The start of my year abroad: Manchester Airport - 22nd September 2014

The start of my year abroad: Manchester Airport - 22nd September 2014
The start of my year abroad: Manchester Airport - 22nd September 2014

Thursday, 2 July 2015

Life after China

I was in two minds whether to write this blog. Did I want to keep it all about China or extend it back home to England? In a way, I’m still half in China with this heatwave (pretty much the English summer crammed into one week) and of course, the jet-lag has hit hard. It really didn’t at first; Day 1 in England, I managed to impressively stay awake until 9.30pm. The secret was getting 7 glorious hours of sleep on my night flight from Beijing to Brussels. However, things have been turbulent over the past week with bedtimes averaging 8pm and morning rising at 7am. Oh dear. They say 1 time zone is 1 day of jet-lag so I think the drunk fog of confusion is finally lifting (or that could be down to the hundred euphoric highs gained from spending money on my card since arriving home).

The journey home was pretty horrendous – think delays on every flight, being 3 kilograms over the luggage allowance and prawn chow mein for breakfast at 7am GMT. Can I also point out that I left Wuhan, in stifling temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius and 100% humidity wearing leggings, UGG boots, a fleece and pashmina! I was in a state of constant sweating until I reached the UK, where it was freezing. The joys of moving your life across the world! Anyway, on each flight I managed to make a friend, who knew the whole layout of the airport and spoke the local language. That came in incredibly handy when Wuhan airport changed the gate of my flight 4 TIMES and only announced it in Chinese.

As soon as I got to Brussels and could practically taste English soil, I then stopped worrying and stressing and got the most expensive breakfast courtesy of Starbucks. A BLT sandwich and coffee frappaccino cost me 16 Euros – I am not ready for western prices! Take me back to 40p dumplings immediately. Anyway, I boarded my final plane, which was so small that we had to put our carry-on luggage in the hold and 54 minutes of straight turbulence later (and probably a couple of spins), I touched down in Bristol! Somewhere along my journey, the baggage handlers managed to break a wheel of my suitcase and snap the handle of my carry-on bag so the 3 trains back to Lincoln were an absolute treat. 


Being back for just over a week has been so strange but also so normal at the same time. Apart from the small incidents such as forgetting my PIN number, thinking a random man was a shop assistant and trying to order Nandos in Chinese (Peri peri is tough to translate), I’ve settled back in really quickly. The familiarity of England is so welcoming, and I’ve relished hearing British English spoken, and having nobody try to jump the queue or sit next to me in a restaurant. As for what the next year holds, well we will just have to wait and see. But for the moment, I’m enjoying this glorious English weather, strawberry picking and eating all the bread that Sainsbury’s and Asda have to offer.....


Saturday, 20 June 2015

How do I sum up a year abroad?

I can’t think of a name for this final blog about my time in China, because using words like ‘goodbye’ and ‘end’ make it seem so final. And I can’t get over the fact that this is my last week in Wuhan and in a few days, my life will overhaul completely. I’m saying goodbye to a 12 hour working week, guaranteed shorts and t-shirt weather and 40p dumplings and I’m not sure how I feel about this.

The past month has been very strange, as I subconsciously have started to detach myself from my life here, telling myself that this is the last time I’ll get Mann Coffee, or visit H&M at Baotong Temple. I’ve had to start saying goodbye to restaurant owners, who I’ve actually got to know incredibly well over the past nine months (big shout out to the woman who provided me with 40p dumplings thrice weekly and the drink guy who knew my order by heart). Even the vegetable lady looked slightly disheartened when I told her this was my last shop, although I did get a free pepper so I may have to use this excuse on others!

I can still remember arriving into Wuhan, and thinking I’d made the biggest mistake of my life when it was 35 degrees, I had no air con in my apartment and nobody understood me when trying to buy anything (the interpretative dance of the plunger will stay with me forever). I also remember living off crisps and bread for at least 3 weeks until I forced myself to learn basic Chinese (still can’t say much more than food, but I’m an absolute pro at vegetables and meat).

I visited some amazing places around China and if I’d been here longer, it would definitely have been on my itinerary to travel a lot more. It’s true what they say that each province in China is like entering a whole new world. From the food to the language, it’s hard to believe driving an hour out of the city greets you with rolling hills and smog free air. Whilst on the subject of city living, I cannot wait to get back to my suburban, peaceful life in England. City living in England is one thing, but you add over-population, air pollution and general Chinese idiocy and travelling across the city can take all day. Transport has been endlessly frustrating but the plus side of this is how much I’ve walked during this year abroad. At least 6 kilometres everyday (and that’s just my commute to work), which has saved me having to go the gym. Always a bonus!

