A year in Dalian, China!

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Dalian ... China ... a year of adventure ...
I am a student at Epitech. The school practice for the first time an academic exchange with Chinese university in Dalian. This is an important event because it is a completely different organization that will have to be managed. Same problem for the University of Dalian, which has never received any foreign. And for us, the French, an unforgettable story that begins.

8 in the morning hours in China.
We arrive in Shanghai. First contacts with Chinese characters, first glimpse of China through the window ...

... first meeting and also with QQ, which might be an emblem of China so it represents (no I did not say that China and the Chinese like penguins). QQ is both a sweet car (dwarf), MSN made in China (where it costs money to get a better avatar), and a pile of crap (candy). They do not even crabs by cons !

It is super wet and heavy in Shanghai ... Hell in the box! The airport is huge. After a crazy mess with bags (and a funny passage where the Chinese are almost killing each other - unless it is their way of communicating -), we departed at 9:20 Dalian direction. 2 hours commuting, an airplane taking off in a split second, and a landing limit imperceptible. There was still time to absorb a fast food Chinese plane: a piece of duck in a paper candy (too weird!), Cake with rose and a kind of tasteless cake.

Once the plane stopped it down immediately (just wait 20 seconds). The Chinese is for speed! Well, wait: where are we exactly? To better place, here is a small map of China. Dalian is not directly specified, but look for Beijing, go right and go to Shenyang, and get off at the forefront of this advanced ground, and Dalian is located here at the end. Wow, but it must be a true resort!

At the airport in Dalian, we grab our luggage and we already expect a small welcoming committee: actually 2 Chinese university, including one who speaks a little French. We boarded a bus to the university and it's gone. First View of China! In fact, as the airport is between Dalian and the university, the first images that we have are those of the nearby suburb, which looks like a bastard cross between the slums and ghetto ... it's dark, atmosphere, funky, a Communist, a little red sometimes dirty, yellow fluorescent ... who wants a postcard from the post-Apocalypse?

Dalian by day, not terrible, but Dalian by night, what will it be? "

Many people bike (not quite a three-seater), motorbikes without lights and black with dust, cars rekeyed with a hammer, and other vehicles with no name (including many bikes converted into transport truck). All these people are crazy driving, none of the priorities are, and they all honk déboullent to any nawak 'and all sides ... and the bus where there is not an exception. On the roadside, we see a very consistent number of small businesses (if j'puis say): it goes from turnips lying on the asphalt, electric turbines, and who knows what is going in the same building! We arrive at the university fairly quickly (yes, because in fact it is in the middle of this junk). It is 12:30. We can not ignore that we expected: a large banner located at the entrance to the university, and among a myriad of signs is the Chinese name of the school. You're sure? It really is where we go?

It's very dark, very wet, and there are new buildings in the middle of buildings completely gray and dilapidated or abandoned. We passed a priori what is the hospital. Given his head, I think if I were to die, rather go directly to the morgue! The atmosphere is pretty weird, I really do not expect such a dilapidated state.

We stop in front of our home. Again, another banner: "The University of Light Industry Dalian hope that you will feel at home. Touchdown !

A crowd of Chinese watching us as if we were a band of aliens landing from outer space, and finally I told myself that it actually comes from another world ... but still human with the ability (if any, to Cygnus, why not) to communicate! There is a small staircase up to the center among the residences, and two Chinese literally throw themselves at me to take my bag and me up, I have time to say nothing. I thank them as I can (we have anyway to learn to say "thank you" before arriving ... menfin, it is not French for nothing).

Allocation of rooms our rooms, and when I turn the key I have my new flatshare happens. Teeth loose but it looks nice. It helps me to climb 5 floors to reach our room. I notice it anyway very hard to help me carry my bag. This guy is not breathing or the joy of life or dynamism. The room is about 25m ² with a view over part of the campus (also huge).

Mmm ... oh the beautiful view!

By cons, Tooth-in-bulk did not seem to have a highly developed artistic sense. The room is white, very dull, no decorations, not even trash, computer, console, plant! There are many books but I am unable to say what it's about. And worse: there is also a kind of console-middle age, overlaid with a small TV with a screen of 5cm, and large cartridges that are planted on top. A sort of ersatz Super Nintendo. There is also a water fountain (drinking hope! Otherwise it's too late, aargh) which a priori has been put there just for the French, and Chinese were not allowed to touch it ... I realize later that there are plenty of papers and books on the desk of my flatmate, filled with guitar tabs. Perhaps is it a guitar? Actually, no, he can play anything, but ... he would like. Then brief visit toilets, two sinks, no hot water, toilets and Turkish. Only then it ... he'll have it done! After testing, it is clear, is far from ideal and French toilets will miss terribly (and still, to say the least)! Imagine you are in there to understand! For the shower, the Chinese use a simple basin that fills with cold water and that's all. For us poor French, we installed the first day instead of a bedroom, shower cabins ultra modern fit for cryopreservation system of the future! There is no pressure, but hey too bad we will not, it's already very good compared to what could have been.

Welcome to my new home ... 'll have it done ...

See you all in the middle for lunch because we were prepared cafeteria (which exist only space for lunch there). Here I take a little of everything on my tray, but ultimately nothing is really excellent. It fucks big laughs, but I think it's rather a way to externalize distress. Then we met our tutors, who have roughly the same age as us. I have a Chinese who is called Titan, which resembles not at all in his name because he is so nice, and China called Wangjing equally nice.

Olha and here we are told that the pizza school in Paris were not so yucky qu'ça ...

We also had a meeting with the director of the university, who explained, through a student with us who was the interpreter, what he expected this year. We learned we have Internet in our room probably Tuesday. Come on, we will survive! For tunes, we have a system with multiple cards. A credit card that normal Chinese gave us, which can be deposited directly over the yuan through a machine located directly in the university. You should know that in China everything is paid anywhere just by money, not possible to purchase directly with the card ... For that, there is something nice you are. A card can only be used in the enclosure, which recharges through the other card, with which you can pay directly everywhere, even to people who sell food on the street.

Later it was joined, I Scaroo, Loky, our 6 Chinese, and at night we party. In a street reeking with China who barbecues all along, and the lights of the shops still open, we went into a room where there are small tables. Here we were served a multitude of dishes, and it has guzzler: soup, big beans, pork and vegetables, all very spicy. And all this of course with chopsticks (no choice there), and picking all the same plate. In China, it does not make a lot of digging and put them together in his own plate! But it was delicious and unique meal at noon. In addition, our new Chinese friends are very kind and caring, which is sometimes awkward and even limits is a bit scary so it's an exaggeration! For example, at one time I dropped a piece on the floor (no, it was not!), They have thrown it to me pick it up ... also in the restaurant, asked if there was water and Wangjing rushed into the shop next door to buy us each a bottle of water. At the end of the meal, it was almost half filled plates ... priori it is impossible to finish a meal in restaurants because the portions are always too big so the goal is to share ... what will surely force! The price of everything that ... 5 yuan per person, or 50 cents ... for a meal and super charged!

That evening we returned to our rooms. There I saw my roommate who was completely buttered, and we can not say it was nice because he knew nothing and it was rather heavy. It threw me a shot because I loved bumblebee landed on someone else ... interresting perhaps, and all those I have met around the lot! So no luck. I think any change room, but we'll see later. I stayed with a small tear in his eye, thinking back that I could be at the same time in a steam bath with Twiny ...