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First impression of the Chinese

By Asha Jacob (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-04-15 11:12

[You are welcome to share your China stories with China Daily website readers. We will publish two or three articles every week from April 8, 2011, and the authors will be paid 200 yuan ($30).Detail]

My first glimpse and impressions of the Chinese…April 10,2011

Wei..Ni hao…these were the first words I heard in this new land that I had just arrived. I didn't know what they meant, but I smiled in return. The officials at the airport were the no nonsense type, they meant business and did their work with precision…checking documents, verifying your face and so on.

My husband has taken up work in China and came here in the beginning of March. I was waiting for the day to travel to this land that I had only heard of as being a great country…the Great Wall, the Buddhist temples, the beautifully laid gardens with exquisitely manicured plants and trees and of course the cherry blossoms. My wish had been fulfilled and here I was. I had reached Shanghai.

Asha Jacob

He was waiting for me outside. He had a Chinese friend with him. We walked out of the airport and were greeted by the chill cold weather that I had been warned of. Quickly putting on my woolen gloves and covering my head, we headed to the bus and off we went to the Shanghai bus terminal.

I was told that it was a long holiday weekend and so the crowded bus stands. The bus ride was an experience; it opened my eyes to the development and progress that this country of which I knew nothing of had achieved. The flyovers and roads, the buildings and their styles were all new to me. Feasting my eyes on this landscape, I was glad that god had given me this opportunity. Seeing new lands and experiencing their culture has always been a dream that I cherished.

We soon reached Nantong, it was late and was now very windy and cold, so quickly took a cab. It took another 45 minutes to reach home in Eran. A home away from home for me in this foreign land. It was dark; I could just make out that we had walked into an apartment complex with a lot of buildings. Ours was on the first floor, a tastefully furnished apartment, 3 bedrooms but one bathroom. I wonder why there is only one bathroom!

The next day, I woke up with a lot of excitement and happiness to be in a new land, to meet new people and see new places. We got ready and off we went on our first outing to Nantong. The land we passed looked beautiful, with a sea of yellow flowers in bloom. I later learnt that it was an oilseed plant. Bursting with joy of adventure, little did we know what awaited us.

We got off at the long distance bus station, crossed the road and walked over to the bus stop. Seeing a very old man all bent and crippled lying down with an old lady sitting beside him, we wanted to help. My husband pulled out his wallet and gave them some money. He also took out the 2 yuan we needed for the bus. Soon the bus came; there was a surge of people into the bus.

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We too got in and sat down and Oh no! My husband realized that his wallet was missing. We got off the bus. He had lost all his money, bank cards and some important official cards. …A foreign land where we didn’t know the language and now had no money. That was a rude shock after all the excitement and joy of reaching a new place. Remember it was my first day here!!

We were shocked by what had happened. My husband quickly called his Chinese friends to find out what to do. One of them very graciously came to us immediately. First we got our bank cards cancelled. He lent us some money and then took us to the nearest police station to report the theft. We did some very basic essential shopping and took the next bus home. That experience has now made us more cautious, though it hasn't deterred us from venturing out.

Guess what, four days later there is a call at the office saying that the wallet has been found by somebody. We went along with our friend and met two ladies running some kind of business and they returned the wallet minus the money, but all cards intact. We had to pay 100 yuan to them.

Glad to have got back the lost wallet, we are now enjoying what this country has to offer. Language is the big hurdle that has to be crossed by any foreigner landing here. Having a friend along to do the translation goes a long way to ease your journey. Thanks to some of the very willing and kind Chinese friends we’ve made here, life is getting easier.

On a trip to a close by supermarket, a little boy befriended us. He came back home with us, he has promised to come again. He wants to speak and practice speaking English with me. I’m amazed by the enthusiasm shown by this little 8 year old child. I suppose it shows the determination of the Chinese people towards progress.

Learning a little bit of Chinese is my next aim. I have learnt to show numbers (1 to 10) using my fingers. Going to the market close by is an experience by itself. I have tasted a little bit of Chinese food…dumplings and soup. I'm hoping to see the many sights that this country has to offer…and am going to enjoy every bit of it.

The author arrived in China on April 3, 2011.

[You are welcome to share your China stories with China Daily website readers. We will publish two or three articles every week from April 8, 2011, and the authors will be paid 200 yuan ($30).Detail]