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!