Downtown

I went to the moped store, said, "Ni hao!"
Salesman's like "What up, what's your budget?"
And I'm like "Honestly, if my Mandarin was better I would tell you..."
He said "Oh goody, these foreigners make me so much money"
Oh it's too real
Useless mirrors, I don't need a windshield
Black plastic seats, are those yellow wheels??
Two-thousand, two hundred kuai, here's to not getting killed...

I'm headed downtown, cruising in my lane 

Zig-zagging through the streets like a jet plane 

No longer need to walk to get some chow mein

Might need a bike umbrella, just in case it rains

Dope, my crew is ill, and all we need is two good wheels

Got electricity in the tank, no more cash in the bank

And a bad little bike in a matte black colour

I'mma ride that, drive that, no more walking, gonna get fat

Parked him in front of the dorms, hope no one steals my batteries

Dope

In all seriousness though, I know how dangerous it can be to ride one of these things, especially in China where traffic rules are more like traffic 'suggestions'. It helps that in Hangzhou, bikes mostly have their own lanes that are separate from the car ones. However, you do still need to be extra careful, especially when turning, as the bike lanes disappear and indicating is a non-existent practice.

The first time I rode this thing was when I had to get it back from the shop/garage to my dorms. It was a 15 minute ride and perhaps simultaneously the most exhilarating and terrifying thing I've ever done. After that, I spent an entire week building up the courage to take it out again. I spent a couple of nights driving it around the campus (when my chances of running into a pedestrian or another bike were significantly lower) to build up my confidence. I've since taken it out on a Walmart run and a couple of other small errands. Sometime in the next couple of days, I'm going to attempt to drive to the West Lake. Wish me luck! 

FAQs

1. How do you charge that thing?

The eBike (or moped as I've been calling it in my head) runs on electricity. You can use charging stations around the city to give it power but since there isn't one located near my dorms, I've been taking the batteries out and charging them in my room. When we bought our bikes, the people at the garage spent a bit of time creating handles out of sticky tape to make it easier to carry the batteries. Even so, those things are a bitch to carry in and out of the dorms. It's not a one person job so I've been enlisting the help of my fellow dorm-mates to help me out, haha.

2. What was your mum's reaction?

Actually not as bad as I thought it would be. I didn't tell her until after I bought it because I thought she was going to try to talk me out of it. I actually didn't even end up telling her directly - she found out through Facebook and then messaged me telling me to be careful. I think her relatively understated reaction was due to 1) the fact that she'd ridden scooters in Vietnam while growing up and 2) an understanding that in China, eBikes are not a sign of rebellion (as motorbikes are in Western countries) but rather vehicles of efficiency and maybe even necessity.

3. Does it have a name?

Yes. And it is super embarrassing so I'm not going to reveal it here.

4. Are you going to sell it when you leave?

Yes. Because I will need all the $$$ I can save.

5. Is it hard riding on the right side of the road?

Not really. As long as you're fully aware of your senses while you're riding it, it's actually not that hard to stick to the right lane. Or should I say wrong lane?

In saying that, traffic in China tends to be a "free for all" so I've seen people riding in both directions down the lanes. Not exactly the safest practice but I've kind of just filed this into "Things That No Longer Surprise or Faze Me About China".

Life at Zhejiang University

It's surprising how much free time you actually have when class is only four hours a day and your daily "commute" involves rolling out of bed and shuffling into the building next door. On some days, class goes from 8-12 which means you've got to amuse yourself somehow for the rest of the afternoon and night. 

I've been spending my time exploring my campus - and by exploring I mean eating my way through every corner of it. 

This is a HUGE campus and there are at least four large dining halls / cafeterias scattered throughout.

But like seriously though. This university is bigger than your average suburb in Sydney. 

When we first got here, we were restricted to the dining hall located on the ground floor of our international dormitory building because we didn't have our student cards yet. (Meals at the other cafeterias can only be paid for by student cards, which have pre-loaded funds on them.)

As much as I like the dining hall located in our building, having oily fried cabbage two times a day for seven days a week is a tad excessive. 

So when we finally got our cards yesterday, it was like our entire world had opened up. 

This, my friends, is your golden ticket to the magical world of the "Zhejiang University Cafeteria-verse"

Dumplings for 6 kuai at one of the main cafeterias (less than $1.50 AUD). Hells to the yes. 

There seem to be a huge selection of food at each cafeteria: noodles, dumplings, rice, soups, etc. All you have to do is grab a tray, line up for whatever it is that you want, tap your card and then when you're done, place your tray onto a conveyor belt for cleaning.




When I'm not embarking on my own version of "Cynthia's Zheda Food Safari", I'm either taking a walk around the campus or hanging out at one of the cafes situated on or nearby Zhejiang University (Zheda for short).

The cafes are super cute and usually come equipped with wifi that is ten times faster than that of the dorm. As a stingy university student, I usually bring all my electronics to the cafe to charge so that I don't have to use up my monthly electricity allowance. #cheapasian #whosgonnastopme

Cafe 1897 - named after the year this university opened. How's that for history?

I've still yet to figure out how exercise is going to fit into my routine, seeing as the university gym appears to be permanently closed. For the time being, I am doing pilates and cardio circuits in my room (probably much to the annoyance of the student living below me on level 3).  

Random fact that I probably should've known before I came: Zhejiang University has constantly placed among the top 3 of China's universities. If that is not prestigious enough for you, I don't know what is.

As I've mentioned, class is for four hours a day. There are two subjects per day and these are either: Speaking, Listening, Reading or Grammar. Here is a more thorough breakdown:

• Speaking: Why Are All the White People More Fluent Than Me
• Grammar: This Teacher's Enthusiasm is Really Not Normal
• Reading: Google Translate and Pleco Are My Best Friends
• Listening: No. 

So yeah. One week down, 51 more to go! 

Things That Surprised Me About China

China has really surprised me. Having lived in a western society for the last 21 years, I've only ever been exposed to one perspective of the country and it wasn't until coming here that I've seen another side to it. It doesn't help that despite being ethnically Chinese, my parents have literally never set foot inside the country. I remember asking them if they had any advice for me this year and my mum's amazingly helpful reply was "Don't eat strange meat". When it comes to our great motherland, my parents are not exactly wells of knowledge.

On that note, let's introduce the topic of today's blog post:

The China Diaries: So What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

So there's this word in Chinese that's pronounced "zao gao" (糟糕) and although its translation is something along the lines of "too bad" or "how terrible", most people use it as the Chinese equivalent of "shit" - as in "shit, how did I end up committing to a year-long stay in a foreign country?"