Christmas in Shanghai

'Pretty Christmas Lights in a modern city - Wuhu seems far far away!'

It's Sunday morning and, unusually, I don't have to teach. The schedule has been changed so that everyone here has the New Year's weekend off work. While Paul is returning to England this morning, Merim and Ahmir are welcoming in the New Year in Shanghai. I wish I could join them – my Christmas weekend there was fantastic and I was very pleasantly surprised with the character of the city.

The evening before we left for Shanghai, last Friday, Aston held its annual Christmas party for its employees and students. I think the word ‘flop’ describes the event quite accurately; certainly, it was amongst the worst Christmas parties I have ever been to. Caroline had arranged the venue at her local gym and, in return for shameless promotions of the place (this included the guests viewing a spinning class and participating in a kick-boxing routine), Aston could ‘party’ for free.


Joe, A yi (our lovely cook) and Ahmir at the Christmas 'party'

I managed to get out of giving a ‘performance’ at the party by being one of the hosts for the children’s part of the evening. It had the potential to be quite fun: Plenty of people turned up – maybe 150 for each half of the night - and there were some very talented children who performed. For example, one of my students, a tiny little boy aged about 8, put on an excellent latin dance for us with his little girl friend. His mother had put him in all the correct dancing clothes and sprinkled him in a little too much glitter.

Unfortunately, the sound system was appalling and those with a microphone could not be heard over the chatter of pushy parents and their over-excited progeny. Therefore, there was no chance that the planned disco would work. Despite all the effort the Aston staff put into preparing the night, we didn't even have any speakers! This wasn’t a disaster for the children’s section but, for the latter part of the evening, the lack of music meant that the students just turned to the foreigners for entertainment.

I had been told I was to chat to the students and chatting to my own students was actually very nice. However, giving free English lessons to strangers, whilst being surrounded on all sides and holding my breath (I preferred no air to the sour garlic air that tagged onto the questions passing from the mouths of some students), was not my idea of a fun Christmas party.


Joe, Fairy and me at the party.

After the next morning's lessons, Joe and I set off on another ‘escape Wuhu weekend'. We had both been looking forward to going to Shanghai, partly for the pull factor of being in a modern, westernised city at Christmas, and partly for the push factor of Wuhu’s relatively pitiful Christmas offerings. Our bus got us to the south of the city on Saturday evening and, after a while of working out where we wanted to go and how to use the metro to get there, we made our way north to our hotel. It was utterly fab to stay in a nice 4 star hotel. Joe’s brother paid for us to go to the Holiday Inn and, because we were in such a civilized, relaxed environment, it made the whole time in Shanghai really special.

Two of the mornings we were there, I swam in virtual solitude in the swimming pool, which was on the top floor of the hotel (Joe sat in the adjacent whirlpool most of the time, so I had the pool to myself). On the other morning, Christmas morning, I tried to recreate the usual start to Christmas Day by running on the gym’s treadmill. It didn’t quite match the enjoyment of running with Mum on Ceasar’s Camp, as we did last year, but it was the best substitute I could have wished for. I had a great view of Shanghai from my spot in the empty gym.

On Christmas Eve, we decided to visit the Bund, which is by the Yangste. Much of this area of the city was constructed in the early 20th century and is heavily influenced by Russian and western architecture. As we walked along the long road looking for lunch, the sight of Art Deco buildings made me question whether we had in fact caught the bus from Wuhu to an unfamiliar city in the west. From the Bund, there’s a great view of the imposing and dramatic Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai’s most famous modern landmark, from across the river. We had a late lunch in a bar in a basement on the Bund. It was so lovely to have potato wedges and listen to half decent music.



In the afternoon, we made our way to the Old French Concession area of Shanghai. Again, the architecture was in no way classically Chinese. Although, we didn't make it to the oldest part of the city, from our time spent wandering around on Christmas Eve, I can say with confidence that Shanghai has a lot more character than I had imagined. It is both westernised and modern in its own way (it also has lots of old ramshackle buildings hiding around the place, too). While you can get most things western there, it retains a distinctly Chinese character. For only one example, while you can slurp blueberry smoothies and find French bread without any trouble, the usual foods (served on a stick) are also readily available from nomadic street sellers.

There was also enough random sights to help remind us that we definitely were in China. For example, as we were walking along a street on Sunday evening, around dusk, a group of men came past us transporting a large sheet of glass that was strapped upright to a rickety old cart. Some of the men were sitting on the cart, some of the men were running alongside it in the road, helping to push it. Instead of stopping at the intersection and making use of the traffic-light system, they just shouted their arrival and kept on going. I'm not sure where they were heading, but I'm even less sure that the blokes (let alone the glass) made it there in one piece.

Another random sight was when we were looking for a place to have a drink on Christmas Eve. Huaihai Lu is a great road for shopping and people watching, and was beautifully light for Christmas. I was so happy to be strolling along amongst the lively crowds that it took me a while to notice that many many people were wearing devils horns, light-up and glowing. On any other weekend evening I might not have found this odd, but on the eve of the celebration of the birth of Christ, Joe and I were a little perturbed. Evidently, the people of Shanghai had not quite grasped more than a secular understanding of Christmas, and the result was quite bizarre. We found a good spot in a pretty little café area to share a bottle of cheap fizz, and proceeded to chat as the devils horns walked by.

Christmas Day was far better than I'd feared. Joe was way too thoughtful with his gifts – I thought males aren't supposed to think about Christmas more than a few hours in advance?! It still didn't really feel like Christmas, which is probably a good thing because I didn’t feel too homesick at all. We took our time in the morning, making it to O’Malley's Irish bar for noon. The pub was really good, with free flowing alcohol included in the price of our horribly expensive meal. The food was delicious, too.




Joe and I ended up joining-up with a load of students from Newcastle Uni, who are studying in Shanghai for a year. They were a good laugh and I tagged along with them when they left for a nearby bar. Joe didn’t come because he had partaken a bit too freely in the free bar. He went home in a taxi at 6.30pm after being sick in the pub’s garden! He was mortified, but for no reason really – it was just a very amusing evening all-round. I ended the night watching the Bodyguard, a film I had never seen before, much to Joe’s indignation. Somehow, it just felt right to be watching an old film on Christmas.




The Newcastle lot

Boxing Day morning consisted of a last swim and a yummy meal at a sandwich shop. Our return bus was supposed to leave at 2.40pm so we had another very relaxing start to the day. Joe was re-hydrating and making the most of being in the fresh air before our 5 hour coach trip. The weather was really mild and the sky was blue during the whole time we were in Shanghai, which really was the icing on the scrummy cake. However, when we got to the bus station, we were told that our bus had been cancelled because of fog in Wuhu. Retrospectively, I find that quite amusing in an ironic way, due to the problems in Britain with fog. At the time, I was a bit panicked because it looked like we weren't going to be back in time to teach the next morning.

After travelling across the city, guided by a man who also needed to get to Wuhu, we found another bus that would get us back. No travelling in China is without its stresses, it seems. The trip back was quite amazing. As soon as we set-off (at 5pm), we stopped to pick up a load of gas stoves that were unloaded from a white van. From then on, nearly every half an hour along the motorway we stopped to either pick up more passengers or boxes full of unknown commodities. I witnessed cash being exchanged a number of times. We hardly cared about these dodgy dealings, of course, because we were just relieved to be heading in the right direction. However, only a couple of hours into the journey the fog became so bad that visibility was worse than minimal. I'm not sure how we managed to find our way there (at one point the coach reversed back onto the motorway because we'd mistakenly taken a turning of it), but we pulled into Wuhu bus station at 10.40pm in one piece.

I had a fab time in Shanghai and came back feeling really refreshed. I can’t wait to go back when I meet up with Mum on the 26th January. Tonight is New Year’s Eve, which I doubt will be exactly wild, due to Wuhu’s pitiful nightlife…

The week before Christmas

I have just spent a couple of hours revising today's Mandarin lesson. It's quite tiring and, like all revision, it's impossible to finish feeling satisfied that you've absorbed enough. This morning's lesson was good though, mainly because I felt a couple of grammar points were settling into my head, and partly because the sun was out and warm on the back of my neck.

On the weekend, in between teaching, I spotted the shoe-polishing man sitting in his usual place, which is on the corner of a street near my gym. I had passed him many times before and told myself I must have my boots polished, but for one reason or another I'd never sat down on his other tiny stool and got it done (they like to sit on teeny-tiny chairs in Wuhu - even old people). So, after a bit of dithering (I still am really not comfortable with the inevitable attention this sort of thing attracts), on Saturday I sat down and watched my boots be returned to an almost-too shiny black.

