After an unsuccessful trip to the walk in centre in the Uk, I returned to China to find my ear trouble had become worse and my headaches had increased. After several days (of complaining) my friends persuaded me to seek the advice of a Chinese doctor.
In China, a visit to the doctor usually involves the a trip to the local hospital. Having never been one for liking hospitals I was a little nervous about going to one that (in my mind) would involve some big needles, suction cups and some sort of fire treatment. But after waking one morning in severe pain, I had no choice but to take the plunge and so off we went to a hospital rumoured to be one of the better ones in my area.
The first thing that struck me when we arrived, was the sheer volume of people coming and going. I'm not sure why expected any less, after all, everywhere in Beijing is incredibly busy. But with so many long lines and a continuous stream of people coming through the doors, I had to wonder how on earth they managed to treat everyone? I thought that surely I would be in for a long day, especially having been used to long waits in the UK.
Registration however, was fairly easy (with the help of Meinan, my native friend) and incredibly cheap, costing only 5rnb (50p). We were given tickets with numbers (which reminded me of the meat and cheese section of a supermarket) and told where we should go to wait.
As we made our way upstairs, I couldn't help but notice how old and dirty everything was. I can't lie, even after living here for six months, I still expected a cleaner environment from a public hospital. It was an old, worn out building and even the toilets were some of the worst I have seen in China (and that's saying something!). We eventually found the room with the Doctors who would be able to help with issues of the head. For me this itself was something new, in the Uk a Doctor can see you for any part of the body, where as here it seemed that there are specific Doctors to go to for different parts of the body.
One thing you will notice when living in China is that due to the sheer volume of people, there is very little understanding of personal space or privacy. The hospital, it seemed, was no exception as I arrived to find an open door policy at the Doctors office. There were two doctors on duty and those waiting were waiting in the Doctors office itself. I watched for a good 45mins as those waiting walked from one bed to another, discussing each illness with both the doctors and the sick before being seen themselves.
Now, as a foreigner in China, you tend to get a lot of attention. Just walking down the street can attract many stares and start many a whispered conversation. So when my number was called and it was my turn to see the Doctor, a small crowd seemed to form.
With the help of Meinan, I was able to explain the problem to the doctor and answer some questions about the pain. After discovering that I have been slightly stressed recently, the doctor put the pain down to stress headaches, gave me a prescription for what I thought would be pain killers and sent me on my merry way.
Having been through some stressful times in the past and not having had headaches as severe as these before, I left feeling a little confused and disappointed with the outcome. Still I had some painkillers which for now at least, was all that mattered. So off we went to see Doctor number two, the ear doctor, to find out why I had pain and blood in my ear.
The next Doctors office was similar to the first only the doctors wore a uniform and tools similar to those I have only ever seen in horror films. Still, it wasn't long before it was my turn to be seen and this time the Doctor at least did an examination of the ear in question. He concluded that, yes, there is some damage to my inner ear and an infection had developed, which explained why there was the blood and pain.
I waited for some treatment suggestions or for a prescription of antibiotics (the normal procedure for ear infections in the UK) and was a little confused when I was being asked to stand up and leave. I had to ask Meinan to push for some answers and the only advice given was to keep water out of the ear and to leave it alone. So I left, confused and still in pain, desperately trying to understand what had just happened with the two doctors seen.
Having had confirmation from the ear doctor that my ear was damaged, we were at least able to go to the pharmacy and get some herbal treatments, to hopefully help kill the infection. So after a quick stop and chat to the pharmacist I had what I thought to be painkillers for the headaches and infection killers for the ear. Surely the pain would be over soon?
Meinan tried to explain the dosage to me and some reason, that she wasn't able to explain, the painkillers were suppose to be taken at night. She also explained that for my ear, I would have to take 8 bright green pills 3 times per day to kill the infection (it's quite common for Chinese medicine to involve an absurd number of pills per day). At this point, I didn't care too much and was simply after some relief from the pain, and so I gobbled down a couple of the painkillers.We decided to try and do some shopping and run some errands before heading home but for some reason the pain didn't seem to get any better.
After around an hour however, I did start to feel a little drunk. Having not had any alcohol for some time, it had to be put down to the painkillers. It didn't last too long though and another hour later I was very tired, still in lots of pain and feeling some what sorry for myself. So, feeling a little desperate by this point, I decided to try the infection pills and proceeded to gobble down 8 of the bright green herbal pills. After an hour of anticipation, the magical green pills seemed to have had little to no effect and so we headed home.
By the time we got back, I was crying with the pain. Desperate to understand a little more of what had happened at the doctors and wanting to know why I was still in so much pain, I decided to look up a translation of these 'painkillers' online.
I checked one website and couldn't believe what I was reading. So, I checked another and the another but, they all said the same thing. My 'painkillers' were in fact, sleeping pills...everything fell into place. My head Doctor diagnosed stress and after I had said that I wasn't a great sleeper (which is normal for me) he prescribed sleeping pills. This explained why there was no real examination or advice given. This also explained why I had felt 'drunk' after taking them and then sleepy all afternoon.
