2011

One year ago I was sitting in front of the Sydney Opera House, waiting for the fireworks that would commence 10 hours before usual. Well for me anyways. That was the beginning of more than 10 months of traveling. Little did I know back then that this would be a journey that would change me. A journey that would make me, me.

2011 have definitely be one to remember. It all began in Sydney, where a big dream of mine came true. To watch the fireworks over the Sydney Harbour. An experience I will never forget.
Living in Australia, was not bad at all either. Meeting old friends again, and living a carefree life. It was wonderfully weird not to have school to worry about.

As I spent those six months in Australia I saw my life back home change step by step. I saw old friends disappear, beginning new stages of their lives. But I was only observing it, like one is observing the life inside a dollhouse through a window. I wasn't there to go through different things with them. All I could do was to go online on Skype and wait for someone to contact me, if they needed me.
I could see that some of my friends were slowly slipping away, however, I did not have the heart to accept the facts. But when I got back to Denmark reality hit me. I felt lonely. Everyone was occupied with their new lives, doing everything right, but it hurt not to be a part of it.
There is nothing I would have done differently, though. It is hard to maintain friendships when you are more than 10,000km away. The internet is a clever thing, however, it does not solve all of our problems. It cannot help us in every way.
In addition to that I was slowly changing. I was becoming someone else, someone my friends did not know. I had friends in Australia, a life, something my friends back home were not a part of. Just like I was not a part of what took place here.

It is hard to say where it was exactly that the transformation into the "new" me was completed, but I know that I only realized how changed I was when I arrived in China. Even though China had been a rather spontaneous decision I had still been looking forward to it, but then all I wanted was just to go home. Well either that or go backpacking again. Standing still for three months did not sooth me at all.
I could not imagine how I would get through three months in China.
But as soon as I met the other au pairs and made friends, I never wanted to leave. In China I realized that some friends you will have to let go, but others will come along. My experience in China was in many ways very intense and very particular and I knew that I would not be able to share it with anyone back home, which is why I am so grateful for the friends I made while I was in China.

2011 was also the year of trying new things. Skydiving and Bungee Jumping are the more exciting ones, while couch surfing is something a bit less extreme.
I quickly came to find that I get addicted to the adrenalin rush. As Karina Hollekim says it: it's the wonderful feeling of fear. The fact that I conquered my fears and took control of it, before it got to take control of me. I still remember when I was sitting in the tiny airplane in Queensland, looking out of the window and seeing the Great Barrier Reef right in front of me. I did not occur to me what I was about to do. It all went so fast. In less than 5 minutes the thrill, the rush was over. But it left me craving for more.
I had always said that I wanted to do skydiving, but not a Bungee. However, when our tour guide just minutes before the Kawarau bridge near Queenstown, asked if anyone wanted to do a Bungee Jump, I figured that this was my chance. It was sort of a now or never moment. Again I conquered the fear and I jumped, twice. The best feeling I have ever had was to know that I had conquered my fear of heights. Actually it still creeps up every now and then, but I know that I can take control of it.
I am still craving for more, so let's see what 2012 will bring of extremities.

As some friends slipped away, other friendships were strengthened by distance. I quickly realized that those friends who remained and who I can still call my best friends will always be there for me no matter the distance or time apart.
And then there were those friends who I just called acquaintances before I left, but being apart had strengthened our relationship, and now they had become my friends.
Of course there were also the people with whom we just picked up the strings where we had left them.
You lose some, you gain some.

I once read somewhere that if you can replay a year without any tears of joy or sadness then it has been a complete waste. This year has yet failed to be a waste. In fact I dare say that this has been the best year so far.
I would therefore like to thank everyone who has made it what it has been: amazing. Now let's make 2012 just as incredible.

All good things come to an end

My last couple of weeks in Shenzhen were really good, with adventures in Macau, going shopping to spend my last few hundred RMB, lovely gatherings, birthday celebration and goodbye dinner, and of course the excitement about going home.