I think I successfully managed to tell the man that my shoes looked just like new, and I left the little crowd of spectators feeling ever-so pleased. It probably sounds silly, but it does lift my spirits when I buy my fruit from an outside stall and talk with any other locals that will humour me.

On the weekend I also went to my teacher/friend Eva's house with Ellie, my other teacher, and Kaori. She had made loads of effort with the food and cooked typically northen Chinese dishes (her family are from the north). Everyone else was at KTV, so we decided to join them after a while of watching a live music event on TV (I found this fascinating - it was crossed between the Eurovision Song Contest and the MTV Awards). I don't think any of us foreigners is a big fan of KTV (karaoke), but it provides an attractive alternative venue to the pubs here, which have no atmosphere whatsoever.

On Sunday evening, I was given some Christmas gifts by the English teachers that I teach. I really enjoy this class because I basically just sit down and have a girly chat for an hour and a half - it's a good way to end a weekend of teaching.

Tomorrow, I am hopefully being taken by Fairy to a nearby, but very quiet, hill. I really want to see it because, apparently, it's got some good views at the top of the Yangste and the local waterbuffalo population. If we don't go, it will be because I have to rehearse for Friday night's Christmas party. I have agreed to be the host of the children's part of the evening - help!!! Goodness knows what 'performance' we are doing in the latter part of the evening. We are blatantly just going to leave it until friday afternoon to think of something.

Home-stay and O'Malley's Irish-themed Christmas meal

On Monday, I visited the house of the guy who invited me to stay with his family as a home stay. At 5pm he picked-up Kaori, Fairy and me in his car, in which also sat his 10-year old son, and we drove the very short distance to his home. I had been told that he had a very nice house (just the fact that it's a house rather than a flat indicates their comparative wealth), but I wasn't fully prepared to see two cars, a piano, gym equipment and a maid. Moreover, every room has air conditioning, which is very unusual in this city. I couldn't help show my excitement at the prospect of moving up in my Wuhu world.

Obviously, such relative luxury is not as important as getting on with the hosts, and the visit was as much about meeting the family. He was very friendly and insisted we eat dinner with them. He explained to Fairy (a Chinese girl who works at Aston and was doing the translating) that he can read and write English, but has never learnt how to speak it. This really put my mind at rest because, if there is a problem and we can't understand each other, I can just write down what I want to say.

Fairy had to leave early, so Kaori and I were left to eat dinner on our own with the family. I was relieved and delighted that we were able to communicate and the conversation was not too stilted or awkward. I only saw his wife very briefly because she was ill in bed, but I left feeling confident that they are a very suitable family. I was made to feel welcome and also safe - my bedroom has a lock on it, as was pointed out during the tour of the house, and the house is part of a patrolled and ever-so quiet estate. I could barely believe it was Wuhu, if I'm honest.

I think this home stay will be fantastic, especially as I will be continuing with my usual routine at Aston, so I won't be confined to the house or anything. Another thing that should be good (or at least as good as it possibly can be), is Christmas. Joe and I have now booked our coach tickets to Shanghai and our hotel is also sorted. Merim and Ahmir are both from Muslim backgrounds, so don't celebrate Christmas, and all the other foreigners are doing their own thing. Therefore, to stay in Wuhu would be horribly depressing. We want a lively, festive atmosphere on Christmas day and we have it on good authority that O'Malley's, the Irish-themed pub that we've booked for our Christmas meal, will be excellent fun.

All we need to worry about now is what on earth we are going to do for our COMPULSORY performance at the Aston Christmas Party. I'm still not feeling up for this event, despite the fact that Wuhu has become 'Christmasified'. I have seen Christmas decorations and life-size Santas in the most random places, and its many of its people seem to have wholeheartedly embraced the western festive season. I still feel totally unmoved by it all, though!

DIY Dumplings and Casino Royale

Joe and I were invited to Tony’s sister’s house on Saturday. We were invited for a meal but also to watch the wedding video, in which we both feature, of course (!). After work on Saturday we made our way to the newly weds’ home, eagerly anticipating our first chance to reminisce about the wedding. We were greeted by quite a few of Tony’s family as we arrived, including his cousin who spent much of the evening practicing his English on us. He was particularly fond of saying ‘yellow cat’, ‘sank you’ and ‘you’re a biscuit’.

Although something went wrong half-way through, we got a chance to see much of the DVD, and some of the shots (and accompanying music) are priceless. Joe could barely contain his suppressed sarccy comments and I had a quiet chuckle at the cheesiness. Thankfully, Tony promised to give us each a copy of it, so I can bring it back to England. The couple are ever so happy and the DVD does capture this, which is sweet, but, equally, its sickly sweetness is what makes it unlike anything I had ever seen before.

After giving-up trying to get the DVD to play, Joe and I were invited to make jiaozis, which are Chinese dumplings. We had both done this before because it’s such a traditional practice that many people have kindly shared it with us foreigners. Once you get the hang of dealing with the little wheat circles, which you need to close over the stuffing using a particular method, then it’s quite fun. I felt like I was making ravioli (it’s effectively exactly the same thing), which I would never ever bother to do at home.

However, the pleasure of DIY dumplings gradually diminished as my temperature lowered. Chinese families in Wuhu have no central-heating, so they wear all their outside clothes inside. It’s okay if you’re moving around, but I got very cold sitting at the table making jiaozis, especially as we made about 500 (or at least it felt like that many). It was a pleasant evening, but mainly because I am so fond of Tony and Joe.

After teaching for 12 hours yesterday (an exceptional Sunday, and the over-time means I get less hours next week), I watched a pirated copy of Casino
Royale. I enjoyed it, despite not being a huge Bond fan, and it was a good way to relax. It did strike us, when the opening credits were on, that we had not yet heard the theme music, but that if we had been in England we’d have heard it on the radio ages ago. I will be intrigued as to what’s on the radio when I get home in 7 weeks!

Before I go to my Chinese lesson, I will give a brief update on the progress of my Mandarin. I am aware that I rarely mention the progress of this in my blog, but I am pleased to say that lessons are continuing at 12 hours a week at Aston, 4 a week with Tao, and extra revision squeezed in when I can. Often, Joe and I will spend a couple of hours in MacDonalds (ironically, I spend more time in Maccy Ds than I ever do when I am in ‘the west’), going over my notes and drinking their free refills of coffee. On Tuesdays and Thursdays Kaori and I now go to Tao’s house for Chinese lessons, where we study in her room after eating with her family. Her mum is so kind and cooks yummy meals with plenty of meat and fish (which is in stark contrast to the tiny pieces of meat, hidden amongst lotus root and cabbage, which we get at Aston for lunch).

I am still really enjoying learning Mandarin, and am practicing it as often as possible. For example, I am now a regular at a nearby fruit stall, which sells fresher fruit and lower prices – plus the ladies there are lovely and humour my attempts to speak with them. They know absolutely no English, so they’re perfect for me!

I really must go now, as I want to spend 5 mins revising before I go in. One last thing: this afternoon, I am going to check out a potential family for my homestay this afternoon – exciting!

The temperature drops and Christmas arrives. The people of Wuhu get out their winter PJs

It is 9pm on Sunday and I have just eaten dinner after a spot of roller-skating. If I were at home I would probably not admit to having spent my evening this way, for fear of sounding like an excitable eleven year-old. As it is, I had nothing better to do because my evening class was cancelled. Indeed, we don’t have a TV here, only a DVD player, and I finished a book this morning before my first class, so you may be able to understand the relative appeal of slipping my feet into ancient and clompy skates, and spending an hour trying to master the backwards glide.

I have very little problem making a tit of myself here in Wuhu, because foreigners attract attention whatever their behaviour. It goes without saying that, after falling over and giggling a lot, I still can’t go backwards properly. I did begin to get the hang of it though, so I am just going to have to go again soon; it’s hardly breaking the bank at 30p a time! I’d probably return just to see Paul skate backwards - he looked so camp as he bent his knees, positioned his hands like a begging dog, and wiggled his stuck-out bottom.