I looked up the bright green pills, hoping they were what I thought they were, but as suspected, several websites gave the same conclusion. My infection killers were in fact pills used to treat skin bad complexion (quite a common problem for the Chinese people) and were not something that would be able to help an infection of the ear.
Giving up and feeling desperate, I had my friend contact our Manager at school to ask for help. Knowing a good doctor, he agreed to meet us the next day to help translate and get some more advice or medicine. Quite a nice thing for a boss to do!
Tired and crying from severe pain, I gobbled down some more sleeping pills whilst my Chinese friend gave me a head massage until I fell asleep.
It took a long time to drift off...
Continued in part 2
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Monday, 9 April 2012
From Russia with love... A flight with Aeroflot
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After a week back in the UK and after a very sad goodbye to my girlfriend, it was time to catch my flight back to Beijing. With a tight budget limiting my choice on flights, I found myself booking with Aeroflot, (I was saying Aeroflop by mistake for quite some time) a Russian airline I had hadn't heard of before. Having become good friends with a Russian back in Beijing and with plans to visit properly towards the end of the year, I was a little excited to be stopping in Moscow and being able to seeing a little of the Russian people and culture.
I have a irrational fear of missing flights and so as usual I arrived at Heathrow exceptionally early. I never mind so much as airports are an excellent place to people watch, and I spent the best part of an hour and a half watching the various nationalities pass the time before checking in and taking their flights.
After a long wait I was looking for my check in desk when I saw an air hostess that looked exactly like my friend in Beijing (tall slim and blonde), I guessed that this must be where I should check in and shortly after the Aeroflot signs appeared. After seeing this air hostess, the second Russian I have ever met in my life, I began to wonder if my stereotypical idea of big manly Russian women was all wrong. Maybe the Russian ladies are in fact all tall slim, blonde and elegant? After checking in I made my way through security (of course I set the alarm off and had to be X-rayed), found the gate and did my very best not to fall asleep.
I have taken many flights in my life and when I could see that the gate was ready to open, I expected an announcement calling the different boarding numbers and was a little taken aback when a tired, grumpy Russian lady simply shouted 'Ready!' with an incredibly strong Russian accent. But this appeared to be all that needed to be said as everyone proceeded to board the plane.
My heart sank a little when I boarded. Emirates it was not and I realised just how spoiled I had been in the past. The plane was far smaller than expected and had none of the usual gadgets I like when taking a long journey. The plane was something you would expect when taking a low budget flight such as Easyjet, and having paid far more than I ever would for an Easyjet flight, I was a little disappointed. The plane seemed rather rickety and I was slightly nervous when the long Russian safety talk was translated into short once sentence (heavily accented) English.
'В случае возникновения чрезвычайных ситуаций обратите внимание, что выходыслева от вас. Ремни безопасности должны носить при посадке и взлете и в том маловероятном случае возникновения чрезвычайной ситуации маски посадкивоздушных упадет с потолка над вами.'
'Please wear you seat belts.'
'В случае возникновения чрезвычайных ситуаций обратите внимание, что выходыслева от вас. Ремни безопасности должны носить при посадке и взлете и в том маловероятном случае возникновения чрезвычайной ситуации маски посадкивоздушных упадет с потолка над вами.'
'Please wear you seat belts.'
The flight to Moscow was 4 hours long and I managed to sleep most of the way. Having left a sunny England, I was a little unprepared for a snowy Moscow airport when we arrived and proceeded to put on all layers of clothing I had in my hand luggage. It was 2am Moscow time when I arrived and it was a 10 hour wait before my connecting flight to Bejing . Exhausted, I needed to find a safe corner to sleep in and so started to wonder round the somewhat peaceful Moscow airport.
After half an hour of wondering I found what appeared to be the 'sleeping area' (named so simply because of the number of people there sleeping) and so took off my shoes and curled up with my bag, quickly falling into a blissful sleep.
Considering I was sleeping on an airport floor, I slept well and woke up around fours hours later. My sleeping companions long gone, I was alone and children were the only ones paying any attention to me, somewhat amused at my sleepiness. I took a wonder around the, now lively airport, admiring the different shops and becoming rather intrigued by the Russian people.
Something I did notice about Moscow airport was that it full of Russians. An obvious statement I know but having just spent a considerable amount of time watching people from all over the world in Heathrow, the lack of foreigners was quite prominent. My hopes of finding tall, slim, blonde women everywhere were also short lived, as many Russian ladies around me lived up to the stereotype (I found myself hoping I wasn't sat between some of the larger ladies!) I found my gate and curled up again for a little more sleep before boarding the long flight to Beijing.
