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!