On a different note altogether, at lunch today I asked Monica, one of the girls in the office, about whether there had been any interest in my request to stay for ten days with a Chinese family. I asked Caroline a week ago whether a home-stay could be arranged for me, largely because I think living with a family that speaks little or no English would be very good for me. If I am forced to communicate in Mandarin, then I will definitely improve faster. Also, I think it is a once in a lifetime opportunity, to live in the way the Chinese live, if only for short while. Monica said she has had a few responses to the advertisements, so it’s a question of visiting the houses and seeing which one is suitable. Exciting!

It’s pretty cold here now and, whilst I wear thermals and big jumpers (very sexy), I have noticed that some of the people of Wuhu prefer to walk the streets and buy their fruit and veg in thickly padded pyjamas and welly boots. I thought it was quite amusing when, during the autumn, we saw all sorts of people donning teddy bear jim-jams on Walking Street, but this fashion takes it to a whole other level. I will endeavour to capture photographic evidence, although it may be difficult because my camera is not good in the dark and this is a predominantly nocturnal trend.

Last Thursday, I taught at No. 11 Middle School, and I am sure that’s when I picked up my current cold because I was freezing most of the morning, despite needing to shout for the majority of the time. Indeed, my heart sank when I was asked to cover Ahmir, who was sick, because at No. 11 Middle School (the name will stay with me forever, I’m sure) each class has 60 students and the older high-school kids are notoriously difficult to handle.

I taught at No. 11 for a few weeks at the start of term, and some of the younger students remembered me and ran after me calling my name, which was kind of sweet. Apart from that, it was not a particularly pleasant experience. I tried to get the older classes inspired and interested, but it was an uphill struggle, one which I am glad I don’t have to make every week, as Ahmir and Joe do.

Still, I think it’s a character building to face a huge room of teenagers, some of whom think it’s acceptable to listen to MP3s in class, some of whom declare their love for you, and most of whom just want to get on with other homework. The younger classes are enthusiastic, to be fair, so it wasn’t all bad. I just really prefer my own weekend classes, here in Aston. They’re a third of the size and much more manageable, which means I get a greater sense of gratification from the job.

The Christmas decorations went up in Aston this weekend. Fake tree, flashing lights, and bright colours. The Chinese students love it, but I can’t say it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Perhaps this scrouge-like sentiment stems from my knowledge that us foreigners will have to come up with a ‘performance’ of some sort for the Christmas party. There will be 500 people invited (it’s being held at a newly opened gym, which has enough space), and I will have to get all excited for their benefit and talk about how I usually spend Christmas day – hardly what I want to be doing when I am away from my family at this time!!! Indeed, what’s the point of a Christmas party without mulled wine and mince pies? Maybe I’ll come round to the idea nearer the time.

Nanjing

Nanjing is the ancient capital of China and is only 1.5 hours away from Wuhu. I had been meaning to go there for a while, mainly because the city boasts a number of historically interesting places and beauty spots, but also (I am not ashamed to admit) because we were told that western foods and wine are available in abundance. By western, I do not mean KFC but food that I eat at home, such as bread that isn't sweet or a chicken dish served without the bird's feet.

Last week, we both had two of the same days off, so Joe and I took a mini trip there. On the Wednesday morning we went to Kindergarten as usual (my lessons were on animals that day so, naturally, I sang a song about a elephant with a very long nose - hours of fun). Early that afternoon, we boarded the bus, allowing plenty of time to get to the station, unlike the mad rush of the last mini-trip I took. It felt a little bit like the start of the summer holidays for me because I hadn't been out of Wuhu since early October.

After our experience of Hang Zhou, when we were pretty disorganised, Joe and I had decided on a few places to go before we left and had even equipped ourselves with both Chinese- and English-language maps. Of course, we were not so naïve as to expect that a bit of forward-planning is enough to avoid all tourist-related problems in this country. Indeed, just finding the way out of the bus station proved to be a fairly difficult process.

Nevertheless, we remained confident that we could get ourselves to the museum of Nanjing - a must-see, according to Tony. The museum was opened to commemorate the atrocities of The Rape of Nanjing, the English name for when the Japanese attacked Nanjing in the 1940s. Our confidence was not unfounded because we did indeed find our way there. Unfortunately, the whole thing was closed for refurbishment, so the first stop on ‘Joe and Sarah's Day Of Fun' was a flop, and we were unable to learn more about why the Japanese are, to this day, very unwelcome in the city.

Undeterred, we made our way to the Fuzi Miao, the downtown area, which is pictured above. We got there at about 5pm so just had a look around and browsed the wares of the tourist shops. There is an ancient canal that runs through the city and, if we had had time, I would have like to take a pedalo in order to explore. However, it was getting dark and I think we both had dinner on our minds, so we soon set off to find the restaurant we'd chosen from the Lonely Planet Guide, a place run by English-speaking Germans.

The city was far bigger than we had I envisaged so finding it, like everything on the trip, it wasn't exactly easy. After walking for an hour and nearly giving up, we finally reached it. Unlike in Wuhu, the 'natives' didn't stare at us because they are used to the presence of foreigners. It was odd and quite refreshing to walk down the street and forget that you are an ethnic minority. However, it was just plain bizarre to walk into a restaurant when the only Chinese people are waiters, and even they served us like English waiters (i.e they gave us more than 10 seconds to decide what we wanted to eat).

I was so happy when I sipped on, or rather glugged down, my first glass of pinot grigio in months. The second glass helped my bruscetta and mussels go down nicely (a very welcome change from Chinese fare, as much as I like the food here). I could have gone on drinking there, but we decided to go onto a bar. The evening was really lovely, mainly because wine and chatting with a friend in one of my favourite pastimes [Below is a photo that sums up my utter delight, after rediscovering drinkable wine].


Once again, though, finding our way to the hotel was a challenge. The taxi driver dropped us off really nearby but sent us walking in the wrong direction, as did every other person we met. Consequently, we walked around for about half an a hour in the rain before we realised it should have taken us only 3 minutes. Maybe it was just the wine, but we found it really rather amusing.

The next day, we planned to go up Purple Mountain, after picking up our return train tickets from the station. I was genuinely delighted to be understood by the ticket lady first time, when I asked for the tickets - I must be improving if Nanjing-dialect-speaking Chinese ladies understand me! Somehow, we managed to work out how the subway works in Nanjing and also used the public buses to navigate around the city. The subway is very new and sparkly clean - it puts London to shame, it really does. By travelling this way, we saved a load of money - wherever you want to go in one direction cost 1 kuai - less than 10p!!! - and also, we felt a little less like clueless tourists.

To cut a long story short, our plans and hopes were once again dashed because the cable car (more like a ski-lift chair), that takes people up to the very top of the mountain, was not working when we eventually arrived at the summit. We saw two westerners who had literally just got off it, both complaining that they'd nearly been both scared and frozen to death, so our bad luck with the timing of our visit was just rubbed in further. I was genuinely gutted not to be able to go up, so we decided to walk up as far as we could on the path.

As it turned out, it was a great walk. The air was fresh and there were relatively few people around - something I particularly treasure in China. The photo above is of me, the intrepid explorer that I am with my backpack and handbag, fearlessly resting my foot on a stone amongst the bamboo trees. Below, Joe is standing at the very top of the observation tower from which we could see the city far below. I think he was trying to work out the direction of the wind (?!). It was quite interesting going up the tower because there were ancient Chinese instruments adorned with fiercesome dragons, once used to measure astrological stuff (I've forgotten the exact word). However, the sky was really cloudy that day, so we didn't miss out on a great view from the cable-car, just th chance to be very high and very cold.

Being tourists in a foreign city, it took us quite a long time to do everything, so we were unable to fit anything more in before we had head back to the train station for our 5pm train. I had never taken the train here before but, because it was only 8 kuai for the trip back, we thought it was worth trying. Despite being surrounded by Chinese people eating seeds and spitting the outsides on the carriage floor, the journey was fine - travelling by train is definitely something I would do again here because it is so crazily cheap.

It was good to get out of Wuhu and I had a lot of fun, but I want to return to Nanjing at some point, in order to do more of the things we couldn't the first time. There is an ancient wall that still runs around parts of the city (we saw parts of it) and a beautiful lake, both of which I want to see properly. Plus there are meant to be some bars that play good English-language music and have a real atmosphere (unlike anything in Wuhu). I have agreed with one of my teachers, Eva, to go together at some point - she is lovely and it might be a more successful trip if I go with a native speaker.