My second flight was in a slightly larger plane and being long haul, even had a TV! However this being a Russian flight from Moscow to China, all instructions and announcements (and TV channels) were in either Russian or Mandarin and so my understanding of any important information was very limited! I was also sure that the Russians had a their own idea of evacuation as the Russian emergency exit sign was pointing to the left and the English emergency exit was pointing to the right. These things (on now 2 of Aeroflot's flights) on top of a rickety plane (with a healthy dose of turbulence) had me question just how safe this flying malark really is. But surely, I was just being a nervous passenger, right?
I spent the long flight either sleeping or watching some Russian comedy and after 8 hours it was time to land in Beijing. Now, I wouldn't exactly call the landing 'smooth' and although nervous I at least had exceptions to land safely. However the Russian passengers didn't seem to have hopes as high mine and once safely landed a rounds of applause and cheers could be heard throughout the plane, as though this was the first time the pilot had flown (maybe it was?!). Either way I was just happy to be home at last after such a long journey.
Back in Beijing, I explained my experiences to my Russian friend and she simply laughed. As it turns out, the Russian airlines don't have the best safety record and the round of applause at landing really is because they aren't sure if they will land safely! A few days after talking with my friend, a Russian airline crashed, killing 34 passengers.
Needless to say, if I do pay a visit to Russia in the October holidays... I will be taking the train!
Considering I was sleeping on an airport floor, I slept well and woke up around fours hours later. My sleeping companions long gone, I was alone and children were the only ones paying any attention to me, somewhat amused at my sleepiness. I took a wonder around the, now lively airport, admiring the different shops and becoming rather intrigued by the Russian people.
Something I did notice about Moscow airport was that it full of Russians. An obvious statement I know but having just spent a considerable amount of time watching people from all over the world in Heathrow, the lack of foreigners was quite prominent. My hopes of finding tall, slim, blonde women everywhere were also short lived, as many Russian ladies around me lived up to the stereotype (I found myself hoping I wasn't sat between some of the larger ladies!) I found my gate and curled up again for a little more sleep before boarding the long flight to Beijing.
My second flight was in a slightly larger plane and being long haul, even had a TV! However this being a Russian flight from Moscow to China, all instructions and announcements (and TV channels) were in either Russian or Mandarin and so my understanding of any important information was very limited! I was also sure that the Russians had a their own idea of evacuation as the Russian emergency exit sign was pointing to the left and the English emergency exit was pointing to the right. These things (on now 2 of Aeroflot's flights) on top of a rickety plane (with a healthy dose of turbulence) had me question just how safe this flying malark really is. But surely, I was just being a nervous passenger, right?
I spent the long flight either sleeping or watching some Russian comedy and after 8 hours it was time to land in Beijing. Now, I wouldn't exactly call the landing 'smooth' and although nervous I at least had exceptions to land safely. However the Russian passengers didn't seem to have hopes as high mine and once safely landed a rounds of applause and cheers could be heard throughout the plane, as though this was the first time the pilot had flown (maybe it was?!). Either way I was just happy to be home at last after such a long journey.
Back in Beijing, I explained my experiences to my Russian friend and she simply laughed. As it turns out, the Russian airlines don't have the best safety record and the round of applause at landing really is because they aren't sure if they will land safely! A few days after talking with my friend, a Russian airline crashed, killing 34 passengers.
Needless to say, if I do pay a visit to Russia in the October holidays... I will be taking the train!
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Happy Birthday to me! (The English Birthday) (17.03.2012)
As I'm getting older and am living in a different country, I thought I deserved at least two birthdays this year and so I decided to use my return flight to head back to England for a flying visit after 6 months of living in the Eastern Hemisphere.
My journey back was long but comfortable and I spent the best part of it bringing myself out of the China 'bubble', preparing for a week in the normality of English life. After taking so long to get used to the various differences in cultures, it was hard to imagine how I would feel being back in the western world, understanding the spoken language, eating English food and sitting down to pee... (I guess some things would be easy to get used to again!)
Of course, I was very much looking forward to seeing the girl again after being apart for so long and I was filled with excitement and anticipation when I arrived in London. Long distance relationships are very hard at times and with us both having been through such different, although equally challenging times without each other, we were both looking forward to reconnecting once again.
After collecting my baggage and freshening up, I went on to tackle the London trains to make my way home. After jumping onto the wrong train and taking a detour into central London, I finally arrived after 27 hours of travelling. There, I found my girl, waiting for me with a smile.
Of course all you blogger readers don't want to here the details of what was a very romantic first evening together, so I will get straight onto the interesting stuff... Birthday presents!
Those of you that know me will know that it's the simple things in life that make me smile, and in this instance it was a set of Rubik's puzzles that had me as excited as a three year at Disney Land. I had wanted these puzzles since I was very young and so for me this was a very thoughtful gift. I really am a big kid at times.
But this wasn't to be my only present (yes I really was spoiled), I was to be pampered with a spa weekend at a local spa resort, massages, facials, dinners... I couldn't think of a nicer way to celebrate my birthday with my girl.
