Oh it’s January...better go on a detox...

I’ve been trying to be really healthy, even over Christmas and New Year, which has led me to have ALL my chocolate and treats sent from home left to eat. Also, this week has been spent examining Chinese students, which made me resort to eating the vast majority of it (will explain further in a mo). One thing I’ve realised in China is how they price fruit and veg. It is all based on weight and not what the actually item is, so apples work out more expensive than passion fruits and potatoes cost more than broccoli. Even better, herbs are ridiculously cheap. It’s a very bizarre way of selling things but it means that food shopping works out so much cheaper than England – I get my fruit and veg for less than £2 every week!

Anyway, back to exams and there was me thinking that because I wasn’t the one sitting the exam that it would be a really relaxed last week of teaching. Oh no, I’ve had sleepless nights with the stress of the exams and the ridiculous excuses that they have been given has made it even worse. I even had a student who has broken his leg ask to take his exam over the phone. Yes, no probs, you’ll definitely not have your notes next to you or anything....

On Wednesday I got a rare day off from teaching (the students took their exam last week) and so I had a lie-in, cleaned my apartment with copious amounts of bleach and then went to meet Charlotte and her friends for a late lunch. Her friends were lovely and we went to JJ Fusions, a western style restaurant, where I had a chicken-tikkaesque thing with humus, flatbreads and salad – yum! This lunch ended up with me taking them to Huquan market as they’d never been, but it was closed off for building works so then we all traipsed back home. Paul and I ended up walking to my apartment so he could see what it was like and because he’s American, I made him English tea which he loved. Yesssss, slowly converting all my foreign friends to PG tips and Yorkshire tea. That night, I watched a film and then had a super late dinner because it got to 10pm and I forgot that I had no food in my house.

On Thursday, I woke up dreading the exams as I had to sit through 50 students each doing their speaking exam. Luckily, it only took two hours and then, brain-dead and in major need of coffee, I went to Mann Waffle and Toast to sit and work out the student’s final grades. Paul joined me later on and I had a hugeeeee cinnamon French toast, which was incredible (think the detox has ended now). Later on, I tutored my crazy children and they were extra hyperactive, not exactly useful when you’re trying to teach months of the year and a child is in the corner about to electrocute himself with a dangling plug. Finally, I went to Dean’s after tutoring, and we watched Liam Neeson’s new film, ‘A Walk Among the Tombstones’ and ate vegetable mala tong (a sort of noodle soup). The film was brilliant; I actually think it’s as good as ‘Taken’.

My pretty coffee...

Paul rocking my glasses

Cinammon French toast....

 On Friday morning at 10am, I handed in all my final grades and am now officially on 7 weeks of paid leave. To celebrate, I had an incredible 3 hour nap and then went to book train tickets to ChongQing. I’m going to meet Dean and Olivi there for 5 days, when my parents leave. The city is west of Wuhan and even by fast train, it will take me 6 ½ hours to travel there! But anyway, fast train tickets only cost me £50 return so I’m very excited to see a different part of China.

On Friday evening, I invited Charlotte and her friends over to my apartment to pre-drink and for some reason, I decided to add sambuca to everyone’s drinks. It was nice to pre-drink, as it made me think I was back at uni and then we went to Prison because they’ve never been! It was also Mel’s birthday so we had Chinese birthday cake (horrible btw, it actually tasted off) and then I can’t really remember much more.

Me and Charlotte

Brooke, Carly, Marie, Charlotte and me

Being Chinese with 'peace' signs...

Drinking out of snowman paper cups...

This is why we had hangovers the next day...

Me with the birthday girl (also behind the bar because it's China and they really don't care)

Cue the next morning and I had a million messages off everyone as I had vanished from Prison. I spent Saturday in bed with the worst hangover of my entire life; it even pained me to look at my phone as it was too bright. I finally felt more human by the evening and Skyped my girls from uni (Grace, Lauren and Doyle), which was lovely. I love Skyping people from home as it makes me feel like I don’t live a crazy distance away. My wasted day ended with Dean taking pity on me and coming with me to help order a pizza without cheese and some French fries. We then watched a very bizarre film before I went to get some much needed quality sleep.

Bacon and mushroom pizza come to meeee

Today is Sunday and I have spent the whole day with all my windows open as the weather is beautiful today. I’ve even turned my heating off for a few hours as it’s so sunny. I had an amazing sleep and then went with Dean to pick up his scooter from the repair shop. At the shop was an adorable little puppy, who kept trying to nibble at my shoelaces. Sadly, I wasn’t allowed to take it home, so instead we went to get some lunch and found a nearby restaurant. I had some fried dumplings, and used my soup to dip them into. However, my meal was somewhat interrupted by the restaurant cat deciding that he wanted to be my friend. I’m not overly fond of cats anyway, which is convenient when living in China, as most people like to eat cats and not keep them as pets. During the course of my meal, the cat scratched my legs, hung onto my jean pocket and then jumped onto my lap in an attempt to pinch a dumpling. The cat got no dumplings and was shooed outside.

Outside my apartment today (love the introduction of the 'outdoor seating area' aka pink sofa)

Look at how little he is!

Jian jiao - fried dumplings

 I then walked home, after popping to the supermarket in a search for shampoo, where I ended up having to pour some potential product onto my hand as the wording on Chinese toiletries is all in Chinese and shampoo isn’t a word I’ve added to my vocabulary as of yet. I’m going to use it tonight, so hopefully it is shampoo as it cost me a small fortune. I’m going to spend the rest of the day relaxing with a cup of tea on my balcony, and reading a new book before Skyping home tonight, bliss.....

xxxxx