Chinese Wedding - 08/11/06

Apparently, Chinese couples are eager to kick-off their wedding day as early as possible because it is considered lucky to do so. Another widely held belief is that the 8th day of 11th month is a particularly auspicious day on which to get married – something relating to wealth, I think. Accordingly, on Wednesday 8 November, Joe and I met Tony (our Chinese friend from Aston) at 6am outside our apartment block. From there we headed straight to Tony’s house in order to be ready for a lucky 6.30am start.

Poor Tony was visibly excited/nervous/emotional about his sister’s wedding day– he couldn’t sit still. After his Mum offered us Chinese tea, cakes and sweets, for which we had no appetite, Tony explained his duties for the morning (more about which will follow); this helped us understand his state of anxiousness.

Not long afterwards, Wang Yi Kuan, appeared from having her make-up done, dressed in white and looking lovely. After we were quickly introduced and gave to her our wedding gift (cash in a red envelope is what is expected here – no messing around with presents chosen from a John Lewis wish-list – the bride went into her room and hid behind the bed.

If Tony hadn't explained to me the point of this stage of the wedding, I would probably have been mildly perturbed by this behaviour. Thankfully, however, I did understand that a Chinese Bride is traditionally supposed to play ‘hard-to-get’ (the extreme version) until her fiancée has paid enough money for her. Once her family are satisfied that they have got a good deal for their daughter, they will allow her to leave for her new marital home, thus passing into the bosom of a new family.

We knew that this bartering was about to begin as soon as we heard the first round of fireworks that were set off in the courtyard outside. It was ever so exciting. Everyone (by which I mean those in Tony’s flat but also, I am sure, every living soul in the local area) was rushing back and forth to the windows to witness the deafening display of firecrackers. Soon after, there was heavy banging on the front door and the groom’s posse (which included square-jawed men who chain smoked, wore white gloves and were hired to oversee the occasion) started posting red envelopes of money under the door.

I found the whole thing fantastic fun to watch. Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect next (I could barely think over the noise of the fireworks) so I just stood with Joe on the sidelines and stared, agog, as Wang Yi Kuan’s friends, sister and mother all militantly shouted their replies to the banging, insisting that more money was necessary.

It was only when fireworks were let off under the front door that the groom, Zhang Shou Hua, was able to barge his way in. My photography doesn’t do justice to the drama. Eventually, the bride and groom were allowed to be reunited and exchange rings, which was really lovely. However, this was only after Tony’s heroic running jump and dive to get to his sister’s bedroom door before the Zhang Shou Hua could enter. There was lots of joking and laughing, and then the hired photographer began taking photos, thus marking the end of the first part of the wedding day.

Joe and I had found it all absolutely fascinating, but I did felt a little out of place in this relatively small (if extremely loud and attention-seeking) party, especially as we had met the bride only minutes earlier. For this reason I was completely shocked when Tony’s sister invited us to be in her early-morning wedding photos, while even her close friends were not. Paul later explained that we ought to appreciate that having foreigners at a wedding in Wuhu is on a par with having a minor celebrity at your wedding in England; you’d want them in your photos!

After smiling sheepishly for the cameras, Joe and I rushed down to the courtyard in order to get a good spot to watch as Tony carried his sister down the 4 or 5 flights of stairs to the wedding car. This was the duty he had practiced over and over in the previous few days, and about which he had got so anxious (he is a very slight guy and all eyes in the local community were on him, so it’s understandable!). At this point, more fireworks were set off in the courtyard, making it appear as though Tony was evacuating his family from a minefield.

It was about 7.30 by the time we left for the newly-weds’ new home. According to tradition, the brides’ parents (in this case, just her Mum) have to stay behind, which I found quite harsh because the poor lady was in tears due to the emotion of the day. A big convoy of black cars made their way across town and we spent the hour before we had to leave for work (teaching in Kindergarten) at the new house. Joe and I couldn’t help but laugh when we noticed the hired cameraman standing up, his body sticking up out of the first wedding car to film the cars that followed – now that’s dedication!!

While we chatted and had more photos at the new house, Joe and I were made to eat boiled eggs (to bring us good fortune, naturally). The new house contained brand-new everything, and had studio-staged photographic portraits of the couple hanging all over the place (a normal practice here, it seems ).

One experience I had at this point in the wedding, which I shall never forget, was sitting on the loo next to a live-and-clucking chicken that was being stored in a coal sack for the next day. I had been told about this before I entered the room so it could have been worse, but I still found myself making girly squeals as I left the room as promptly as possible. The reason behind the presence of this bagged bird was that it was due to be given as a thank-you gift to the Bride’s mother, for bringing her up and caring for her until this point. How touching!

We rejoined the wedding later on in the day, in time for the evening meal. Tao, Stewart and Jamie also came to the restuarant. That was good, not least because we could all be stared at together. Compared with the morning, the meal was rather non-eventful. I had hideous red wine, chuckled as the boys stuck a cigarette into the greasy beak of our table's roast duck, and avoided eating the dish of pig's tongue. It was very cool to be part of the celebration and we has a laugh. I think I will certainly remember the day for its morning, although the post-meal games that were played back at the new house (once again the foreigners were invited to this intimate affair) were also pretty memorable:

Although the whole thing was far more sober than you’d expect in England, the bride and groom were instructed to play numerous cheeky but fairly innocent games in front of their guests in their bedroom. One game included the couple having to take toothpicks out of a cupcake using only their mouths, whilst it hanged between them from a string; because they were taking turns to do this, it meant the rather spiky cake kept swinging into their faces. Rather funny to watch!
Overall, the day was a mix of the bizarre and the delightful, and I am so pleased I was invited to be part of it.

Confusion, censorship...China!

Joe and I have had our google blogs blocked in China - we can't even view what's already there! I was actually quite put out by this petty (and futile) act of censorship, but both Joe and I refuse to be silenced indefinitely. Consquently, we've both started up new blogs on a site that is deemed acceptable to the authorities here.

In the last few weeks I have done a number of things that I would have liked to blog, including attending a Chinese Wedding and visiting the ancient (once the capital) city of China, Nanjing. I did write a couple of blog entires, including one about the wedding, in Word documents. Therefore, after my Chinese lesson, which starts in a few mins, i'll just cut and paste and also upload some photos... S x

PS. My profile photograph is supposed to be me looking pensive with chopsticks, as I consider what to blog next - y'see?! Below is a photograph of me and Tao sitting in a restaurant that serves delicious, spicy fish in a big metal bowl. You can see our bowl in the photo that's hanging behing us. Indeed, the first time we went to this place, they took photos of us for advertising purposes - 'look, foreigners eat here!'. They gave us our first meal for free, so we promised to return and pay the next time. When we did go back, we found that they had blown up two of the photographs and hung them on the walls of the tiny little place. I had to have a photo of that - only in Wuhu would this happen!

Catch-up post

I have been unable to blog for a while due to google's ‘maintenance problems'. Unfortunately, I've forgotten many of the things that I would have blogged so I'll just write a couple of things that now come to mind.

Last Wednesday night I made my first visit to the tea house near Wuhu's Buddhist temple. I felt ever so civilised as I sipped my Jasmine tea (actually really nice, despite my reservations about what I see as 'healthy' teas). Whilst Englishmen go to the pub to catch up with mates, the Chinese chat over tea, surrounded by beautifully carved wooden furniture and water features. I was delighted to embrace this thriving tradition with Joe, however much I also would have liked a glass of pinot grigio.

On Saturday I played badminton with Merim, Kaori and Fang Fang (who is taught Japanese by Kaori). Considering I usually avoid all net/ball/bat-related sports, I was mildly amused to find myself in a taxi on the way to the public courts of Wuhu's Olympic Stadium. However, I will happily admit that I enjoyed it a lot, despite my quite dire ability with a shuttlecock. Team sports are such good outlets for competitive urges, so, once over the initial confidence shortage, I really got into it.

The next evening, we were invited for homemade dumplings at Fang Fang's house. I have found that the people of Wuhu will invite you to eat in their home even if they barely know you, and this was not an exception – I had only met this sweet (if unusually energetic) girl two days before. Nevertheless, her mother had made an enormous amount of food and she'd even bought red wine, which I doubt she drinks very often herself.

Really, apart from other such relatively inconsequential events, things have been‘as normal’ here. We didn't celebrate Halloween, both because the Chinese don't and because we boycotted the only Halloween party we knew of (the boys really don't like the Canadian guy who organised it and I wasn't prepared to dress up on my own).

