With the passage of a few weeks in Changzhou and classes beginning to settle into some sort of routine, we found that we had a bit more time for wandering around the city. Remembering our first journey to the city centre (市中心 – shì zhōng xīn), we decided to make the journey on our own using the city transit system. We had a few city maps given to us by the F.A.O. staff that we used to discover which buses would take us downtown (市中心 – shì zhōng xīn) and which one’s would then take us back to our home in Sunshine Gardens (阳光花园 – yáng guāng huā yuán)! Riding the bus, we recognised the Christian church and realised that we needed to get off at the next bus stop.
We walked back to the park fronting the church and found a huge display of stone that had been crafted into amazing pieces of art. A few of them are in the photo above. Besides spending a few hours viewing the efforts of true artists, we decided to find a restaurant (饭店 – fàn diàn) before heading back to the apartment. We looked for the restaurant in the photo, one we had visited with our Chinese colleagues and co-teachers. We did find other restaurants in the Nandajie Shopping Centre (南大街 – nán dà jiē) which in the end made us feel more like adventurers. So, proud of our ability to fly on our own, we claimed the city of Changzhou as our own.
We returned to our apartment filled with a sense of comfort that we could do anything in China with the proper attitude. With that, we began planning our ventures beyond the borders of the city.
Making the city ‘yours’ is a great feeling. It gives the feeling of belonging and a feeling of safety.
That is the key, in my opinion, in making the experience of being a Laowai in China one that enriches both foreigner and local.