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Jack is a member of our forum and has decided to write a regular commentary about his life in Lanzhou, China...

Jack - Lanzhou And I

By Jack Fancy
China

Jack in Lanzhou

When I first thought about going to Lanzhou I asked a colleague who had studied the language and lived in China for over ten years what he thought and he simply asked with a disgusted snort, "Why there?". After spending countless hours searching for information about Lanzhou trying to find more than just basic facts I came across a tourist blogger who simply stated "Why there?". This intrigued me if not gave me a nudge in that direction.

You see, I was wanting to go off the beaten track, so to speak, but I also wanted to go to a city of sorts and not some small village or town. I was looking for a part of China that could offer some of the fundamentals and conveniences of city living but also not be too heavy with English speakers because I was really more interested in quickly picking up on the culture and language.

For one to study a language properly, it helps if one can know the culture and being spoon fed translated dialogue only retards the learning process, in my opinion. So there I was, landing in without a singly learned word, not even a "hello". I've learned a lot, adjusted, started a business, invested in real estate, married and still have a lot to learn.

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