I am spending a large proportion of my time learning Chinese. By that, I refer to time spent in lessons and private study, but also times such as the two hours sat in MacDonald's yesterday, being taught the lyrics of a Chinese popsong by Tao. Actually, I think learning songs is quite a good way to do it because you pick up new words while also having a giggle – marvellous. I honestly don’t care if I sound like a crazy person – I will sing in MacDonald's every night if that's what it takes to learn this bloody language. Besides, people can’t possibly stare anymore if they tried, so singing makes no difference.

This morning after teaching at Kindergarten, as Joe and I were walking along the road with our Chinese colleagues, Eva and Lucy, we saw a big black dog in a cage. Having wandered around a market full of caged animals, during my quest for pot plants about a month ago, I was not in any way surprised by this. However, I was genuinely upset when Eva informed us that this particular dog, caged in unsuspecting ignorance, was almost certainly headed for the bowls of the restaurant it sat outside. Indeed, along that road there are many restaurants-come-street stalls, where food (vegetables and noodles, as well as the live offerings) is displayed and cooked outside and diners tuck into their egg-fried rice and dog meat inside. Yum.

My appetite returned not long after, thankfully, and this evening Joe and Ahmir showed Paul, Merim and me a crazy food stall market, which is off a main road I have walked along many times. Once you've stepped through the near-circular brick wall entrance you are met with a dirty looking narrow street, full of people walking through or queuing up by stalls that cook dishes over open flames or in brick ovens. I had chicken (served on a stick, like most meat in this country) and a huge vegetable pancake wrap thing, which was prepared in front of us. It tasted good, so it was easy to forget that the sticky batter mix was tipped on to the heat from a red bucket with which I wouldn’t want to clean my floors. I am definitely going back to that market because my whole meal cost me 4 kuai – not much more that 30p!!!
I will try and post some more photos on soon; maybe including one of the food market and my meat lollipops x

My first Chinese Wedding!

I have been invited to a Chinese wedding! Tony, one of the assistants at Aston, has invited Joe and me to his sister’s big day, which is on 9 November - I feel so honoured! Of course, my first thought was ‘where can I buy a hat?’ but, apparently, weddings here are not as formal as the English equivalents. In fact, I have been told that they are very different to traditional British Christian weddings, so it should be a fantastic experience. According to Paul, who went to a wedding here about 9 months ago, a Chinese bride gets changed into numerous different dresses throughout the day. This may explain why there are so many wedding dress shops in Wuhu.

Joe told me about this invitation mid-way through my teaching on Sunday, which lifted my already good mood. Indeed, I had a really good weekend of teaching and enjoyed every lesson (when the kids respond well to my lesson plans my spirits are always lifted). For example, it was particularly entertaining hearing the results of my ‘Supergoal 2’ students, who I asked to come up with their own cockney rhyming slang (!).

I have had my morning Chinese class and, because the weather is glorious today, I am keen to go out for a run. It’s a cool but sunny day with blue skies – perfect for a run, methinks. According to one of the two English teachers who turned up for their lesson on Saturday, the weather here is abnormally mild for the time of year – we shouldn’t still be walking around without jumpers on! Abnormal or not, I’m just pleased it’s not the British-style autumnal rains and grim, darkening evenings. To make the most of this, after Joe gets out of his lesson I am going to take him to Zhe Shan park to show him my 40minute run. The spinning is more fun when we go together, so I’m sure the run will be good, too (if he can keep up – haha ha!).

A lesson on frazzling the brain

I should be in a lesson right now, but only two English teachers turned up this week so the lesson was cut short. Admittedly, two students represents a 100% rise from last week's total but we agreed that an hour of chatting was sufficient. I helped them with some phrases, colloquialisms and idioms that they had come across but had not quite understood. It's only when you are asked to explain the English language, with all its exceptions and obscurities, that you realise how difficult it must be to learn!
I went to KTV last night with a large mixed group of Chinese and foreign people. Some of the Chinese assistants, including one of my teachers, came along, which was cool because they are our age. Sometimes, so I have been told, they don't feel very comfortable around foreigners in situations where we are babbling at native-speaking speed, which is totally understandable. However, last night it worked well and we all chatted (or, rather, shouted over the tuneful/tuneless noises of karaoke) together. I was so delighted when one of the girls (whose English name is Fairy- they come up with all sorts of names for themselves) announced that the assistants think my Chinese is really progressing.
I have been doing so much studying in the last two weeks, so that comment meant a lot! I currently have 3 hours on Monday, Tuesdays, Thursday and Friday mornings at Aston, plus Tao is giving Kaori (Japanese lady in our flat) and me a two-hour lesson every Tuesday and Thursday evening. It's so nice of her to do this but Tao insists that she likes to do this for her friends. On Thursday we sat in MacDonald's (the quieter one of the two in Wuhu) and drank coffee (free refills, so good for studying) whilst we studied. It frazzles your brain a bit to exercise your memory in this way, but frequent practice is the only way to learn, I'm sure. At every opportunity, I am speaking all the Chinese I can, even if the sentences come out as an odd mix of English and Chinese!
I have a lesson in 15 minutes so I must go now. The students are 7/8 year olds and they are learning about numbers and money at the moment. I am going to take in some British money, which should rouse their interest for at least 20 seconds. I also spent ages producing some cards for a card game to play with them, so I really hope it works and that they are not too young to understand.

Old Bookstore Street

I think I should describe my immediate surroundings, largely because it might say something about Wuhu more generally, but also because I have a bit of time to kill before my Chinese lesson:
As a foreign English teacher (I am now officially of that title; I have my own business cards!) I live in one part of the sixth floor of a high-rise building (that's a lot of steps to climb, every time). The other part of this floor contains Aston Language Centre's offices, a 'library' and about six classrooms, so I don't have very far to commute in the mornings.

Our building also contains offices and a hotel. Apparently, at the main entrance of the block, there is a sign advertising the cost of a two-hour stay at this hotel. Of course, I can't read the Chinese characters so the seediness passes me by, but I hear it is popular haunt of loved-up university students (they share rooms in tiny dormitories, where quiet, let alone privacy, is rarely attainable).

Aston is situated on Old Bookstore Street, imaginatively named after the bookstore that once stood here. Since those days, many other buildings have been built around the site but the book-selling continues. As you walk along this short street, therefore, it's often necessary to squeeze past the numerous shoppers who stand by the book stalls, perusing the pages of Chinese books (many of which I think are counterfeits) and eating snacks from a couple of nearby food stalls. These often include sausages on a stick (they cannot get enough of food on sticks here!), the smell of which emanates quite enticingly from the end of the street that brings you out near the main shopping area, Walking Street. Below is the view of the street from my room.

The books for sale lay on tables that stand with their proprietors under umbrellas or canvases. Everyday the booksellers, most of whom no longer exude youthful spriteliness, unload their books from old carts that have two wheels and can be pulled or attached to a bike (I think). At the end of the day, around six, the books are reloaded onto the carts and taken to an unknown location for the night. That's what happens outside this building, every single day. I must now go to my lesson.
PS. I have seen at least 10 people walking around in pajamas since I last blogged.
PPS. Below is a picture of the statue of the Chairman in Zheshan Park. Mao looks out on the lake overseeing the goings-on of the park.

Sunday night slump

I have just watched Forrest Gump. Merim and Ahmir b0ught the DVD for us to watch, mainly out of utter disbelief that I had reached the age of 21 without seeing this film. In a way, I do feel that my life has been enriched –'Forrest - Forrest Gump' is just so endearing and there are more than enough quirky comedy moments to keep a person engrossed for nearing 3 hours.

In fact, it was just was just what I needed after completing my weekend teaching slog. Apart from Kindergarten on Wednesday mornings, all my lessons are squished together on Saturdays and Sundays – days that sometimes feel like a relentless, blurred procession of students.

On Saturday morning, I woke up to teach my English teachers in our 8.20-10am lesson. However, only one teacher turned up (it is only a voluntary class and I think, quite understandably, the rest didn’t really feel like getting up and climbing six floors that early on a Saturday) so it ended up being a one-to-one chat. It's a shame because I had planned the lesson in quite a bit of depth; I was looking forward to hearing my students’ views on marriage and the roles of women and men within the institution.

Of course, I do not expect such engaging conversation from the rest of my classes, nor do I ever get it. Instead, I am most often confronted with over-excited children whose parents wait outside the classrooms during the 100minute lessons (sometimes, I’m convinced I can hear them pawing at the door), eager to know how well their only, precious child is doing. To be fair, the older children are not nearly as loud, especially as the classes are smaller and many of them have a real interest in learning the language (as opposed to being dragged their by their parents). I will say, however, that poor Grant, my assistant this morning, nearly lost his voice as he strained to get 24 six-year olds to do as we wanted.