It was Tuesday when I arrived and so had some time to recover from the jet-lag and catch up with as many people as I could before my weekend of relaxation. Unfortunately the evils of jet-lag had other plans and I lost around two days to a severe lack of energy. I was also suffering from some nasty headaches and having had some trouble with my ear for some time, I thought I would take the opportunity whilst home to see an English Doctor for a check up.
In England, health care is free and in order to see a doctor, you simply need to have an address and register with your local GP. With my address currently in China, I had no choice but to visit one of the local walk in centres and wait for what could be an eternity before I could be seen.
Luckily, there was a walk in centre not to far from home and I set off, Rubik's puzzle in hand, hoping the wait wouldn't be too long. After explaining my situation to the reception staff I was met with much scepticism. 'Your living in China? 'Ok then, can you speak Chinese?!' (that makes a difference?) 'We need your Chinese address... what do you mean you only know the Chinese charactors?!' and so a long registration process began.
Once finally registered, I sat down and began the long wait. With my head and ear throbbing by this point I was quite thankful for what was quite a peaceful waiting area and so I sat and started to try and solve my new puzzle. Unfortunately this peace and quite didn't last long as the local drunk walked in shortly after for treatment to her hand. At first this drunken lady was loud but friendly and proceeded to try and cheer everyone up with some tuneless songs. Despite my throbbing head, I was amused greatly, it had been a while since I was around such behaviour, the Chinese certainly don't find themselves in these drunken messes.
But the friendly songs and conversation didn't last long, after discovering I wasn't from around here (I didn't mention I was living in another country) it was assumed that I was foreign and here wasting her tax money with 'just a headache'. After trying to explain that I was English and also a tax payer, I was informed that I 'Don't sound English' and should 'Fuck off back to my own country'. At this point I was moved to another waiting area (I'm not quite sure why I was the one to be moved?) where I continued to wait, angry and somewhat upset by the narrow mindedness of some of the people in my own country. This part of England I really didn't miss.
Shortly after I saw the doctor (who amusingly enough was foreign) and proceeded to spend just a few minutes looking at my ear before explaining that the pain was most likely just wax, the solution to which was simply painkillers. I asked about ways to remove and prevent wax and therefore this pain in the future, but he could offer no advice and I left still in pain, with no solution to the problem and feeling somewhat dismissed. The has potential to be great once again, but after several similar experiences I have to say that there a certainly flaws in the system.
With such little time, jet-lag and the headaches, there wasn't much opportunity to see too many people whilst home. However, one person I was very much looking forward to seeing was my older brother Luke.
I'm very close with my older brother and he is always there to give me advice or to tell me I'm being a fool. After six months of skyping my experiences and feelings it was lovely to be able to have a proper chat over lunch and coffee.
We met in St Albens and it was a beautiful sunny day. After leaving China in the snow it felt great to be outside in the warmth. We wondered around the Cathedral park, checking out the grounds and a Roman Mural, talking and catching up properly. It was so nice to be able to spend some time together after so long. But of course, the time came when we had to leave and I was sad to have to say goodbye again, not really knowing when I would see him again. I miss our fortnightly get together lots.
The weekend was spent with the girl in a beautiful spa hotel. We enjoyed a relaxing swim (thoroughly enjoyed by myself ), saunas, steams, massages, facials, dinners, sunshine and beautiful surroundings. Much needed by us both after such a long time apart. It was a lovely second birthday and for the first time in six months I felt completely relaxed.
But, time flew by and before I knew it it was time to say good bye once again. Feeling just as heartbroken to be leaving as I did the first time, I realised that my feelings for the girl haven't faded even a little over the time and distance. I know that for me right now, China is where I am meant to be, but when that same feeling is also telling me that the girl is just as right, it's very hard to say goodbye and be apart once again. Needless to say there was tears and sadness from us both when we finally did part again.
I spent my flight back thinking everything over. I'm really not sure where my life is heading or what lies ahead for me. But despite any sadness, there are so many opportunities ahead of me... I just need to be strong enough to reach out and take them.
My journey back was long but comfortable and I spent the best part of it bringing myself out of the China 'bubble', preparing for a week in the normality of English life. After taking so long to get used to the various differences in cultures, it was hard to imagine how I would feel being back in the western world, understanding the spoken language, eating English food and sitting down to pee... (I guess some things would be easy to get used to again!)
Of course, I was very much looking forward to seeing the girl again after being apart for so long and I was filled with excitement and anticipation when I arrived in London. Long distance relationships are very hard at times and with us both having been through such different, although equally challenging times without each other, we were both looking forward to reconnecting once again.After collecting my baggage and freshening up, I went on to tackle the London trains to make my way home. After jumping onto the wrong train and taking a detour into central London, I finally arrived after 27 hours of travelling. There, I found my girl, waiting for me with a smile.
Of course all you blogger readers don't want to here the details of what was a very romantic first evening together, so I will get straight onto the interesting stuff... Birthday presents!
But this wasn't to be my only present (yes I really was spoiled), I was to be pampered with a spa weekend at a local spa resort, massages, facials, dinners... I couldn't think of a nicer way to celebrate my birthday with my girl.
