在过去一个月，我觉得我进一步地适应于在中国的生活，而且已经不知不觉地培养了一些习惯和例行。比如说，在饮食的方面我和我的两个室友在一些餐馆变成了常客。那就是说，在一些餐馆我们每周至少一次会去吃饭。在这些餐馆我们熟悉那里的服务员，服务员也知道我们最喜欢点什么菜。在一家离我们房子很近的韩国餐馆，我们进入门口之前，我们常客和服务员都已经知道我们就会一如既往地点他们的石锅拌饭和韩式辣白菜。除了这家餐馆的便利性和食品的质量以外，还有另一个原因为什么我很喜欢去这个餐馆。有一次我突然注意到一位特别美丽的女服务员，所以我决定在单子上写下我的微信身份（在中国人们很少用手机号码）并给她这个单子。那时她笑了好像很尴尬，但我们还在互发短信。
我也继续经验中国文化其他的方面。我最近看到了北京舞蹈学院天鹅湖的表演。我也参加了一个关于中国象棋的讲座。上个月一个特殊的亮点是在一条胡同里学习打麻将的经验。因为我是一个好胜的人，所以麻将对我有一定的吸引力。我很快就了解到了麻将的规则和一些基础的策略，但一开始和中国人一起打，就意识到我肯能会吃一点苦。他们麻将打得极快，我常常失去了说‘碰，吃，杆’的机会.
那里正好有个记者，她对外国人学打麻将的经验有兴趣，所以采访了我。打完麻将以后，我快忘了这个面试。后来没想到我的在青岛留学的朋友在看报纸的时候，看到了我的照片。我很吃惊，但这个在中国日报上的首次亮相使我感觉很高兴。
最后在旅游的方面，我参观了苏州和杭州。苏州和杭州都坐落在中国南方的省份，与北京比起来，南方的天气比较舒服温暖。第一天我们乘了五个小时的高铁赴苏州。在苏州我们游览于那里的一些名胜古迹，例如明嘉靖。浙江省的杭州也有非常漂亮的景象，我特别推荐你参观离杭州挺近的千岛湖。那里有1078个小岛，游客能上船尽量享受它的独一无二的风景。中国东南方显然有许多值得去的地方，这不仅仅是因为中国南方著名的美女，还是因为南方有自己独特的文化和气氛。当然我将来打算再往南走旅行。
Samuel playing Chinese Chess – Nov 2014
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
In the past month I feel I have further settled into life in China, and have even unconsciously developed some habits and routines here. For example in terms of diet, my two roommates and I have become regulars at a number of local restaurants. That is to say we go to these restaurants at least once a week. At these restaurants we are familiar with the staff and the staff also knows what dishes we most like to order. Close to our apartment is a Korean restaurant, where before we even enter through the doors, both we and the waiters already know that we will inevitably order our usual stone pot bibimbap and Korean kimchi. Apart from its convenience and the quality of the food, there is one other reason I rather like this restaurant. Once, whilst eating, I suddenly noticed a particularly pretty waitress, so I decided to write down my wechat id (Chinese people rarely use mobile phone numbers) on the back of my receipt and give it to her. She laughed and appeared embarrassed, but we’re still texting each other.
I also continue to enjoy other aspects of Chinese culture. Recently I went to a performance of Swan Lake by the Beijing Dance Academy. I also attended a lecture on Chinese chess. Last month, a particular highlight was the experience of learning mahjong in one of the hutongs. Mahjong clearly appealed to my competitive side and I was quick to understand the rules and some basic tactics. However, as soon as I started playing with some of the local Chinese, I realised that I would have to suffer a bit. They played tremendously quickly and I often missed the relevant opportunities to call ‘peng, chi or gang (you’ll have to learn the rules yourself).’
There also happened to be a journalist, who was interested in foreigners’ experience of learning the game, and so I was interviewed. After finishing playing, I quickly forgot about the interview. Later my friend studying in Qingdao unexpectedly came across my picture in the paper. I was very surprised, but was pleased to have made my debut in the China Daily.
Finally, in terms of travel I visited Suzhou and Hangzhou. Suzhou and Hangzhou are both located in China’s southern provinces, where compared to Beijing, the weather is relatively warm and comfortable. On the first day, we took a five hour high speed train down to Suzhou. There we visited some of the famous historical sites, including the Mingjiajing garden temple complex. Zhejiang province’s Hangzhou also had some impressive sites and I would particularly recommend anyone to visit the Thousand Island Lake, not far from Hangzhou. There are 1078 small islands and tourists can board a ship and enjoy the unique scenery. China’s south clearly has a great many places worth visiting, not just because of the beautiful southern women, but also because of its own singular culture and atmosphere. I certainly intend to travel south again when I have the chance.
The Thousand Island Lake – Samuel Franklin