Local time: Fri Feb 9, 18:25

Today was my third day in Zhuhai. I woke up around 7:00 this morning and feel pretty adjusted already to the time zone difference. I visited 炮台山公园 (Pao Tai Shan Park) about a 20 minute walk west of the hotel. I spent 30 minutes in the park, doing a loop on some of its many paths, and barely walked its entirety. There is a pavilion up a hill in the park with a panoramic view of Zhuhai and Macao that I climbed up to. The park is dense with trees and greenery and was like a whole different world from the city we are living in. There were Chinese new year decorations in the park as well, lanterns and signs to celebrate the holiday! It was a relaxing and beautiful little hike to get some fresh air. I might go back in the next couple days to take in the rest of the park!

I went back to my favorite restaurant in Zhuhai so far, 穆巧味 兰州拉面, a hand-pulled noodle shop! Their dumplings are my favorite! Service there is quick and on your own accord. Simple go up to the counter to order whenever you’re ready, scan the QR code to pay (whenever you want), and food is brought to you within 5 minutes.

I have been really enjoying my time here in Zhuhai. I have been utilizing my Chinese skills everyday with any interaction with locals. No one tries to speak English to me initially (which sort of surprises me) so it doesn’t give me an easy excuse to not use Chinese. I have definitely been getting better and I’ve definitely gotten more confident. I am very thankful to my parents for encouraging me to learn Chinese, to Yafei laoshi for being a loving and caring teacher, and to my parents and family again for supporting me on this trip (and always)!

On my first day here, I entered a little boutique on a main shopping street called Ou Mei Ri Han Feng. Unlike a lot of the clothing I had been seeing around, the clothing there was high quality and displayed neatly in pre-made outfits (you didn’t have to buy them like that though). The lady running the shop, A, was very nice to me. She didn’t speak much English because she hadn’t used it since she was in school (10 years ago) so we chatted in Chinese. I explained how I was here to study and celebrate the new year and she thought that was very cool! Then her younger sister, Lan, came down and the three of us talked about different things to do and places to go on Chinese new year day. I sat with them at the front for a decent amount of time where they offered me warm water and peanuts! I added their Wechats and they said how lucky they were to meet me and make a new friend! The next day, I went back to the boutique and bought myself a cute sweater and a pair of pink corduroy pants ~ it is the BEST feeling to put on pants in a store and they fit you without having to find an alternative “petite” or “short” version!! A and Lan were very happy to see us again! Glad for their friendliness and care in this unfamiliar city.

Today is Chinese new year eve, everyone is preparing for tomorrow with decorations, food, and sales. It’s fun to see everyone so excited, and seeing so many people around today with suitcases (probably coming home for the holiday). I bought some instant ramen so we have some food for tomorrow, as all the restaurants and shops will be closed. I am so excited for tomorrow! Being here for Chinese new year was really important to me and I am glad it has worked out!