It was Tuesday when I arrived and so had some time to recover from the jet-lag and catch up with as many people as I could before my weekend of relaxation. Unfortunately the evils of jet-lag had other plans and I lost around two days to a severe lack of energy. I was also suffering from some nasty headaches and having had some trouble with my ear for some time, I thought I would take the opportunity whilst home to see an English Doctor for a check up.
Luckily, there was a walk in centre not to far from home and I set off, Rubik's puzzle in hand, hoping the wait wouldn't be too long. After explaining my situation to the reception staff I was met with much scepticism. 'Your living in China? 'Ok then, can you speak Chinese?!' (that makes a difference?) 'We need your Chinese address... what do you mean you only know the Chinese charactors?!' and so a long registration process began.
Once finally registered, I sat down and began the long wait. With my head and ear throbbing by this point I was quite thankful for what was quite a peaceful waiting area and so I sat and started to try and solve my new puzzle. Unfortunately this peace and quite didn't last long as the local drunk walked in shortly after for treatment to her hand. At first this drunken lady was loud but friendly and proceeded to try and cheer everyone up with some tuneless songs. Despite my throbbing head, I was amused greatly, it had been a while since I was around such behaviour, the Chinese certainly don't find themselves in these drunken messes.
But the friendly songs and conversation didn't last long, after discovering I wasn't from around here (I didn't mention I was living in another country) it was assumed that I was foreign and here wasting her tax money with 'just a headache'. After trying to explain that I was English and also a tax payer, I was informed that I 'Don't sound English' and should 'Fuck off back to my own country'. At this point I was moved to another waiting area (I'm not quite sure why I was the one to be moved?) where I continued to wait, angry and somewhat upset by the narrow mindedness of some of the people in my own country. This part of England I really didn't miss.
Shortly after I saw the doctor (who amusingly enough was foreign) and proceeded to spend just a few minutes looking at my ear before explaining that the pain was most likely just wax, the solution to which was simply painkillers. I asked about ways to remove and prevent wax and therefore this pain in the future, but he could offer no advice and I left still in pain, with no solution to the problem and feeling somewhat dismissed. The has potential to be great once again, but after several similar experiences I have to say that there a certainly flaws in the system.
With such little time, jet-lag and the headaches, there wasn't much opportunity to see too many people whilst home. However, one person I was very much looking forward to seeing was my older brother Luke.
I'm very close with my older brother and he is always there to give me advice or to tell me I'm being a fool. After six months of skyping my experiences and feelings it was lovely to be able to have a proper chat over lunch and coffee.We met in St Albens and it was a beautiful sunny day. After leaving China in the snow it felt great to be outside in the warmth. We wondered around the Cathedral park, checking out the grounds and a Roman Mural, talking and catching up properly. It was so nice to be able to spend some time together after so long. But of course, the time came when we had to leave and I was sad to have to say goodbye again, not really knowing when I would see him again. I miss our fortnightly get together lots.
The weekend was spent with the girl in a beautiful spa hotel. We enjoyed a relaxing swim (thoroughly enjoyed by myself ), saunas, steams, massages, facials, dinners, sunshine and beautiful surroundings. Much needed by us both after such a long time apart. It was a lovely second birthday and for the first time in six months I felt completely relaxed.But, time flew by and before I knew it it was time to say good bye once again. Feeling just as heartbroken to be leaving as I did the first time, I realised that my feelings for the girl haven't faded even a little over the time and distance. I know that for me right now, China is where I am meant to be, but when that same feeling is also telling me that the girl is just as right, it's very hard to say goodbye and be apart once again. Needless to say there was tears and sadness from us both when we finally did part again.
I spent my flight back thinking everything over. I'm really not sure where my life is heading or what lies ahead for me. But despite any sadness, there are so many opportunities ahead of me... I just need to be strong enough to reach out and take them.
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Happy Birthday to me! (17.03.2012)
Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me-eee, happy birthday to meeeeeeeeeee!
My birthday this year has been celebrated in a variety of different ways and it has certainly been one to remember!
It started with the monthly birthday party at school where the birthdays of march were celebrated together with cake and a game of pin the tail on the donkey. Embarrassing photos were projected onto the big screen as 'Happy Birthday' was sung out in two different languages. I certainly won't forget my class laughing at the photos and shouting 'Happy Birthday teacher Jema' repeatedly.
Not usually being one to celebrate birthdays, this year I decided I wanted to have a day doing some things I haven't yet gotten around to doing here in Beijing. So the morning of he big day, I met with Allie and Alex, my friends and colleagues, who proceeded to sing happy birthday to me in a variety of different languages. I was given a new mini camera as a birthday gift, and of course those of you that know me and my love for photography, you will know how happy this thoughtful gift made me. So off we all went to the leo leo chi (bus 667), camera in hand, ready for a day of fun and laughter.