However, as the days to my departure approached, I distanced myself from the joy of seeing my family and instead sunk into a state of minor depression, where I'd sit in my window in Shenzhen just looking out and trying to comprehend that 10,5 months of moving around in the world was coming to an end.
My very last day in China I walked down to the metro station to give Kate a big bag of stuff that she had offered to send home for me as I were having some serious difficulties fitting everything in. As I walked down with Damien Rice on my ipod, being a massive Emo kid, fighting back tears that crept uo from nowhere, I observed everything around me. I remembered when I didn't even know the way to the metro station and now, I know this walk like the back of my hand.
I handed Kate the bag and said goodbye again, before I left to get my last milk tea. I walked up to the counter and ordered it without any further difficulties. She understood me very well.

I didn't leave Shenzhen until 9.30pm that same night. I had to go to Hong Kong airport and stay the night in the airport because my flight was at 7.55am and I had to be checked in by 5am, and there are no bussed leaving the border between mainland and Hong Kong before 6.
I said goodbye to my hostdad and Michelle, and then my hostmum took me to the border. We missed the last bus from Shenzhen bay port, and had to go to Huang Gang. In the bus from the border to the airport I kept thinking that surely this could not be it. There had to be something awaiting me somewhere else than Denmark. Another adventure somewhere ..

The night in the airport was very long, but fortunately they have free wifi, so I skyped a bit with my mum and then made friends with a guy from Las Vegas, who was kind enough to offer me a glass of red wine, which with my empty stomach made me feel incredibly sick. I checked in at 5 and passed security before I fell asleep at the gate.
Fortunately, the plane was rather empty and the guy who was sitting in my row offered to move so that I'd have the entire row to myself. I slept for a good 5-6 hours. Highlight of my day.

We touched down in London 20 minutes behind schedule. I quite literally ran through the arrival hall trying to find the train to London city, because I had 5 hours to spare before my flight to Denmark. I met up with Sarah   a friend of mine from primary and then high school, who I haven't seen in ages! Sarah lives in London now, and has done for the past 8 months, we had a wee talk about being away from Denmark, and how going back is like.
I left Sarah in London and caught the train back to the airport. By the time I was on the train, it was dark and it reminded me of my winter in Australia earlier this year, when I was almost always on the train to Ballarat to visit Prue and Steph. It made me so sad, and I wished that the destination of the train would be Ballarat. Unfortunately, the train got into Heathrow airport.

Our plane to Copenhagen was delayed. However, when we touched down the familiarity of the airport made me happy, for a short moment. I got my bag and was thrilled when I saw my parents and my lovely friend Mona, who had even brought a Christmas beer for me.
I have truly been blessed in life with wonderful people!

I woke up the next morning and had a look around the house, which I used to call home, but feels nothing like it at the moment. These past couple of days I have been wondering who I am, where I belong and where I need to be at the moment. There is no simple answer to those questions. It's hard to be here right now at this moment. Some of my best friends have moved away. Everyone has begun new stages of their lifes, let it be uni, or something else. I don't know what I expected of coming back, but I do know one thing. At the moment there is nothing keeping me here. It's not a pleasant feeling to feel like a stranger in your own house, even your own town. Which is another thing I have to get used to: after having lived in cities like Melbourne and Shenzhen my town of 150 people seems a bit anticlimatic.
I guess what I am trying to say is that I miss travelling! What I really hated about China in the beginning is everything I miss now. And of course I miss my dear friends from everywhere around the world.

Macau!

With the visa I had issued in Hong Kong earlier this month I got 2 entries with 30 days each. I used up my first entry when I returned from Hong Kong and alas it was now time to use the other one as my first 30 days are running out on Sunday. I have always wanted to go to Macau. I am really fascinated by the entire colonial periode for some reason and especially in the Asia/Pacific area. I wanted to go this weekend, but my family decided to go to Qingyuan again, so that only left Monday and Wednesday, but Wednesday is day of the dead and in Macau that is a public holiday. Then there was Monday.

My alarm clock rang at 0630. The other day Lindsey told me that she gets up at 6.30 every morning. I asked her whether it is still dark at that time. I usually get up at 8 every morning. Needless to say I struggled to get out of bed and gather power to put on my clothes. Nonetheless, I suceeded and by 7 I was on my way to the metro station. 

