Studying Abroad in Nanjing, China

After my first week here, I have come to realize that the academics are far more challenging than anything I've ever experienced in the U.S. 

So far, I've had to learn 100+ new characters, memorize two texts (one of them about evaluating political figures such as Deng Xiao Ping), and be able to orally summarize those texts by memory. The amount of effort needed to do all of this is beyond anything I've experienced so far in college. 

Although it has been stressful - overwhelming, at many times - I am already noticing myself becoming more fluent with each passing day, able to follow about 50-60% of most fast-paced conversations and capable of cracking jokes and telling stories in a foreign language. 

I am also really grateful that everyone in our program, from the other American students to our Chinese roommates, are such supportive and friendly folks. We always make plans to eat lunch and dinner together via our WeChat group, and they are infinitely patient when we struggle to express ourselves in Chinese. 

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Sayonara Arigato

We went out to a restaurant for lunch today, a little eatery called.... something that's located.... somewhere (At this point, I have absolutely no idea where things are located in León or the names of the restaurants we've eaten at. Typically we just hop into Mateo's truck and go wherever he decides to take us.) The restaurant is pretty busy - lunch is the biggest meal of the day, so the place is filled with hungry customers. Inside, there is a wood fire stove in the center of the restaurant, filling the room with a thick, smokey scent. Upon entering the restaurant, I passed by an older Nicaraguan man, whose face lit up when he saw me. "Ohhh!" he exclaimed. "Sayonara Arigato!!" I laughed. It was something that caught me completely off guard, and the incongruity of it struck me humorous, since the man obviously thought I was Japanese. If this same incident had happened back in the States, I would have felt insulted, but there was something about how t...

Grocery Shopping

I think grocery shopping in other countries is such a neat way to experience another culture! Although most people buy the bulk of their food at the markets since the produce is generally fresher and more economical, people do go to the grocery stores, or "supers", for more specialty items that you can't find at the markets, such as pancake mix, dairy products like yogurt and non-local cheeses, etc. The largest grocery store in León is Union, located in the center of the city. Here's some pictures of what I bought! Chimichurri, chile sauce, and salsa. The chimichurri goes really well with the fried fish my host family makes! I haven't tried this yet, but if it's anything like real dulce de leche, it should be fantastically delicious. Because sometimes you just need some gelatin in your life I was so excited to find that they have Gouda, amongst other cheeses such as parmesan, mozzarella, and American yellow slices Healthy whole grain apple and cinnamo...

Traveling Achievement Unlocked: Food Poisoning!

I don't know if was that quesillo I bought from the vendor next to the grocery store or the stewed beans that were graciously given to me by the Tamarindo mothers, but I guess I can finally say that I have experienced food poisoning. And it was as every bit unpleasant as I had imagined food poisoning would be. Definitely not happy fun times. The food poisoning gods did not bestow upon me the gift of explosive diarrhea.... although I don't know if I got the better end of the bargain, because I had the WORSE nausea I've ever experienced in my life. All night I felt like constantly vomiting, even though I had no food left to vomit. I also had a fever, but it was honestly a mild annoyance in comparison to the horrendous nausea. Thankfully, it passed after 12 hours, and I'm feeling much better now. I still can't think about stewed beans without feeling like retching, though...not sure if I'll ever enjoy stewed beans again!

The Stinky Girl Travels

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