Don’t Forget Your Phone and Umbrella
The first letter from Shanghai is in! Vivi Feng knows what to take along when venturing out into the Chinese metropolis.
Nov 28, 2019
When I first got here in August it was hot and humid, around 35°C (95°F), but over the last few weeks I’ve learned that if I want to stay dry I always need to take my umbrella with me when I leave the house. I was also surprised at how dependent people are on smartphones in this city. You need one for everything from paying for groceries to renting a bicycle to calling a taxicab. You can’t get by without using apps like WeChat Pay or Alipay. Hardly anyone uses cash.
I was able to move into a Fudan University dormitory on September 1, where four of us share a small apartment with four single rooms, two bathrooms, and a hallway. I was very happy about getting a room of my own, since Chinese students often have to sleep four to six to a room. At first, I was disappointed that there was no kitchen, but since the cafeteria on campus has a great selection of Chinese food at incredibly cheap prices, it soon didn’t bother me at all.
As a language student, I had to take two short placement exams during orientation week to determine how good my Chinese was. It gave me a chance to meet some fellow students right away. I was amazed to meet students from all over the world who had the same goal as me – to learn Chinese!
I was also impressed at how well some of my classmates speak Chinese, given that, unlike me, most of them didn’t grow up in a Chinese-speaking family. They come from Korea, Japan, Russia, Ukraine, France, England, and the USA.
I am taking 20 hours of Chinese per week, but luckily that still gives me time to explore some of the leisure activities here at Fudan University, like dance. I also have time to meet up with friends in the evening. Who knows what the next few months will bring – I’m curious to find out and look forward to telling you all about it.
Further Information
Vivi Feng will be sending us “Letters from Shanghai” over the course of the school year. She is one of eleven students from Freie Universität reporting on their study abroad experiences.
Here you can find the German version of her first letter.