It was a nice morning. It reminded me a bit of those September mornings when I took the bus to school at 7. I must admit, I am not hating the weather at the moment. It is perfect. Not too cold, not too hot. 

Anyways, the 20 minute walk to the metro station woke me up. 

I was a bit concerned whether I'd find everything. I only had one day to discover Macau, so I made a list of what I wanted to see, and found out all practical stuff so I would waste as little time as possible. However, it was really hard to find out how to get from Shenzhen to Macau. All of the websites I had been looking at looked old and not updated at all. I had found out from my hostparents that I needed to take the ferry from Shekou. I know there is a stop on the metro line called Shekou Port, so I assumed that was the one. Then last night, one of my Chinese friends got me all confused when he said that there is no metro stop at the ferry terminal. 

I looked it up on google maps before I went to bed, and was relieved when I saw that the Shekou Port metro stop is just next to the terminal. 

Shekou Port is only a few stops away from me, fortunately. I arrived and went out exit C, which thankfully lead me straight to the entrance of the ferry terminal. Now, honestly, how complicated is it to put on their website: exit at exit C and you will see the terminal? - Not that difficult, hey?  

I bought my tickets and got on the very first ferry at 8.15. A round trip ticket cost me 320RMB. So not bad at all. 

The terminal is very small. There was a lot of people waiting, and no seats at all. However, I only had to wait for a little while since I arrived in perfect time. 

Before boarding the ship I had to fill out a departure card, because I was now leaving China. I cleared customs and boarded the vessel. An hour later I began seeing buildings and the iconic Macau tower. We had barely stopped before all the passengers rushed to the doors. Of course, a passport control was also needed in Macau, which unfortunately didn't go as quickly as when I left Mainland. I don't know why but there were so many people waiting. It took me a good 30 minutes before I finally had the pretty blue stamp saying Macau. As soon as I entered the arrival hall I was approached by men holding out maps and saying: 'taxi'. Very determined, I ignored them and continued to the info center, where I gathered a few maps and set out to explore Macau. As I walked out I was met by several women promoting the different casinos. On my right side there were numerous shuttle buses waiting to take passengers to their accomodation. I should have taken a photo because it was quite spectacular, but I was just too overwhelmed. 

I know that Macau used to be a Portuguese colony, which was why I was rather disturbed when a car almost ran me down from my right side. They drive on the left!? I still don't understand why.

Traffic in Hong Kong is quite tolerable. Most people stop at the zebra crossing and people won't run you down or honk the horn at you, as they do in Mainland. Yet, Macau is a different case. They must have inherited it from their former Portuguese rulers, because their driving is far from tolerable. 

When I saw on google maps how small Macau really is, I decided that I'd try to walk as much as possible to see as much as possible. It took me around 20 minutes to reach what is known as downtown Macau from the ferry terminal. During those 20 minutes I made a few photo stops. For example I stopped at A Praca Flor De Lodao, which is a square with a massive golden lotus flower. I think I have seen it before on a photo or something. 

I also stopped at Casino Grand Lisboa, which is a massive building shaped like a flower and with a golden surface. 

One thing I have been really good at in these past few months is picking the most inconvient days to go sightseeing. I went to Hong Kong during the Chinese national holiday when the streets were packed, and of course I go to Macau just weeks before the grand prix, when they are preparing the roads and setting up seats etc. meaning that I had to take a minor detour as one of the main roads was closed for pedestrians. 

I turned right, down Avenida do Infante D. Henrique and followed it all the way to Senado square. Here I stopped for a while and bought a pack of Oreos for brekky. Then I sat down and enjoyed the open square and the sun. For a second I forgot where I was and thought I was sitting in Praco do Comercio in Lisbon. South Western Europe had suddenly appeared in Asia. I took a wee look around the small shops where a precious sales assistent commented on my hair and told me it was beautiful. She put the biggest smile on my face and she loved it. I entered a St. Dominic's church and had a small rest while admiring the interior. I saw some Chinese taking photos where they were pretending to pray and it made me upset. I somehow felt that they were mocking the catholic religion. 

