Tianjin, and a little bit on culture shock
On bubbles.town I saw this headline: RE: A month in China. That post starts with the instruction to first read A month in China, which, you know, makes sense. So I did. And it reminded me of a few things.
I worked in Tianjin for a year. I never say I lived there for a year, because almost every weekend and every holiday I was back in Beijing. Tianjin was work, Beijing was life. But during that time, and for a short while after I returned to both living and working in Beijing, I often heard comments about how Tianjin is that kind of city. You know, the kind of city that one either loves or hates. Apparently no in between is allowed.
Tianjin and I did not agree.
I must say there is nothing particularly wrong with Tianjin. Well, apart from it having been built in a coastal swamp. But really, it's a perfectly serviceable city with plenty of good things. It's history as host of several foreign concessions from the late Qing Dynasty through the Republic years has left its mark on the city's history and architecture, giving it quite a distinct flavour. If you're in to martial arts, Huo Yuanjia's hometown is within Tianjin city limits - 静海区, which should be in the centre of the map at that link. Downtown Tianjin is to the northeast, i.e. top right of the map, right where you see 天津市. Or you might be a fan of Chariots of Fire or a particular Christian missionary - Tianjin is Eric Liddell's home town. Tianjin is also known for xiangsheng, or crosstalk, a traditional form of stand-up comedy. And while I don't really rate Tianjin's food, others do, and fair enough.
On the subject of food, there was a really, really good jiaozi restaurant down the street from my school. Was, because one day I was on my way down there for lunch and the place had caught fire. I was walking along the street wondering what all the commotion up ahead was, and isn't that outside the dumpling restaurant? And is that smoke? And it was smoke, and the fire brigade was still busy trying to extinguish the fire. It didn't burn down to the ground, but the damage was enough that it hadn't reopened by the time I left Tianjin.
My first impression of Tianjin was actually pretty good. I was on the bus from Beijing airport (because yes, Beijing and Tianjin are that close together) looking out the window seeing impromptu beer gardens and neighbourhood barbeque joints set up in residential areas, all crowded with people out enjoying the summer evening.
Anyway, all of that is to say that although I don't like Tianjin, I recognise that there is plenty of good stuff there, and I understand that other people do love the place. And fair enough.
But I also understand that there's plenty of people, myself included, who vastly prefer Beijing. In my case, there's no particular logical reason for that. I just took a disliking to Tianjin.
Now, back to what sparked this all: Looking through that post by Ying Xue, I'm seeing a classic case of culture shock. Looking a little through Ying Xue's blog I see references to Brazil, Portugal, and Italy, and a post on how they use their different languages in different spheres of life. I will therefore assume that Ying Xue is well-experienced with culture shock and does not need my help.
But I do see the culture shock, I've been there, I've nursed people through it. Some people get themselves stuck in the depression phase of culture shock, and that can get really nasty. Given time, though, most people pull through and settle into their new normal.
If you find yourself stuck in the depths of culture shock, what should you do?
Well, beware the expat ghetto. Getting stuck in the expat ghetto will get you stuck in that down phase of culture shock. Do use the expat ghetto for a bit of break time, sure, but be careful of who you spend your time with, and don't get stuck there.
Secondly, I think Ying Xue is giving good examples in that post: Routine and time out exploring. See, for example, Ying Xue's latest post from the Wu Da Dao, or this sentence on routine:
Settling in a routine is a good thing, because it keeps me motivated to continue my studies.
And when you eventually pull through and settle into the "new normal", you might still decide that this place is not for you, that you'd rather be somewhere else, perhaps even back home. And that's all good - at least you got out and gave it a go, which is more than most people can say.