Our original plan was to head to the Bell Tower, a must see tourist site in Beijing. However, after being outside for less than one hour, we were already frozen due to some freakishly cold weather and decided that the day needed more of an indoor theme to it! So, off we went, full of anticipation, to the 'Beijing Blue Zoo'.
Although not as big as the Beijing Aquarium, the Blue Zoo didn't disappoint. Full of creatures I had only previously seen in books and on TV we excitedly wondered round admiring the beautiful (and not so beautiful) sea life. There was fish, Jelly-fish, turtles (which made me realise just how big mine will become!) Mermaids (no really!) and even sharks! It was all so fascinating, but I have to admit that not all the life living there seemed that happy. The sharks were kept in rather small tanks, had 'unhappy fins' and showed signs of either fighting or mistreatment. But given my anxiety reagarding the Chinese's view on animal care things weren't as bad as I had anticipated.
After dinner, we headed to the Red Theatre for an evening of Kung Fu!
Of course when in China, at some point you have to make time see some form of Kung Fu show and we weren't disappointed with the performance at the Red Theatre.. The show itself was full of all the flips, turns, kicks, punches, swords, glits and glamour you expect from a Kung Fu show. I left beaming, enjoying not just the Kung Fu but the show itself (I miss London Theatre!). Of course I also decided after leaving that I should become a Kung Fu master whilst here in China and have added it to my 'China to do list' (I will keep you updated on my progress with that one...)
It started with the monthly birthday party at school where the birthdays of march were celebrated together with cake and a game of pin the tail on the donkey. Embarrassing photos were projected onto the big screen as 'Happy Birthday' was sung out in two different languages. I certainly won't forget my class laughing at the photos and shouting 'Happy Birthday teacher Jema' repeatedly.
Not usually being one to celebrate birthdays, this year I decided I wanted to have a day doing some things I haven't yet gotten around to doing here in Beijing. So the morning of he big day, I met with Allie and Alex, my friends and colleagues, who proceeded to sing happy birthday to me in a variety of different languages. I was given a new mini camera as a birthday gift, and of course those of you that know me and my love for photography, you will know how happy this thoughtful gift made me. So off we all went to the leo leo chi (bus 667), camera in hand, ready for a day of fun and laughter.
Although not as big as the Beijing Aquarium, the Blue Zoo didn't disappoint. Full of creatures I had only previously seen in books and on TV we excitedly wondered round admiring the beautiful (and not so beautiful) sea life. There was fish, Jelly-fish, turtles (which made me realise just how big mine will become!) Mermaids (no really!) and even sharks! It was all so fascinating, but I have to admit that not all the life living there seemed that happy. The sharks were kept in rather small tanks, had 'unhappy fins' and showed signs of either fighting or mistreatment. But given my anxiety reagarding the Chinese's view on animal care things weren't as bad as I had anticipated.
After the Blue Zoo, we headed to Jashong, a big clothing market in Sanlitun, the famous foreigner area of Beijing. It was here we came for a foot scrub, pedicure and massage, a must try when in China! Having not really ever taken that great care of my feet, I was a little embarrassed to take off my shoes and let some random Chinese lady scrub off all the nasty. My poor foot lady was also ill was some form of cold and was sniffing away whilst scrubbing for a good hour... (I can assure you that the last thing you will want to do when you have a cold is scrub away at my feet, especially in the state they were in!) A massage from a deaf Chinese man followed the foot scrub and I have to admit it wasn't so much relaxing but more of a rather painful experience. I left initially thinking I wouldn't be trying such a thing again but after a few steps on my newly transformed feet, I felt like I could walk on clouds! I highly recommend trying one should you ever have the opportunity!
Dinner and wine proceeded the foot treatment in Jashong, during which I took a moment to reflect upon how lucky I am to be here and have all that I do in my life. The 28th year is a funny one, (did I say 28th? I meant to say 20th...), your mortality because more apparent and you begin to see that life has a time limit. Creeping ever closer to the big 3 - 0 you also start to realise that you need to start achieving all those things you have talked about achieving and think about your future. It seems like only yesterday you were turning 21 with your whole life ahead of you... However, at 28, I can happily say that although I have lots I still want to do, I am achieving goals I have set, learning valuable lessons and making less mistakes than I used to. Life generally, is good.
Of course when in China, at some point you have to make time see some form of Kung Fu show and we weren't disappointed with the performance at the Red Theatre.. The show itself was full of all the flips, turns, kicks, punches, swords, glits and glamour you expect from a Kung Fu show. I left beaming, enjoying not just the Kung Fu but the show itself (I miss London Theatre!). Of course I also decided after leaving that I should become a Kung Fu master whilst here in China and have added it to my 'China to do list' (I will keep you updated on my progress with that one...)
After relaxing glass of wine after the show it was time to make our way home. The weather had been incredibly cold all day (unusual for March) and not long after heading home we found ourselves in the middle of a snow storm! However, I barely noticed the cold (after all the wine) and could only smile as the city around us turned white. It has never snowed on my birthday before, it certainly has been one to remember... By the time a got home and into bed, I was full of smiles and very happy indeed.
