I have made the step. I’ve moved to Guangzhou. Of course, this is only temporary, but still a big step to the big land of pandas. I still cannot believe it that I will stay here for the next few months by myself. That is probably because my brother decided to accompany me to this city, so I am a little less lost.
The flight from Luxembourg to Guangzhou was incredibly long. We had a transfer in Paris, which luckily happens to to run smoothly and ended up after twelve hours in this metropolitan. Arrived at this place, the first thought was: I am totally out of place. But there are many factors that contribute to this feeling. One main factor must be the difference in culture. In the end, I was born and raised in Luxembourg, which makes it very hard to fit in with the mentality of the Chinese locals. However, I believe this can be adaptable for sure. If expats can do, so can I.
Nevertheless, one factor always keeps my good mood, which is food. I can tell, this is what keeps this city super exciting, the local dishes. Yes, I am in China, and I can’t change the fact that they serve cats and dogs, which I am totally against. After all it is their customs. and somehow you can avoid it.. that is my plan at least. Anyhow, my plan is to learn how to make some local specialties, such as Dim Sum (dumplings, buns and others)
(Char Siu Bao – Bun filled with pork meat)
In the contrast to my life two months ago in Finland, this city is very lively and the streets are mostly filled with plenty of people throughout the day and night, especially where I am currently staying at, the Tianhe District. It is also a quite touristic district due to the large number of hotels in the surroundings. But busy is an advantage as well as it means that a lot of restaurants are located nearby and open until late night.
(Yes this guy is holding that bunch of styropor)
So far, this is my third day in Guangzhou. I have been trying to fit in and get used to this humid hot weather, which is really hard. I swear, the average temperature is around 33°C and plus and that’s the forecast for the upcoming two months. My brother and I have been exploring Guangzhou, some typical attractions, such as the Canton Tower and a lot of restaurants. There will be more in the following months, I am pretty sure. 🙂 I am going to start my last internship next Monday in an Event Company and I am more than excited to do so. I believe that this new experience, new environment and new people will greatly influence my time here.
I’ll upload more pictures soon.
Until then, take care.
Love, Jen
Shadeofeden 