Where The F**k Am I? : Hengyang, Hunan, China
If you take a flight from the Bahamas to Hengyang it would take you roughly 2 days to arrive (including layovers):
Nassau —> Atlanta (2 hours, 30 Mins)
Atlanta—> New York/New Jersey ( 2 hours)
New York/New Jersey —> Beijing (12-13 hours)
Beijing —> Changsha (2 hours)
Changsha —> Hengyang (Fast train 50 mins. Normal Train 2 hours)
As this journey was taking place, each stop or layover there was one question that always popped up in my head: “Where the fuck am I going?”
It is important to note that I am either “Organised to a Fault” or I “Free Fall.” There is no in between. My process of moving to China was very much a Free Fall. I knew that I was moving to Hengyang, Hunan, China. But did I even try to research the place I was moving to? Nope. I just knew that I had an apartment and I was getting paid.
I am also the girl that when I was applying for University I ended up at a small liberal arts school in the middle of Upstate “Nowhere” New York because I knew the school was in New York, thinking about the city and not the state. My school was a 10 hours bus ride away from the city. Google is my best friend but I neglect her on the really important things.
My ultimate goal in China was regrouping. Reattempt those Graduate School applications. Nurse a healing heart and soul. And pick up a new language to add to my arsenal. I wanted far, new and different. That’s what I got.
Hengyang: Bigger than a village/town. Extremely smaller than a Tier-1 City like Beijing or Shanghai. Hengyang is Tier-3. Let me tell you a little about it.
1. Second largest city in Hunan
Hengyang boasts being the second largest city in this province with a population of 7,141,162. It is only second to Changsha, with a population of 7.432 million. Changsha also holds the province’s major International Airport. Although it is the second largest city, there’s really not much to do here.
I always refer to Hengyang as “Sleepy Hengyang” because there is a huge lack of hotels, spas, bars, or any other general “social activities”.
2. Small, Quiet, & Boring
Having been here for 6 months now, I’ve taken buses all around the city to see wassup. And ain’t nothing up. There’s 1 major shopping mall that’s very overpriced. The hotels are few, so there aren’t many spas and nail salons (unless they’re in people’s houses with few indicators). If you want peace and quiet, no hassles and also want to save money, then Hengyang is the place for you. Majority of my money goes towards grocery shopping and food, unless I go to Changsha for the occasional weekend and spend all my money shopping and at bars.
3. Well-known for Spicy Food
Hunan province is one of the Top Three Provinces known for having the Spiciest Foods. Famous for Chili peppers and Spicy Hotpot.
But after trying many types of foods, I’m disappointed that I haven’t had a dish that made me beg for water. I’m Caribbean so I’ve been training my spice buds since birth. Makes me wonder what the rest of China is eating if this is considered “really spicy”.
4. Things to Do in Hengyang (more about Hunan later)
Hengyang is boring. I’ve seen a few KTV bars (KTV is like private karaoke rooms and you can order drinks and sing with friends). I’ve looked up things to do in Hengyang. There are all of TWO museums in the whole city, and they are not impressive or interesting.
Either I’m getting old or I’m just lacking social interaction but my favourite place is the grocery store and food markets. That’s what I look forward to all week. Nothing changes. They sell the same shit everyday. You are never not excited about food. But I don’t really have a lot of shit to do otherwise. I’m still hunting for a spa or a nail salon cause my feet are crying yall.
5. I’m 95% sure I’m the only Person of Colour in the City
There are a few foreigners floating around Hengyang, not that many. And all the ones I’ve seen are all white. Mainly American (Of Course. They’re Everywhere). Definitely the only black person for miles. However, 45 minutes away by high speed train, in Changsha, there are A LOT of black people. They’re all Africans, mostly Nigerians. And most of them are University students.
This makes being here very bearable. HOWEVER, the Black/African community is small enough where everyone basically know each other. So be very cautious of dating or hooking up cause every body be in ya business and know ya business. I used to make trips to Changsha frequently in the beginning because my only friend lives there. But having to duck the same dudes every weekend gets old pretty quickly.
So that’s where I am and this is what’s happening.