On Saturday, after teaching, Joe and I did one hour’s spinning. I had no desire to go beforehand but I am so glad I did – I felt much better afterwards. We were only going to do 45 minutes, but when you are with someone else and there are great tunes being pumped out (Chinese dance music is something that really ought not be missed – especially the remixes of western songs) it is so much easier to keep going.

It's an odd place, our gym. I don't think that many people can afford to go ( it's cheap compared with British prices, but expensive here), so it is usually very quiet. However, when there are others working out, it is very likely that they will not be wearing sports gear as we define it. I have seen many men without tops on and one guy wore absolutely nothing on his feet whilst he plodded away on the running machine. You just wouldn’t see that in England – health and safety, hygiene and fashion snobbery dictates a scary amount.

Talking about fashion, I have of late noticed increasing numbers of people wearing pajamas in the streets and supermarkets of Wuhu. Bright and colourful jim-jam ensembles are paraded around by young and old alike. Joe and I went to Walmart the other day and were stared at by a woman in a pink pair of pajamas. She looked at us as if we were the strange ones (we were both wearing jeans) and didn't take her eyes off us even as she descended to the ground level. Partly as a result, on Friday night we decided as a group that we might just follow suit. The plan is to walk around Wuhu, on a day yet to be decided, in our pajamas (apparently you can get reasonably-priced thicker bedclothes for winter, so we won’t be cold), maybe do a spot of shopping and grab something to eat, and then perhaps take a leisurely walk around Mirror Lake. It sounds good to me – When in Rome and all that.

Now my weekend of teaching is over, it’s back to thinking about learning. I felt a bit overloaded with Chinese lessons by the end of last week so it was cool to have a break. However, I do think I am learning in the lessons, albeit slowly, and I know I wouldn’t put in the required work if I were teaching myself, so I am still sure it’s all worth while.

A few more photos of Wuhu

Ahmir and I were taken to Zheshan park during the first week we were here by Rex and Neo. It is a twenty minute walk away from the centre and contains Wuhu's public exercise machines, a fine statue of Mao, many fairground rides, a few mini man-made lakes, a tower (from the top of which you have a 360 degree view of the city) and also a Buddhist Temple. Actually, during this first visit it was raining so I didn't get to see a lot of the park, but there are two photos here that give an idea of what it's like. I was particularly fond of this statue, but there were a few others on the way up to the temple that were nearly as good.

On Tuesday this week I returned to the park and got to see the aforementioned attractions on what became a two hour walk. I think I am going to have to reconsider this as a place to go for runs (the gym is fine but the scenery isn't massively inspiring). It is definitely large enough, with loads of steps and paths, to make decent running terrain - if I really tried, I could imagine I was in the Bourne Woods at home! This time, there were a lot of people there, mainly older men and women, and what looked like a traditional Chinese play was being held near the entrance. The actresses were dressed-up in elaborate and colourful costumes, and their audiences were crowded around them as though they were about to reveal a great secret (Chinese people really do have a very different sense of personal space to us Brits!). Unfortuantely, I was without my camera so I just walked past, listening to the tradtional Chinese instruments being played nearby, and stared just as openly at the actresses as everyone seems happy to stare at me.

On another occasion, Rex showed me Ting Tang Park (fantastic name). There were literally no other visitors in the park that day. One bloke was painting a Chinese dragon on a mural on a wall, but that was about as much activity that we found there - not that I am complaining. However, I was told on 'good authority' a few days after the visit that the little huts, which are dotted in the water of Ting Tang Park's lake, sometimes house prostitutes and their, er, clients, so perhaps my visit was unrepresentatively tranquil? This is a photo of me on one of the bridges at the Park. They seem to like zig-zag bridges here.

I am supposed to be going out now, so I can't blog anymore. It takes so much time to do this (slow connection here) that I can only upload pictures a few at a time. Below is a night time shot of Walking Street - very typically Chinese, methinks. x

Consequences, recognition and a plastic tree

Due to the national vacation, I taught on Friday and Saturday last week, instead of Saturday and Sunday. I focused on injecting some creative and/or competitive opportunities into my lessons this weekend, largely because the students work so very hard at school and this was supposed to be their vacation, but also because it makes the 100 minutes pass a bit faster. On Sunday, we played the classic family game of Consequences. I could play this with my siblings for hours as a child and it rarely failed to amuse us. Thankfully, the students also enjoyed it and we ended up with some very amusing scenarios after unfolding the pieces of paper to discover ‘where they met’, ‘what she said’, ‘what they did’ etc.

In one of the lessons, one boy announced that he’d seen me on TV recently and inquired as to whether I did actually like the Moon Cake I had made. I must say that one passing comment in a lesson of only 18 people was hardly the level of recognition and fame that I had come to expect from my TV debut. I have received no offers of further work, nor any fan mail; I haven’t even been stopped in the street. Do they not realize who I am?

Yesterday, I dedicated the morning to learning Chinese from the book I bought in Wuhu’s Foreign Book Shop. I was pretty impressed with my concentration span because it held up, despite the jazzed-up airport lounge version Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ (among other musical gems) sifting its way through my open window from the hidden speakers of the Mirror Lake area. Have they not got bored of that song by now?! Titanic was release about a decade ago!!!! A thirteen year-old boy responded to my question about the future, in a lesson on Friday, by saying that he believed ‘My Heart Will Go On’ will be one of those songs that people will still be listening to in fifty years. I am not joking; he was deadly serious.

Last night I went to a new restaurant on Restaurant Street with Joe, Ahmir, Paul and Kaori. It looked fairly normal as we entered and were shown to the table. For example, there were a lot of hanging red lanterns, which are often used as decoration here. However, when I sat down the first thing I noticed was the life-size plastic oak tree that occupied a large area near the stairs, its smooth branches looked as though they were baring the weight of the ceiling. The next thing was that there was a big TV screen nearby, showing food being prepared and eaten – that’s a bit strange, surely?! As my eyes moved further around, I noticed a small table sitting on a little raised platform under some regal-looking columns. Apparently, this is where the married couple eat when weddings are held at this restaurant. Chinese people often base their wedding in a restaurant, as opposed to a religious building or registry office, so I suppose some restaurants are permanently geared up to these ‘big days’.

After doing our best to order what we wanted and paying upfront (I wonder if they'd ask the happy couple to hand over their cash in this way, too?), we tucked into steamed dumplings and other dishes. I was very happy with all this, despite the slightly surreal surroundings, until the man on a nearby table came up to us, laughing, to point out the rat that had just run passed. I hardly think the presence of the odd rat is any different from many English restaurants, but it was the icing on the proverbial cake – I felt obliged to write about this particular Wuhu event!

I am just about to go to the gym now, after a Monday morning of Chinese lessons. Joe wants me to teach him spinning and the inevitable competitive element of spinning in a pair will make the whole thing more fun, I'm sure.

First photographic mini-tour of Wuhu and the plant/pet market

Now that I am able to place photos on this blog, I have taken the opportunity to photograph Wuhu from the windows of our twelth-floor flat (the photo to the right was taken from my bedroom this morning - you can just see Mirror Lake behind the trees) and also from an old section of Wuhu that Rex showed me yesterday. I decided that a walk in the sun (the weather is still very warm here) and Rex's mum's cooking might help me feel a bit better after my tummy bug episode, so it was an offer I gladly accepted. What was particularly lovely, if not so good for my recovering stomach, was that Rex's Mum (I cannot remember her Chinese name - arhh!) remembered I like red wine, so she bought some especially (they don't drink much of it here so I actually had to open the bottle to show them how to break in!). We happily drank it together, although I'm not sure rex was a fan, and she said she actually liked it more than chinese alcohol, so I think I have a convert!

Regarding the 'old district' of Wuhu (which is pictured below), Rex is sure that it, along with all old areas in Wuhu, will not survive for more than a few more years. There is so much construction going on in this city (like throughout most of China, as far as I can tell) and the government have no qualms about pulling down old buildings and re-housing people, at a scarily quick pace.

