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.