March 2024 Reading List

March 2024 Reading List 📚🎧☕

Done:

All the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr (Decided to re-read this before giving the mini-series a go. A brilliant but sad book imo.)

Current:

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (I gave up on the original version and switched to the English translation, Russian literature: 1, Me: 0)

To-read:

48 Laws of Power by Robert Green (I still haven't gotten around to finding the time to read this)

Beartown by Fredrik Backman ( I decided to restart reading it, as I was quite busy at the time and lost the hang of the plot)

女人就是要有钱/ Women just want money by 刘忆如 - Liú Yìrú (My first proper book in Chinese! This book appears to be a self-help/financial advice book and judging by the plot description it's definitely worth reading - I have an online copy for those interested btw! The target audience seems to be for those in their 30s so I guess I'm getting an early head start)

Classes have started so I'm taking this month easy whilst I try to ease back into my usual routine. But do feel free to recommend me some books for April please!

Pondering whether or not to re-take the HSK4 exam (without the speaking this time) since I failed to meet the passing mark by around 10 points last time and I refuse to believe that the past few months of studying wouldn't be able to give me that boost.

The V for Ü trick

I only recently discovered that you can type in v to get the letter ü when typing in the pinyin for chinese characters.

Chinese chopstick etiquette

There are certain rules for using knives and forks, so why wouldn't there be rules for chopsticks? Now that I know how to use chopsticks properly and (hopefully) without offending anyone, here are some main rules.

No playing with chopsticks In other words, using them like drumsticks and swordfighting with your table neighbour is not permissible (at least not in public).

No sticking your chopsticks up vertically into your bowl Shrines to deceased people usually have a bowl of rice or sand with 2 incense sticks sticking upwards, which is why sticking your chopsticks into your bowl can have similar unpleasant associations.

No pointing your chopsticks at people Pointing your chopsticks at someone is also a no go, as it's seen as hostile.

No digging around You should take from the top layer and avoid digging around the plate in search of the food.

No eating directly from the main plates You should first place the piece of food that you took onto your own plate, and then eat it, instead of eating straight from the source.

No tapping against the bowl Tapping against your plate is considered to be impolite and should be avoided when possible.

Life in China Observations #4

It's been a while since I last did this, so let's go again!

Identity is complicated The question "where are you from" can be just as complicated as it is simple. For many people, their country of birth is where they're from, which is usually the case here. However, if you happen to be born in country A to parents from cultures B and C, immigrated and became a citizen of country D and now attend university in country E and are now on an exchange program in China, the question "where are you from" is not that easily answered. From what some of my friends told me, where you're from is actually the place where your dad was born in even though you may have been born in a different city which is a pretty interesting concept known as the "ancestral home" - 祖籍 (zǔjí) or 籍贯 (jígùan).

You have to make the first step I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but people are constantly doing something and unless you specifically and intentionally reach out and work on your friendship, you may end up drifting apart. Maybe this is a specific thing, but back home I could go a few weeks without really reaching out to my friends and then someone would suggest grabbing lunch together and it would be like no time had passed at all since we last saw each other. Here? Quite different.

Beauty and pop trends There are all sorts of weird and wonderful trends that you can come across in China. From using bread as a study tactic to decorating your workplace with banana plants, I feel like the more I assimilate here, the bigger the reverse culture shock will be when I go back home, and not just for me. dr.candiselin covers some of these trends on Instagram (not a promo post!), and I recommend checking out her content, it's quite brilliant.

Taobao You can buy anything on taobao. Literally. I saw someone selling a house there. I was previously a little shocked to see animals such as cats and bunnies being sold, but after seeing houses and cars being sold I honestly don't know what else is there to surprise me with.

Prepare in advance (foodwise) for the lunar new year During those 8-12ish days during the holdiays a lot of stores were closed. The convenience store outside my campus was open thank God, because otherwise I would have been living on instant porridge and instant soup which was my main food source 2 weeks prior due to being ill and there is only so much instant oatmeal that you can eat before slightly losing it.

Being ill is a nightmare And I mean the mandatory-bed-rest-no-going-out-for-at-least-5-days ill kind. You need to go to the hospital or a clinic to get a note to give to your school otherwise the day's you're absent will be counted, and once they reach a specific percentage you won't be allowed to take the exam (which can seriously mess with your grades, even more if you're there as an exchange student).

The weather can change at the blink of an eye I remember back in December the weather was in the negative digits and then suddenly the next day it was around 20 celcius?? The very next day it went to 3-4, and even now in March it's very all over the place. The weather forecast is not that useful because I'll leave the dorms wearing my coat in the morning only to return carrying my coat, jumper, long-sleeved shirt and wearing only my t-shirt.

More affordable beauty products I saw some products go for around $80 online?? And here on Taobao they cost under $10? I'm assuming it's the shipping costs that drive up the price so drastically, and now I'm pondering whether it would be cheaper to order online or to travel to China every couple of years just to stock up on beauty products.

So we got our class schedules today and it turns out that I'm in the same class as I was last semester, probably because I requested to stay in the same level in the survey that was sent out without actually thinking everything through.

To be fair, this survey was before I got my exam results back and honestly I think did pretty well for someone who was initially placed 2 levels below because I didn't do too great on my placement test (although I evidently redeemed myself on my swap out test).

This upcoming week we're allowed to try out other levels before either staying or doing the swap test to go to a higher level, which I might do if the next level is manageable.

I feel like the main issue is that despite being really out of my depth in the beginning, this level ended up being challenging enough, but what if the next level is too difficult and this level is too easy? I don't want to waste this semester, but I also want to thrive rather than try to survive and constantly be stressed out about studying.

I guess the upcoming week shall reveal its secrets so there's not that much sense in obsessing over it. I for one will try to make the most of the remaining days before classes start.

Have a good weekend everyone!