I may be getting older and closer to the dreaded 3-0 but as each year passes I become happier and wiser than the years before. I will look forward to many more years to come!
Monday, 12 March 2012
Happy Valley
Sometimes, life really is what you make it. No matter what country you are living in we are all in danger of falling into the dreaded routine of life. Wake up, go to work, come home, eat, sleep. This has been my life the past month or so, only in Chinese. 醒，工作，回家，吃，睡觉 . So this weekend my friends and decided to break this routine and start to do some of the many things we have been talking about doing for so long.
My Saturday of course, started with work as usual but I took comfort in the fact that it will be my last working Saturday for the next few months. After work, I met Allie and Meinan (Mexican and Chinese friends) for a trip to the super market. Now a trip to the supermarket in the UK is usually considered an annoying necessity, but to a foreigner in China, it's usually full of surprises, you never really know what you are going to see. The market of choice today was one of the biggest I have ever seen which in China, usually means it's also the busiest!
Happy Valley is much like Thorpe park, but with an attempt to add a 'Disney' feel to it. (I don't think China know the meaning of the word 'copyright'). Being so close to the city it took less than one hour to find our way there and I have to say I wasn't disappointed when we arrived and stepped into the park, as we were greeted with some giant, scary looking rides!
We finished, with some 3D theatre, a combination of 3D effects and real life acting. Having not really grasped enough Chinese to have any clue what was going on, I enjoyed the visual and took some rest for half an hour. The sun was setting when we stepped back outside, and it was a beautiful sight and a lovely end to a fab weekend!
My Saturday of course, started with work as usual but I took comfort in the fact that it will be my last working Saturday for the next few months. After work, I met Allie and Meinan (Mexican and Chinese friends) for a trip to the super market. Now a trip to the supermarket in the UK is usually considered an annoying necessity, but to a foreigner in China, it's usually full of surprises, you never really know what you are going to see. The market of choice today was one of the biggest I have ever seen which in China, usually means it's also the busiest!After wondering for some time, Meinan finding some chicken feet to eat and Allie some yoghurt in a bag, we came across a 'pet' section. I say pet as it wasn't so much as a pet section but fish and turtles in the smallest of containers, hundreds of them! With Mani having left me the previous weekend, I was looking for a fish to keep me company at home and this was the perfect opportunity to tick this of the 'to do' list. I of course wanted to rescue them all and so in the end I came away with not just Phillip the fighting fish but also with Donatello and Rafeal the baby non mutant turtles.
Now, I do some things without thinking sometimes and it could be said that this is one of those occasions, (after discovering they live to 40 years and can grow to 12"), however, no matter what happens, these turtles will now have a better life than sitting dying in the tiny pots they were previously in, weather I keep them or not.
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| Phillip the Fighting Fish |
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| Donatello and Rafeal |
After dropping off the shopping, we went back out to one of the many clothing markets in town. These markets are again, incredibly busy and you spend the majority of your time there saying no to the hundreds of sales staff shouting 'Hey lady, you want a bag?' (I actually stopped and gathered 5 of the sales staff together and explained that if they were to use the word 'Madam' instead of 'lady', they would get a much better response). But you can get some very cheap knock off clothes at these markets, depending on your bargaining skills (in China there is never a set price, even in shops you have to negotiate a good price).
Shopping was followed by a Mexican dinner, much to Allies delight! The dinner I was not so fussed over but the chance to have a couple of glasses of real wine, that could not be missed and so a few glasses and some cocktails for the girls later, we left a little merry and in good spirits. A good end to a fun day out!
However, the real fun was to be had tomorrow! HAPPY VALLEY - Yippee!
Happy Valley is much like Thorpe park, but with an attempt to add a 'Disney' feel to it. (I don't think China know the meaning of the word 'copyright'). Being so close to the city it took less than one hour to find our way there and I have to say I wasn't disappointed when we arrived and stepped into the park, as we were greeted with some giant, scary looking rides!I will never forget the first ride of the day. Meinan, having never been to a park such as this, let alone been on any of the rides, was nervous to say the least. Even myself, an experienced rolla-coaster junky still gets nervous on the first ride of the day and this ride wasn't an amateur event! Still, will threw Meinan straight into the deep end, as we were thrown upside down and in various circles for the next few minutes. For a first go Meinan, well she screamed 'Mamma' several times which for myself and Allie was fantastic, as we completely forgot how scary the ride was and were in tears with laughter! There after though Meinan backed out of none and we proceeded to go on every ride open (being winter still it was cold and so not very busy!)
There was one however, that both Allie and Meinan could not get themselves to go on and I myself did not find it appealing! But, I always think that when scared, you should face your fears and so on I went alone.
