你好!This is my last blog post from China… I’m leaving this amazing country tomorrow! Even though I spent only 3 weeks here, I got to do some very special, China-specific things which will stay in my memory forever!
Whilst visiting one of the many beautiful temples in Chengdu I used the opportunity to have my future predicted by an old Chinese fortune teller. He told me a lot of good things about my future marriage which made me very happy… And hopeful. 😀
The most exciting part of my stay in China was obviously the food! I dined at many different restaurants and tried a lot of Chinese cuisine classics as well as typical Sichuanese dishes. Some of my favourites were: Kung Pao chicken (宫保鸡丁, pinyin: gōngbǎo jīdīng), Dan dan noodles (担担面, pinyin: dàndàn miàn) and Sichuan hotpot (四川火锅, pinyin: Sìchuān huǒguō). They were all delicious and quite different from typical Chinese food served in the West. I didn’t expect the spiciness but it was definitely a positive surprise. After all, who doesn’t like their mouth on fire? Haha! This brings to mind a very useful sentence in Chinese: 请不要太辣，谢谢 (pinyin: Qǐng bùyào tài là, xièxie) which more or less means “Not too spicy, please” – very useful in Sichuan!

During my stay in China I was attempting to master the Chinese language. The task proved less scary than I initially thought. I really liked the classes I took and of course my teacher Sherry (pictured below)! Don’t get me wrong, I still think Chinese is difficult but if you’re committed, anything is possible. 😉

The last thing about China that I will never forget is the way business is done here. First of all, I had some first-hand experience with people not answering my emails when I first introduced myself in writing. However, networking in person at a business event in Chengdu was great fun, and very effective. I had the opportunity to exchange some business cards ‘the Chinese way’ – using two hands and reading the whole of the other person’s business card, right after receiving it. I studied it in business school and I was chuffed and excited to be able to apply it in practice.
That’s it, I’m afraid. I will miss China very much and I’m sure I will come back here very soon. I’m also really sad to be leaving all the amazing people I’ve met here, including the lovely IC Chengdu staff!!! 🙁 I loved my stay here. Goodbye China! 再见!!!

Ready for a new adventure? Apply here!