So, how do you sum up a year abroad? I’m guessing through the experiences, memories and laughs, which I hope I’ve captured by doing this blog. And I owe a huge thanks to you all for reading it and religiously following me (cue concerned messages when I forgot the ONE time on Sunday). It’s like a check-in that I’m still alive and breathing (well barely due to air pollution problems) when you all settle down for a Sunday read. I only started it so my mum and dad knew what I’d been up to, because they aren’t planning on getting Facebook anytime soon, but it escalated pretty quickly into something of a Sunday ritual for most people.

Everyone says going abroad teaches you something about yourself and it sounds really cheesy, but it’s completely true. Living by myself for the first time, having my first ever graduate job, living in a country where I can’t speak the language fantastically well, and moving here without knowing a soul has definitely moulded me into a more patient, adaptable and spontaneous person. I will take a lot from this experience (although maybe not the food recipes as I don’t think chicken feet soup will be a favourite back in England) and I will remember it forever. But for now, it’s time to come home and see my amazing friends and family, have an ice-cold cider in the pub, nip to Asda for a pork pie and finish that darn Masters of mine.


P.S. It’s Sunday 21st June, that’s three days until I leave China and I still haven’t started packing or clearing out my apartment. I vowed that I’d never make this mistake again after leaving packing this late at uni reduced me to shoving everything in Asda carrier bags approximately three hours before my dad arrived. The year after, I did this but whilst hungover and eating ham on toast to get me through. So basically, I’ll never learn but I’m hoping danger packing will give me slightly more motivation. Wish me luck.....


Saturday, 6 June 2015

27 Reasons to visit China



1) The air quality is always so good here.




2) There are so many fantastic views available
 




3) Ordering food isn’t a problem




4) Neither is catching a bus




5) The recycling centres are so efficient




6) Everybody is very fashion forward



7) Fruit is available on your doorstep (well floor to be precise)




8) You can always find an umbrella, whatever the weather




9) Using a flyer is also an excellent sun guard - as demonstrated by a foreigner.




10) And taking a nap is fine, even if you’re midway through a coffee




11) In fact, street sleeping seems to be a hobby here.




12) Oh and did I mention sleeping during class isn’t a problem either...




13) You get a free hat on every trip or tour




14) Health and safety is extremely important in China (builders swigging beer at 7am)




 15) There’s always lots of outdoor entertainment




16) The signs are always so helpful.




 17) They’re always there to guide you, whatever the situation




18) And ancient Chinese proverbs really don’t lie




19) In China, animals aren’t just for eating




20) They’re also great at disguising




21) The food itself is incredibly tasty (yes, they are chicken feet)




22) You name it, they dry it




23) Drinking alcohol with lunch is perfectly acceptable (even inside a shopping mall)




24) And nobody cares how you park



25) Or how you pack your ‘vehicle’




26) In fact, the main worry in China is how shiny the water fountains are





27) Or if they’ve got enough plants at their stall



So, why not take a visit?!


Saturday, 23 May 2015

It’s my golden birthday!

On Saturday, I ventured out into the extreme humidity that is Chinese summer and had some dumplings for lunch, before walking to Starbucks, where I met Brooke and Marie. They were a bit later arriving than me and I found us a table. What I didn’t realise in China, is that reserving two empty chairs is a complete mission, and you have to be on a constant look out for a nippy Chinese person looking to either pinch one or sit down at one. I’d say at least half of the people on the outdoor terrace weren’t even customers of Starbucks, and just wanted a quick rest / sleep before heading elsewhere. This definitely wouldn’t happen in England!

We spent a couple of hours chatting and people watching, and saw a young boy walk out proudly with an ice-cream cone only to bump into a chair and lose the entire ice-cream section. I think he really enjoyed eating just a cone! I also enjoyed the amount of slogan t-shirts that were sported by people walking by, my particular favourites being ‘Don’t cry and get upset, say F you and smile’ and also a couple with the boy wearing ‘Basketball is my girlfriend’ and girl, ‘Basketball is my boyfriend’. Wow.

Celebrating Norway day 




Our dinner that evening was at an Indian restaurant named ‘Cacaja’ and it was incredible. Marie, Brooke and I were far too excited and ordered most of the menu. I then ate myself into a food coma with korma, chicken tikka masala, garlic naan, rice, pakoras and other delicious things. Of course, after every Indian meal, you should always try and use a squat toilet. It didn’t go well for me and after first accidentally entering the men’s, I then proceeded to wee all over my open-toe sandals. They were disinfected within an inch of their lives as soon as I got home (although I don’t know why I bother as I probably step in street urine on a daily basis).

