Heyyyy, I have to admit that I haven’t had time to write this week, as I’ve been very busy.
Yuyuantan Park
First, I visited a park near my home. I went there with my roommate, and it was truly magnificent. We arrived a little late, it was already dark outside, but the lights were absolutely stunning. You can see the photo of the lake shore near the bridge, and the trees with a light projection that was absolutely magical. I got a new perspective on China at this precise moment. Green and trees everywhere, people dancing, running, or practicing martial arts.
I finished my Chinese exams and was placed in group B! They range from A to D. That means I’m just above the beginners. I’m happy with that, even though I think the teachers were being a little too lenient with me…
To celebrate, I went out with friends this weekend. We wanted to dance and… it did not match our expectations. I had a good time because the girls are very nice, but apparently in China no one dances in nightclubs. Really, no one. People stand around, static, smoking and drinking. Some drink too much, in fact, and go to the bathroom to throw up in front of everyone. But no one dances, I was really disappointed. So very early on, I started to feel tired and my eyes were hurting a lot because of the smoke in the atmosphere.
Beijing Zoo
This Sunday, I went to the zoo. It was a great visit, even though I usually tend to avoid them. To be honest, the treatment of animals (little space, bad climate, etc.) bothers me. Especially when I saw the polar bear there! But I was there with a goal. I wanted to see a panda. For the first time in my life, I saw one! I went with a German girl and several Russians. But apparently, since there are pandas in Moscow too, they were not as invested.
Do you know how to say panda in Chinese? It’s 熊猫1, it literally means “bear cat,” and I think it’s really adorable. In fact, when you see pandas on the internet, they tend to be very cute, but when you see them moving in real life, they’re still pretty scary. Like, they are bears, after all.
Babel reference
Well, I still need to talk about what I am learning at the start of this semester! I have had most of my introductory classes so far. One concept in particular has come up often and is worth mentioning. The world’s major powers (Russia, the United States, China) are viewed from different perspectives around the world. We discussed a particular issue related to a nuance in the translation of the term used to describe them. The world’s major powers are referred to as 大国2 (literally “big country”) in Chinese. This imperfect translation has a fascinating nuance that reflects a vision of global politics (or international governance). Of course, I thought of Babel. What would come out from the silver with the terms “Great Power” and “大国”?