Tiffany Walker - Chongqing days

The past week has been nothing short of amazing. So much has happened and our days are so busy it’s a little difficult to keep up with the blogging. So I’m going to try my best to give you a short and sweet recap of my first week here in Chongqing.

The country here is so beautiful. I am surprised at how green and fertile the land is with all the pollution. The Chinese people are more than welcoming. Every moment of the day I’m greeted with a smile and a hello; it makes it easier to stay happy.  They have done so much to make us feel at home. With the wonderful welcome ceremony and elaborate dinner you can see that the students and faculty are more than enthused to have us here. Within a week, I have had Chinese lessons, tours of two major areas in Chongqing, I’ve participated in English Corner, a program designed to help students better their English skills, and learned a few Chinese songs. On Wednesday night, the students put together a dance show and after party. The Chinese students really love hip-hop and jazz dance. Its amazing to see a positive global influence of hip-hop and a genuine appreciation of it considering it receives so much negative criticism in the states. I loved the performance so much that on Thursday I went to the hip-hop dance class.  Those girls are real dancers, and the most impressive part is that most of them have only been dancing for two or three years. They have technique, form, and discipline. They warm up harder than most of us work out. On Saturday we woke up very early and drove an hour to a fishing town / ancient battle field. Chongqing is a mountainous city and we are constantly walking up steep hills and steps to get to any destination. This site was the most beautiful by far, better than the view at the Great Wall. We could see the river, the valleys and the city below us. Even with the heat, the rain and the millions of foreign insects constantly taking a bite of my skin, the trek up this mountain was well worth it. I felt like I walked into a tiny piece of heaven.

In addition to the gorgeous views of the country, the best part about being here is engaging with the Chinese students. The language barrier may seem difficult but after a while communicating with the students here comes with ease. Humor and happiness is a universal idea. My Chinese helper Rosa has made the transition here so much easier. She is simply lovely. Her English skills are phenomenal although at first it was hard for her to understand me. But now she gets me and my humor and she constantly reminds me she understands by saying “Yes, I know your meaning.”

I’m really enjoying my experience here and I feel beyond blessed to be afforded such a great opportunity. I love every moment of this exchange program and am learning to appreciate even the difficulties of it.