insisting we call them. They can be very charming and funny in a completely ridiculous way... They are big on impressing me with their limited knowledge of my homeland and for some reason have this bizarre but hilarious need to tell me I look like Nicole Kidman. Yeah right, I wish.
Two days ago I was sitting on a bench in the ridiculous heat, eating an icy pole, trying to recover from my first Chinese hangover when I was approached by a lovely lady who introduced herself and her daughter to me. We had a chat, she gave me her number(they’re really big on giving out their numbers!) and said she’d love to practice her English with me. During our conversation she asked me why I decided to come to China. I told her my reasons (how I enjoyed it so much last time, the people are so friendly, I’d like to see more of their beautiful countryside) but she just couldn’t understand... Not because her English was bad, but because the idea of a foreigner wanting to live in China was mental to her. I get the impression this is a common belief. Nemo (who I had no trouble finding by the by..) was very much of the same opinion when I spoke to him on the trip back from the airport and so are most of the other Chinese people I have spoken to. But I think I will be very happy here.
One adjustment that is a bit hard for me, is going from being completely ordinary and mostly ignored, to being looked at constantly. People stop what they are doing just to stare at me. I ventured out to the supermarket yesterday, and was followed around some of the isle by curious onlookers. Little old Nana’s point me out to their grand kids, making them wave to me, while they stare, mouth open, with the look of a dead fish. Its hard to get used to it, but only because its so odd. Allison says at some point, like everyone else here has, I will probably need to take a mental health day to stay inside to avoid being looked at.
In addition to the above, I've also started to realise that for the first time in a while I am really happy. I have so few worries here, I'm finanically well off (who says money can't buy happiness!), healthy, making great new friends, enjoying my job, learning so much and being stimulated everyday. I miss my family and friends, mould free living, and eating food that I am used to, but on the whole Wuhan agrees with me.
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