The image of the old town is an interesting contrast to the area in which we live (the centre). Indeed, Wuhu's shopping district is largely modern and, according to those who have travelled, looks much like any other Chinese city: the neon lights, high-rise buildings, street stalls next to KFC, crazy taxi drivers and hoards of bustling, queue-jumping shoppers. There are what might be described as more 'run-down' areas right next to our building (pictured below, from the bathroom window), but generally the centre is far more modern and new than its sprawling suburbs. What I think is fantastic about living here, as opposed to visiting it whilst backpacking across China, is that you get a chance to see far more areas of the place; I am sure I will be learning new things about this city until the day I leave!

Apropos new sights of Wuhu, Joe, Ahmir and I were taken to a market this afternoon by Rex. I had asked him where I might be able to find some plants to make my room more homely, so he led us only a little way from Walking Street, behind the buildings that look over the far side of Mirror Lake, into what appeared to be a combined plant and pet covered market. The first thing that struck me were the animals, not the potted greenery. There were fish, guinea pigs, rabbits, turtles, terripines, cats, dogs (from tiny yappy dogs to two fully-grown golden retrievers) and much more. The apalling thing was that most of them were squeezed into cages that were far too small for them - it just would not be allowed in England. I am no animal activist, but my first impulse was to buy all the dogs and take them home with me to care for properly. Of course that wouldn't have been particularly wise, so I stopped myself and continued, deeper into this bizarre, hidden market.

Retrospectively, I feel quite guilty for having effectively dimissed suffering animals in order to obtain a couple of pot plants. However, my attention was indeed diverted when I undertook my first ever attempt at bartering in Chinese. I will happily admit that it actually gave me a bit of a buzz getting a 25% discount on a tiny little chinese tree/plant with pink flowers, using only my own feeble Chinese mixed with animated body language. That I could actually communicate with the little old lady who sold it to me was sooo cool, considering Mandarin is proving so bloody difficult to learn!

One last point before I go is that, although I am certain that the Chinese do not treat their animals/pets anywhere near as well as they should, they do have a healthy understanding and appreciation of the link between animals and food. For example, on my way to the gym today, I saw two separate shoppers holding bags of freshly killed chickens - their feathers and heads etc were still very much present, despite the bags squishing them up a little bit - which I presumed were to be eaten over a celebratory Mid-autumn Day meal. Contrastingly, I am sure that there is a large proportion of people in Britain who make only the vaguest connection between the breast fillets they idly place in their shopping basket in Tescos and the actual bird from which it was torn. Having said that, I will never eat chicken's head, however accustomed I become to these Chinese ways.

Joe's Birthday, Chairman Mao's Restaurant, Hangzhou and Dodgy Hargen Dars

On Friday it was Joe's birthday. He had to teach during the day, unfortunately, but in the afternoon the assistants presented him with a dark chocolate and cream birthday cake (yum!) and we had a really good evening, too. Starting at the HongKong restaurant, we then went back to the flat for a while and played drinking games (at points I was hysterical with laughter) as more people arrived. I have a few amusing photos of that night and I'll try and post them soon. Joe wanted to go to karaoke because it's so much fun when there's a big group of friends doing it. It was indeed much fun and, once again, we finished the night at the Overseas Students' Garden - there's really not a great choice here! (Above photo : Stuart, Jamie and Tony loving the drinking games; Below , Stuart, Rex and Ahmir at Karaoke)The next night, Joe's friend Tom, his girlfriend Izzy (who are teaching English and studying Chinese in Shanghai and who'd joined us for his birthday) , Joe and I all went out for a meal to Chairman Mao's restaurant. This is located on Restaurant street and inside there is a massive golden bust of the former Chinese dictator and red-coloured decoration everywhere. The menu explains (in English as well as Chinese!) that Mao had visited the restaurant once and every dish mentions him for some reason or another - i.e. Chairman Mao liked to eat this because it is particularly nutritious. The Chairman obviously had good taste because the food was delicious. Aside from the food, though, it was so nice to have a chat with Izzy, a female native-English speaker (so rare!!!) who was intelligent, well-travelled and really reminded me of Sara Priestly (fellow Goldney resident who studied Law at Bristol). That evening, I spoke to Mum for the first time since arriving in China. I was a bit concerned that it might generate feelings of homesickness but, thankfully, I was just delighted to hear from her and it made me feel closer to home than further away.

Temporarily fast-forwarding from Saturday's to Tuesday's events, I woke up this morning and immediately feared I might be unable to cope with the five-hour return journey from Hangzhou to Wuhu that lay ahead, after having been sick during the night and developing a most horrid head- and backache. Actually, I'm surprised it has taken a full month for me to pick up a tummy bug, considering the sorts of new foods I have consumed(amongst the most notable being cow's stomach, a mackerel lollipop and ducks' feet) and the sorts of establishments (including one or two of the many open stalls that line the streets of Wuhu) from which I have consumed them.

Falling ill was not my ideal way to end the trip, but then its beginning was hardly desirable either. I bought the coach tickets to Hangzho last week (a five hour return trip cost us less than twelve pounds each) and told my travelling companions, Merim, Joe and Ahmir, that we needed to leave the flat at 9.15am on Sunday morning, in order to get to the coach station in plenty of time to make our 9.50am coach. At 9.06 I double-checked that I had packed my ticket and noticed that, actually, departure time was half an hour earlier than I had thought. To cut a panicked, hurried story short(er), we all legged it down the twelve flights of stairs from our flat into a passing taxi and managed to board the coach with literally less than a minute to spare!

It took me a little while to collect myself after that, but as we left Wuhu I began to read Lolita. I had heard of this book before and was curious to check it out. To my delight it is quite engrossing and wonderfully written, but I have been pretty shocked by the content though! For this reason, I barely noticed the scenery outside the coach. Joe informed me afterwards that I missed out, because much of it was fantastic. I did notice the mountains we drove through and some of the rural homes and farms. The mountains were covered in the sorts of trees that, to me, are always in the background of images of quintessential rural China.

Upon arrival in Hangzhou, we got into a taxi and showed the driver the piece of paper that detailed the name and address of our hotel (the Chinese assistants at Aston had printed this out for us in order to make the process easier). The taxi driver, understandably, had a bit of a chuckle at this point and then pointed behind him; the hotel was about 300 metres away! I am getting used to this feeling of complete ignorance and helplessness here. We did manage to check-in and find our rooms, though. We did not know what to expect, but the hotel was pretty nice. Nicer than a Holiday Inn anyway, and much cheaper! The cheapest accommodation had been unavailable because, due to the October Vacation when the whole of China is on the move, these places get full up very quickly.

We made our way into the city centre in the late afternoon. We hadn't eaten since leaving Wuhu so hunting down food was a priority. Like most visitors, were gravitated towards West Lake or 'Xi Hu', which is the main tourist attraction of the city. In fact, this lake is amongst the most famous in China, according to the Lonely Planet Guide. During our stay we came to understand why this was, but our mission for food took us first into a nearby Tea House. It transpired that we had wandered into an All-you-can-eat establishment; you buy your (rather expensive) tea and then can gorge yourself at the buffet. This concept suited our empty stomachs well, but as people who pride themselves on our polite English tradition of queueing, the dog-eat-dog reality of this system was not so wonderful. We soon learned that Chinese can be lethal with their chopsticks, especially when choice dishes such as chickens' claws and spring rolls are there for the taking. I must say, I thought it was just us Westerners who were greedy with our food, but from witnessing the all-you-can eat madness of that Hangzhou TeaHouse, I am now not so sure.

We wondered around the lake after dinner and watched a great fountain display from the water's edge, but it is about 3km in diameter so we only walked around a little bit that evening (and hid behind trees, as demonstrated in the above photo with Joe and Ahmir) It was pretty busy but not as hectic as we had feared. I had thought that there might be more foreigners in this tourist hot spot, but it seemed that we attracted just as much attention in Hangzhou. I'd say about five or six separate groups of people asked to have their photos taken with us during our stay (they all do that V sign with their fingers - what an amusing cliche!) and many more called out 'Hello' and giggled as if they were being really original.

We decided to go to a Jazz Cafe for a drink afterwards. Everything is more expensive during this vacation week and our drinks' prices reflected this. Still, I enjoyed the live jazz, even if the boys took an instant dislike to the arty-looking westerners that had also found this bar and sat nearby. It did indeed seem like a place that people go to be seen, unfortunately, and no-one was dancing or even moving to the music, as you would expect when live music is playing.