Waiting for our food

The best meal ever

Inside Cacaja restaurant



On Sunday, my plan was to have a relatively decent lie-in before teaching in the afternoon and evening. Oh no, cue 7.30am drilling from the apartment directly below me. And when I say drilling, I mean the sort that is so loud I couldn’t hear my tutoring kids ring the doorbell, and my bed was actually vibrating. Luckily, the parents helped me complain about these 10 hours of hell (plus the same on Thursday and Friday) and hopefully, they’ll schedule their drilling for slightly later in the day.

I was near enough dead by the time 4pm rolled around and my teaching started, but I managed to coerce myself into an excited state to perform all the essentials e.g. ‘Heads, Shoulders Knees and Toes’ and ‘Hokey Cokey’. The children and I were practically napping by the time the class ended and their parents ended up carrying them down the stairs. My bad. Onto the adults teaching and 2 hours of listening to Chinese people speak English sounds really easy, but I’m so used to Chinglish now, that I forget what is grammatically correct and what isn’t. I particularly enjoyed one man using ‘conservation’ instead of ‘conversation’ for the entire evening, despite my attempts to correct him. Therefore, he was protecting anything and everything!

Monday mornings are so difficult to wake up for, but I had a cunning plan. The plan involved 1 hour and 30 magical minutes of Shrek the movie. Perfect timing, the students absolutely loved it (although they laughed at all the wrong times, which in turn made me laugh) and I got all my grading finished. Hoorah for productive lessons. I came home and enjoyed the golden silence of no drilling during the lunch break, but as soon as it started up again (how many tiles are there in a bathroom, I mean seriously?!) I headed over to Dean’s empty apartment and chilled whilst he was at work.

It was unusually quiet and I managed a whole movie without somebody using an electrical appliance of some sort in the neighbouring apartments. Let me give an example of my usual noise level – I have drilling downstairs, a karaoke machine above me, music to the left and music combined with constant chopping to my right. I can safely report that the man on karaoke is horrendous and the chopping hasn’t yet produced a meal, that I have been given to eat. Therefore, these sounds need to stop immediately.

Tuesday was supposed to be a day full of culture with Brooke, but it turned into a scenic ride along line 2 on the subway instead. We met at Hongshan and immediately found a Starbucks and so naturally, that was our first stop of the day. The plan was then to go and explore round that area but on emerging from the subway, we found a park and lots of buildings with not much else to see. The park itself was quite nice (although the water feature had no water so total disappointment). It did however, have the shiniest water fountains I have ever seen, because when leaving the subway you must get a drink. After our ten-minute park tour we headed to Fanhu.

Hongshan Square

The depressing buildings

At least the water fountains were shiny...
I had read online that the Wuhan museum was supposedly nearby but it was a disaster. We emerged to a completely undeveloped area with lots of workmen sitting under trees and in their vans having lunch. Not exactly an ideal location for a museum. It was ridiculously humid and we couldn’t find this museum (probably been demolished for apartments, knowing China) and decided to head back the other way and hopefully back to civilisation. Our next stop of choice was Baotong Temple but I definitely wasn’t climbing a temple in the heat. Instead, we browsed shops, ate a McDonald’s and then went our separate ways. I spent the evening relaxing in my lovely cool apartment. What an uncultured day we had!

Very unimpressed by Fanhu
 On Wednesday, I happily dragged myself to class, knowing that Shrek the movie would be enough entertainment and I could do my work. I then had to try and get a reference number for my flight home (easier said than done as they don’t exist in China). Janet initially thought that the number was my passport number .....it includes letters!? Anyway, I think I have one and so trotted off to Rosa coffee at Zhongnan Road, and waited for Brooke and Paul to join me. We were supposed to meet Marie and then go explore Hankou but this didn’t happen so instead we ended up having lunch nearby before finding the draw of an air-conditioned mall far too exciting.

What are we doing?!
On one of the floors was a North Face shop, and next to it was an area set up to be like a campsite, with a tent, table, chairs and even a disposable BBQ. We decided to play camping for a good 20 minutes (this included playing in the tent and using the blankets), whilst a crowd of Chinese shop assistants gathered. Eventually, somebody who spoke English was called to tell us that we couldn’t be here, at which point, Brooke proceeded to ask how much the chairs were. The woman actually ran off to check and we scarpered quickly!

