Typical Day in China

May 31, 2017

8:00 AM
Okay, let’s be honest. I set my alarm for 8:00 everyday, but never make it out of bed until 8:30 AM.
For everyone on my program, the day begins at 10:00 am with Chinese class. Before class, I always like to review my daily list of new vocabulary words. Class always starts with a quiz on these vocabulary words so it’s common to find everyone downstairs in the morning squeezing in their last minute prep.
10:00am-12:00 pm
Nothing like a Chinese class to wake you up in the morning. Today for class we walked over to the local park and interviewed locals about their opinion on pollution in China. On the walk over, our teacher practiced questions with us and reviewed some grammar patterns she wanted us to use. After interviewing a couple of Chinese people, our teacher gives us an assignment to write an essay on what we learned from our interviews.
12:00-1:00 PM
Typically on weekdays I’ll have lunch at the cafeteria. Because everyone on the program have Chinese class at the same time, it’s always easy to find someone to sit with. Its nice being able to trade stories about our Chinese classes that day and share any interesting vocab words we learn.
1:00-4:00 PM
Today is Wednesday so I have my weekly class for China’s Economic Reforms. We’ve gotten in the habit of starting class talking about any current events and usually get on the topic of whatever Donald Trump did that week. It’s always interesting hearing Chinese people discuss American politics and learning what their perspective is on these issues. Afterwards, we begin our lesson. This week the lecture was on Sino-American trade relations and the history of currency manipulation.

4:00-6:00 PM
I can be a creature of habits, coffee being one I can never give up. It’s always nice getting off campus after a day’s worth of classes and getting some homework done over a cup of joe.
6:00-7:00 PM
Today I decided to get my favorite bowl of wonton soup for dinner. On Zhongshan, a popular street in front of campus, it’s fun to try new restaurants and see their specialties. Most restaurants don’t have formal names, so whenever we refer to places, it’s always by their specialty dish. Wonton place never disappoints, and it’s always a great spot to do people watching, seeing the rush of scooters flash by.

Written By

Mariel Natanawan

I'm currently a 4th year student at Northeastern University pursuing a double major in International Affairs and Economics and a minor in Social Entrepreneurship. This Spring I'll be living in Shanghai and studying at East China Normal University. Ever since I completed my first dialogue visiting social enterprises across India, I have been inspired to experience life around the world and travel to new places. China is a country of many superlatives and holds an incredibly important role on the world-stage. I am excited to learn more about how history has shaped China into the country it is and how their rapid growth has impacted the daily lives of Chinese citizens. I also look forward to practicing my Chinese and finding the perfect dumpling. In my free time, I enjoy practicing yoga, cooking, biking, and taking photos. A fun fact about myself is that this January I'm WWOOF'ing (volunteering as a farm-hand) at a mango farm in Oahu, Hawaii.