Another factor making things that bit more intimidating was that all the instructions and safety information was in Chinese! So at times, we weren't so aware of any safety tips or general information we might of otherwise needed.. I guess that can be a good thing at times too...! One of the biggest and in my opinion, best, rides of the day was one called the 'Fast Rusher'. it started by throwing you from 0 - 80mph in about 3 seconds, similar to one in Thorpe Park. Only after, you then continue on to more roller-coaster of ups and downs, twists and turns. Ordinarily, I don't find these rides so bad, but without safety bars of the shoulders I felt more nervous than I otherwise would! Needless to say I screamed lot's, but, I did manage to lift my arms into the air and 'fly' for a short period!
We finished, with some 3D theatre, a combination of 3D effects and real life acting. Having not really grasped enough Chinese to have any clue what was going on, I enjoyed the visual and took some rest for half an hour. The sun was setting when we stepped back outside, and it was a beautiful sight and a lovely end to a fab weekend!So if you are feeling the burn of the everyday routine, take a break from it and do something you have been talking about doing for a while... I can honestly say you will feel much more alive for it!
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Day 3
The difference though, is that the Chinese believe that cold water is bad for you, where as we simply prefer the taste and cooling nature of cold water. This had me wondering about many differences in the way both Chinese and English people think.
This week, I started to learn to write in Chinese. My friend and colleague has been kind enough to help me and explain the best way in which to learn. But, as a left hander, I was told that I must write with my right hand and not my left. When I questioned this, I was simply told that the right hand was better for writing, no one could give me a better explanation. I have tried to make sense of this... When writing Chinese characters there is a specific stroke pattern in which to write each character. For a left hander, this involves writing strokes from left to right where naturally they would write from right to left. So some would say that there is a logic to the right handed writing theory.
However, from a very young age I have been left handed, naturally I can do things better with my left than my right. In China, parents will stop their children from writing with their left hand. They can eat with their left, hold table tennis bats with their left, but they must write with their right. Because it is better to do so.
If you question the logic or try to argue that if naturally you are left handed you will naturally be better at doing things, including writing, than with the right, then many Chinese get defensive and feel attacked. This is the same with so many Chinese logics. If you question anything that goes against their way of thinking, simply trying to understand why something is as they believe, they are defensive.
Many English believe that China is communist country, after living here, I can say that that's really not the case. But after talking to, working with and becoming friends with many Chinese people, I can certainly say that the government is a dictatorship that certainly has control over it's people and their way of thinking.
That's not to say that all Chinese believe's and ways of thinking are simply a crazy government control, sometimes we simply won't understand why something is so, look at acupuncture, once thought to be nonsense and now available in the UK, on the NHS.
So for now, I will continue drinking my hot water and I will learn to write with my right hand. After all, right now, I'm in China....
Day 2
Day 2 of my 7 day hot water challenge and there is a little more water going down me! In fact I'm getting used to the taste and the smell can be ignored if you hold your breath whilst drinking. Still, I wouldn't go as far as to say that I like it!
Today was again, relatively laid back with the country gearing up for the upcoming new year. School is getting quieter and quieter while the rest of China seems to be getting busier! The past few weeks I have been concentrating on learning the language with a target of conversational level by March. No easy feat! Alongside the language, which uses sounds that we just don't know how to pronounce in the west, learning the cultural differences can equally as challenging.
Last Saturday is a fine example. Teaching an open class to 16 potential new students, a class number far bigger than that I have taught before, I was stressed about the content and delivery of my lesson. With my bosses watching and pressure to get new students, my lessons had to be more than good, it had to impress.
But when running through the delivery with my assistant teacher, I found out I could potentially insult many Chinese parents with my body language and movement. For example, pointing is a big no, no. In China, we use and open palm face up, fingers together to indicate to others. We also don't step over chairs (mini 3 year old type chairs) we go around so not to open our legs to others. These sound like simple things but when your body naturally moves in one way, trying to consciously change that whilst concentrating on another task is hard work!
I'm pretty sure the hot water this week hasn't been helping my language or cultural learning but I certainly don't feel any worse for drinking it... Let's just see how we are at day 7!
Today was again, relatively laid back with the country gearing up for the upcoming new year. School is getting quieter and quieter while the rest of China seems to be getting busier! The past few weeks I have been concentrating on learning the language with a target of conversational level by March. No easy feat! Alongside the language, which uses sounds that we just don't know how to pronounce in the west, learning the cultural differences can equally as challenging.
Last Saturday is a fine example. Teaching an open class to 16 potential new students, a class number far bigger than that I have taught before, I was stressed about the content and delivery of my lesson. With my bosses watching and pressure to get new students, my lessons had to be more than good, it had to impress.
But when running through the delivery with my assistant teacher, I found out I could potentially insult many Chinese parents with my body language and movement. For example, pointing is a big no, no. In China, we use and open palm face up, fingers together to indicate to others. We also don't step over chairs (mini 3 year old type chairs) we go around so not to open our legs to others. These sound like simple things but when your body naturally moves in one way, trying to consciously change that whilst concentrating on another task is hard work!
I'm pretty sure the hot water this week hasn't been helping my language or cultural learning but I certainly don't feel any worse for drinking it... Let's just see how we are at day 7!
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