Getting the blanket out

Relaxing in my tent

Anyone for a drink?
After all this excitement, we all travelled home and then I went to drink cocktails for the entire afternoon with Dean. By 8pm I was pretty tipsy and ended up going for dinner (where a child was walking precariously close to our table with two badminton rackets the entire time) and then onto Radio Rock for a few more drinks. I can’t handle my alcohol anymore as I was home in bed by 11.30pm. I’m so rock and roll.

Before things went downhill
The next day wasn’t exactly productive as I slept until midday before finally, summoning the energy to do something with my day. I did however, salvage the remainder of my day by cleaning and batch cooking my final set of foods before coming home. It’s like a food countdown – once the freezer is empty I can leave! I also got my dates wrong and thought I had tutoring, when in fact I didn’t so it was another excuse for me to get back into bed and relax.

After finishing my classes on Friday, I met Dean and he bought me a Burger King as an early birthday treat. We also got some delicious mango smoothies, which came with no lid, so I had to balance myself on the back on the moped with a smoothie in each hand for the ride back! It was a risky time for all involved. We ate our amazing food and watched a film before I headed home to nap before my birthday night out commenced. I turned up at Dean’s house later on and soon after, everyone else started arriving for pre-drinks. We played this game where you stick a card to your head and have to ask questions about (probably has a proper name but I don’t know it). I also had this vile drink, that sadly I’d made myself, so I definitely wasn’t having that and we headed out to Radio Rock instead.

Before we headed inside the bar, Will and Olivi wanted to get a very late dinner so I joined them and had some rice. Olivi was so drunk that he could barely use his chopsticks, so I pretty much had to feed him peppers and aubergines! It was very funny. We got to the bar and everyone was there. Literally, the whole population in Wuhan that I know were in the bar. I got bought many drinks as the birthday girl and we counted down to midnight before dancing with a group of random people – what an excellent start to my 23rd. I went home earlyish and got a good sleep, ready for the next day.

Pre-drinks!


Excellent photography skills by the Chinese lady

Hating all the tequila in my drinks




Unbelievably, I woke up on Saturday morning at 7.30am, hungover-free and wide awake. It was a complete miracle but I wasn’t wasting my day in bed. Instead, I got up and after a highly nutritious breakfast of rainbow cookies (all the e numbers), I opened my cards and presents, although I’m still waiting on lots more from people because China takes 10 years to deliver mail! I got ready and headed out to meet Brooke at Starbucks. I arrived to find a present and drink waiting for me, which was obviously the best thing ever and so my day was already off to a good start.

We both headed up to China Normal University (yes, that is its real name) and met Marie and Carley, before heading to an international culture festival on campus. It was super busy and crazy, but I had a fabulous time eating Vietnamese spring rolls, getting a Yemen sticker on my arm and visiting the inside of a yurt from Mongolia. However, there were definitely countries there that I’d never even heard of, I’m sure some were made-up! My favourite part was how they spelt my country – United Kingdon....oh the shame. I had to pretend to be from somewhere else!


Culture festival entrance


Nobody turned up from America - it was a sad day

Fabulous spelling...

The festival was ridiculously busy

Some form of band playing (not sure which country)


Oh the irony...

Tucking in to potato salad and chicken from Rwanda


 After our snacks from around the world, we were obviously starving, so headed to meet Paul and grab some lunch. I had this delicious pak choi, spicy cabbage and rice meal and felt very virtuous for all the vegetables (we won’t mention the apple pie that happened later on). Our adventurous day then took us to Fuxinglu station, where there was supposedly a park. In China, you take the mention of a park with a pinch of salt, as a park on the map is usually 16 apartment blocks on close inspection, but this park was real. It was a very quiet, rather beautiful park with some gorgeous views and we just wandered round and relaxed. Brooke did bring her badminton set but despite the best of intentions, it remained firmly inside the bag. The walking was enough for us!

At the park



Attempting the titanic pose

Having a rest

Paul wasn't overly pleased!

I didn't want to come down



After a very chilled afternoon, we headed back on the subway for some dinner at Grandma’s Kitchen. It’s a western-style restaurant with THE BEST burgers and I had to have one, even though it took four napkins to cover up all of my white top in case of spillage. The things I do for fashion. Anyway, we had some delicious food and then desserts before saying goodbye and all heading home. It had been a pretty full on day for everyone, so I came back to Skype my family, before crawling into bed and watching a film. Overall, it was a very relaxing and sociable birthday and having my 23rd on the 23rd (Golden birthday!) in China, is something I won’t forget. 

My amazing spicy burger

Waiting for food at Grandma's kitchen