Hi Everyone 大家好！
I’m Tim, I am 22 y.o. from Oxfordshire. I am the new marketing intern with the InternChina Chengdu office. Having recently graduated (last year), I am spending 8 weeks interning here.

Having studied and lived in Chengdu before I am fairly familiar with life here, but it is always great to be back doing new things, meeting new people.

Even though I arrived just 2 days ago, I am already getting straight into the internship. The first day was great, I got to meet the other interns working here; Brigitte, Helen and Kenny who is our full-time customer relations manager. I also met two new interns who will be studying with companies around the city. I can’t wait to meet more of the interns working here; to hear about their experiences and absorb more information about InternChina’s role in Chengdu. I’m really excited about organising and taking part in some of the activities to come, as well as the nightlife!

It’s a bit colder than I expected this time around but it’s warming up and the sun is out and shining today. There is usually a rather ethereal fog that hangs over Chengdu, but as the locals say, “Eat more chilli”. The chilli helps you sweat and cleanse your body.
Sounds gross, but it really does make a difference. That’s another thing you’ll need to get used to if you come here. The spiciness! The food in Chengdu is always full of chilli （辣椒）and Sichuan pepper （花椒）. You can always ask your waitress to add less chilli, or hold the Sichuan pepper . However, the cuisine here revolves around the local ingredients and if you want a really authentic experience you should copy the locals. When in Rome…..

I had BBQ last night with some of my old university friends. The BBQ’s (燒烤) are great in Chengdu, you can eat lamb kebabs （羊肉串）from the west or seafood (海鮮串) treats from the East. All with a good dousing of dried Chilli powder. In fact there is a really good set-up for midnight snacks (夜宵) here. Chengdu is the food city, so don’t be afraid to put on a few pounds!!!

If you are not in the mood for a snack, you can always kick back and relax in a tea-house. You can sit by the river and drink your favourite teas. It’s also a good opportunity to learn some Mah-jong（麻將） or Dou di zhu (斗地主) if you’re into learning card games. I know when I first came here, I learned how to play Dou di zhu (literally: fight the landlord). It opened up new ways to make local friends and understand the local culture. Best of all a cup of tea will only set you back around 5 yuan (50p). At some tea houses the board games and card games are free. The locals are friendly as well; you can crash a game if you are up for it!!

Even though I haven’t had a chance yet, I am really looking forward to going for Jing-Luo （經絡）. It’s a type of medical massage that uses pressure points and trigger points in your nervous system to relax your muscles. It’s great if you’ve had a long day or simply if you are in the mood. Pricing can vary but it’s usually around the 50 to 100RMB mark (5-10 pounds). It’s always good to go to the outer ring roads for better prices.

So even though I’ve only been here a few days I still have lots of things planned. Check my next update for more info!

Hope you have the chance to join us in Chengdu.

Tim a.k.a夏天夙
Useful phrase: 請少放點辣椒。Qing shao fang dian la jiao! Please don’t add so much chilli!
(I’ll post some more useful phrases as I go along).

Apply now with InternChina and discover the wonders of Chengdu!