Well hello everybody!

This is the first time I am ever writing a blog and i don't even know how to begin!

I'll start with how I arrived here. I have been living in Suzhou for more than 2 years and I am a student here. Being a foreigner in this country has been full of surprises and new experiences. And yeah weirdness too!

So i guess this blog will skim a bit over my experiences with the people here.

Being from India I have been sometimes looked upon with awe and sometimes with scorn. I get the awe because many people here have seen bollywood movies and the beautiful actresses have made quite an impression here. So they think all Indian girls look beautiful.I don't understand the logic behind it but it sure feels good nonetheless. ;)

Well about the scorn, I have no idea! I feel, not sure though, that it stems from a bit of racism.

And the other thing, I have never been completely sure why the street shopkeepers and vendors give us warm wide smiles when we buy something from them. Is it because they are geniunely happy or they're gloating over the fact that they managed to fool another foreigner? Whichever it is, I wont know..So i just smile back and say 'Xie Xie'.

And is it completely okay to propose to an expat whom you've just met? This hilarious incident happened with this friend of mine when we went shopping. She was checking out some things and this sales guy walks up to her and starts complimenting her and stuff. I was at an easy hearing distance and despite her pleading glances I ignored and just stood there trying to see where this would lead to. And then he asked her if she would marry him. She mumbled 'wo ting bu dong' while i stood there laughing. I knew the guy was kidding but the situation was unbelievable.

I think most of the time they think they can get away with saying anything because we don't understand. Thats funny cuz we do understand most of the times!

One day I was in an elevator and a kid asked her mom who I was. Her mom said I was American. I corrected her and said I was Indian and not American. To which she said "yeah I know, but she doesn't know..her school didn't teach her about India yet" I just gave a stiff smile not knowing if I should be offended or laugh at this.

I'm not trying to belittle the chinese or anything. Infact I have made friends with many and i believe that they are nice and helpful, well most certainly are! but this experience is very surprising and new for me. I just want to know if there are others who've had the same experiences or worse.

So I'll end this here by saying I have had really great time here, found many great places here in Suzhou, learnt to sing few chinese songs, get ogled at everyday just for being an alien here, being pointed at by kids and called 'wai guo ren and mei guo ren', fell countless times inside the speeding public bus, scaring children in the supermarket by making funny faces which was supposed to make them laugh, got scolded by the bus driver for speaking too much and too loud (twice), most of the food here is really pathetic for my taste, but I am certainly in love with this place!