Today Beijing had its first snowfall of the season. Other than that, nothing eventful has really happened since I last wrote. My old roommate left (on her own accord), and they assigned me a new roommate already. My new roommate’s name is Xuechao; she is very friendly and so far we are getting along very well. Since I do not have any exciting stories to tell, I am going to share two stories about recent struggles I have had with the language barrier.
Last week, when I was doing laundry, I ran out of detergent. I went to the neighborhood market to look for another box, and found what I thought was laundry detergent on the first try. I brought the bottle to the clerk, who told me it was actually dish soap. Then I asked her to show me where the laundry detergent was located. She promptly brought me hand soap. I had forgotten that most Chinese people use their hands to wash their clothes. I tried to explain to her that I used a machine, but my meaning was lost and she ended up trying to direct me to a store which sold machines. After I explained that I was not interested in purchasing a laundry machine, she brought me back to the hand soap.
My second story involves a similar miscommunication, because all the words used were interpreted correctly, but the meaning was not fully conveyed. Xuechao took a nap before her afternoon exam, and when she woke up, she told me she did not want to take her test. I tried to joke with her, so I said it could be our secret if she did not go to class. However, she thought I was serious and had gave me a lecture on the importance of attending exams in China, followed by a few sentences warning against keeping secrets from roommates. After her talk, I tried to tell her I was trying to make a joke, but she did not seem entirely convinced.
Sometimes I let these kinds of scenarios frustrate me, but lately I have been able to take them in stride and not let them bother me. We now have fewer than five weeks remaining, and although I have had a great semester thus far, I still hope the best is yet to come.* I was sick last weekend and early this week, but now I feel well-rested and ready for the final stretch. Studying abroad definitely has had its ups and downs, and I hope to finish the semester on a good note.
-Holly
*Check out this song: “The Best Is Yet To Come” by Sheppard
Holly Nord '16