The next morning (Monday), Joe and I got up early and made our way back to West Lake, in the hope of beating the crowds. Ahmir and Merim are not early birds so the plan was that they'd meet us later. I am so glad we did walk around the lake earlier because it wasn't too busy at 8.30am (comparatively speaking) and so we could really enjoy the scenery in relative peace. The landscaping is well done, with all sorts of trees and plants and places to sit, and the backdrop of mountains and temples was stunning. It took us nearly three hours to get all the way around and, once we had, I was in real need of my first coffee of the day! The only main irritation on the walk was the presence of little golf-style buggies that drive around the lake carrying tourists and constantly beep in a tuneless way as they push past the pedestrians - arghh!

The afternoon was less fun than the morning in Hangzhou. We had a very cheap lunch from the street stalls, which most people seemed to be doing and consisted of tofu on a stick with chilly and corn on the cob (the Chinese love food on a stick) - far more healthy than the offerings you would expect at tourist attractions in England! Everything, from pedal boats to entry into temples, was expensive and we couldn't understand the bus system so we couldn't get to the botanic garden either. We actually ended up walking round the whole Lake again, which was ridiculous and far less fun with so many people doing the same thing. It was packed with tourists and golf-buggies so, by 6pm, we were all delighted to find a curry house in which to have dinner and rest our aching feet. I had a vegetarian Thai curry (ironically, I thought I would try to lower my chances of eating anything dodgy by avoiding meat), which was delicious. It was in a mad restaurant with vines on the ceiling, brightly-coloured, eclectic decoration and a group of quite talented singers/guitar player/tambourine player - this made us all perk up!

After dinner we sat for ages at an outside cafe that was sandwiched between Armini, Hermes and other designer shops on one side and the Lake on the other. It was really relaxing and the people-watching wasn't bad either. The only irritation, but also a source of amusement, was the serious way that the Chinese policeman berated people who were walking on the grass nearby. He stood there for ages, taking himself far too seriously, and we couldn't help but take the piss a little bit.

Obviously I have no way of telling what we ate that made both Merim and me throw up last night (or make me run to the toilet twice the night before, thinking I was going to be sick), but we both indulged in some Hargen Dars ice cream while we sat at the cafe and, seeing as this is the only thing that we both ate that the others did not, there must be a slim possibility that it was that which poisoned us - how funny it would be, if that were true and western food was the culprit!

The evening for Joe and myself ended with a difficult taxi drive home. The driver clearly did not understand which qi che zhan (coach station) we meant - there are numerous ones in hangzhou. Eventually we got back, but it was quite frustrating being unable to communicate and feeling, yet again, pretty vulnerable in a strange city. Merim and Ahmir stayed in the centre, ended up in a club and got back to the hotel at 3ish in the morning. Unsurprisingly, none of us apart from joe perhaps, felt that happy about the trip home, but we got back and all felt great fondness towards 'our' city and flat. I have drunk loads of water this afternoon and feel much better. I just hope my appetite returns properly soon so I can return to Chairman Mao's restaurant asap. x

Counterfeit Paradise?

Last night I bought a memory stick for my digital camera, so I can now start taking pictures properly. If I had wanted to go into the Sony shop and buy one it would have been easy, especially as the shops stay open until about 9pm here, every day. However, Tao (the Chinese girlfriend of a Scottish guy who arrived here in february to teach English, and has decided to stay for a year), has a cousin who's 'in the business' and got me a memory stick for 180 Kuai. I think that is about fifteen pounds and, although I am not a hundred per cent sure it is authentic Sony, I could not decline her help and kindness and the stick seems to work perfectly.

Not only did she get hold of this memory stick for me, but she also picked me up on her moped on her way home from work (it's hilarious/terrifying to brave the roads of Wuhu on an electric moped!), and took me to her home where we ate dinner with her family. Once again, I tried foods I had never come across before, most of which were delicious. Apparently, cows stomach is good for girls' skin so, of course, I had to try some! I have noticed that Chinese people will often pick up the best bits of the dish with their chopsticks and place it in the little bowl of their guest or elder or friend. I had numerous things placed into my bowl last night - they are so hospitable here and I was invited to come back any time.

On the way back into the centre of town, Tao pointed out a little shop that sold DVDs and mentioned that any time I want to get a really cheap DVD (i.e counterfeit) she knows the guy who works there and, at night, would be happy to sell them to me. I must point out at this point that Tao is 24, very bright, speaks great English (helped by having an English-speaking boyf.) and is a trainee accountant working in a bank. It was really lovely to spend the evening with a girl, I must say!

After she dropped me off, I met up with the boys and went for a drink in the Overseas Student Garden. We are always a bit worried about going there because there's a Canadian teacher, jason, who works at another language school and frequents this bar but we really don't like him. He is tall, loud, nearing 40 and usually likes to dominate a conversation/room, plus he seems not to like China or the Chinese, which doesn't ingratiate him to many people here. Anyway, he wasn't there last night so we could relax a bit!

I have just noticed the time - I need to go for my mandarin lesson!

Last thing, quickly, is that I went to see The Banquet and, thankfullly, there were English subtitles so I could understand it!!! I would say it is worth going to see for the beautiful cinematography and fight scenes, but the story is quite slow-paced - Hamlet it ain't! x

My Heart Will Go On

I have been meaning to mention this in my blog for a while: In the Square, which is right next to Mirror Lake (and actually is a big circle), music is quite often played from hidden speakers. It is always calm and peaceful music, much like the music played in some airport lounges but a little less jazzy. About a week ago I noticed that the speakers were playing a really cheesy version of Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On'. This would have been amusing enough on its own, but every time we have been to karaoke in China someone has sung this song, so I now associate it with comedy rather than the emotional moments shared by Leonardo Di'Caprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic. Still, Leo was my first celebrity crush, so he'll always have a special place in my heart!!!
Aside from that, I will finish this entry by mentioning what I did today - slightly more normal, perhaps, than talking about Celine Dion. I taught kindergarden this morning and, once again, they were super sweet. I really enjoyed teaching two- and three-year olds to clap, stretch and jump! This afternoon, I went to the gym, which was really good, and I also bought bus tickets for our trip next week to Hang Zhou. It is the October vacation for seven days from Saturday, so everyone in China has a holiday. We are taking this opportunity to do some travelling, which I am really looking forward to, even though it is going to be sooooo busy everywhere!

"Chinese Moon Cake We Like!"

I have just returned from filming my Wuhu TV debut. Joe, Ahmir, Merim and I all went to the local bake-your-own shop this afternoon and were filmed making the Moon Cake. Merim studied Chinese at University for one year so he was interviewed, which was highly amusing. Meanwhile, I focused on perfecting my delightful little doughy balls, which soon transformed into traditional Chinese 'Yue Bing'. The finished products were pretty good and tasted ok, too. The two fillings used were chesnut puree and red bean puree; not exactly the same as the cakes you find in the Three Cooks in England but surprisingly yummy.
We have asked for copies of the film because we don't have a telly in our flat, just a DVD player, so we'll need to watch our fifteen minutes of fame after it's been aired. I can't wait to see it - so randomly amusing, especially as we are all wearing bright orange polo shirts with Aston Language School printed on them.

From the little screen to the silver screen, I am being taken to the cinema this evening to watch The Banquet, a Chinese film based loosely on Hamlet. I don't think it has come out in england yet, but it is apparently it's set to be a bit of an international blockbuster. I'm not going to have a clue what's going on, of course, but I think the cinematography is meant to be amazing so it should be fun anyway!

Last night, I was treated to traditional dumplings or 'Jiao zi' at Rex's house. His mum cooked them for us and she was so hospitable and eager to feed me that I must have eaten about 20 of them! The dumplings tasted so much better than any Chinese food I have eaten in England, despite being everyday food to them.

I have been continuing with my chinese lessons this week and feel as though I am really progressing, albeit painfully slowly. Paul gave me a great way to remember new words through the use of images so I am using that as much as possible. The funnier the image the more effective it is in staying with you. For instance, the word for wine is 'pi jiu', with jiu pronounced like Jo. Obviously, I think of my Mum, Jo, when I hear the word wine (!!!!!) so, hey presto, I can remember this highly important word any time I please. Plus, there is the competitive element involved now: I want to learn enough to get up to Merim's standard by the time I leave!

I am going for a meal soon but, next time I write, I may well be a minor celebrity in the eyes of the general public of Wuhu! Who knows, I might not be able to walk down Walking Street without hoards of people calling my new Chinese name, Su Xiao Ya. This was given to me by my two chinese teachers and effectively means that my surname is Su (for Sarah) and my given name is Little graceful. I am well chuffed! x