One of the reasons why I really wanted to go to Macau was to finally go to a church again. I can't even remember the last time I visited a church. It's not because I am really religious, it's just because it makes me so calm. I don't why, but whenever I am in a church it is as if all of my worries and concerns disappear. 

After having spent a few minutes in the church I continued walking towards the Ruins of St. Paul, which can probably be said to be the icon of Macau. It was once a cathedral, dedicated to the apostle Saint Paul, but today only, what appears the be a gate, remains. 

It is truly remarkable and definitely worth visiting. 

After taking a few photos I began walking around in downtown, and then finally decided to walk towards the Macau tower. So far I definitely liked Macau. It was a fair walk to the tower. In total the area of Macau island in 9.3km2. It is quite small. The area of Macau (including Taipa, Coloane and Cotai) is 29.5km2. It is not big at all. 

It is not difficult to find the way to the tower, just follow it. However, when you get up close, you see that it can indeed be difficult for a pedestrian to enter the tower and convention center which is linked to it. I walked through several parks before I finally found a pedestrians tunnel which took me under the main road and lead me straight to the entrance. This took me a good 20 minutes to find. I didn't want to go up the tower. I judged it worthless since I couldn't afford to do the bungee jump I had originally inteded to do. The Macau tower is 233m, making this the tallest bungee in the world. Unfortunately, not for me this time. Instead I found a Toys R Us and bought Michelle's birthday present. She has been a good kid lately, therefore I bought her a ballerina Barbie, as she herself loved to dance ballet.

Then I took the bus back to downtown. I would have walked but my tired backpacker feet told me otherwise. Now this was interesting because the driver spoke no English. I was 20 cents short, but he let me on anyway. I figure it was because he couldn't tell me to get off the bus. It is rather lucky that my Spanish is so developed that I can read and understand Portuguese because quite a few places the signing is only in Cantonese and Portuguese. 

I got off at Grand Lisboa and walked down to the waterfront from there. My feet were well sore and I had pretty much seen all I wanted to see of Macau, so I decided to walk back to the ferry terminal to see if I could get on an earlier boat (the lady had given me a ticket to the one at 8.45pm and it was only 2pm)

My last sight in Macau was just off Avenida Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, and was the statue of Kun Lam, the Goddess of Mercy and Queen of Heaven. A massive golden statue right by the water. 

As I continued to the ferry terminal, I noticed just how many casinos there were popping up from everywhere. 

I also briefly visited the Fisherman's Wharf, but with shops as Enzo and outlets with overpriced D&G etc. I quickly left. 

Fortunately, I was allowed to jump on an earlier boat. 

I enjoyed my day in Macau. It is very different to Hong Kong. Hong Kong is so multicultural and the occasional caucasian is not uncommon where in Macau it is a bit more rare. I was definitely being observed most places I went (well except for the touristy spots) but mostly because foreigners are expected to go for gambling and I with my worn out sandals, stuffed rucksack, ripped leggings and vintage dress looked nothing like someone who could afford gambling of any kind. Hence, I attracted quite a few looks. 

Macau is said to be the Vegas of Asia. I might have agreed if I had gone to gamble, however, I like to call it a drop of South West Europe in Asia. Everything reminded me so much of Portugal and Spain. The little squares with cafés where you can sit and enjoy drinks, the waterfront, the long bridge little different from the one in Lisbon .. I had such a weird homely feeling. 

Then I got off the boat and it was like I had gone from Lisbon to Budapest within one day. Ah well, I'll always have Macau!

Tuesdays and Thursdays are my escape days. Those are the days I have Chinese class. I leave at 8.30 in the morning and come back 8 hours later. Plus, those are the days when I actually have some something specific to do. I have loads of free time so getting bored gets inevitable. Nonetheless, I have kept myself entertained by watching movies online. See, in China it is perfectly legal to upload full movies on a website similar to youtube. As long as you know it's Chinese name you can find almost any movie. So I have been watching some pretty epic movies lately. Movies that my mum always bothered me with but that I just didn't want to watch.

And then there was Friday, when I met up with my friend Calvin, who I met through Felix, to get some books off him that I promised Felix I would send to him. We went to Starbucks which I have missed very much. I read somewhere that Starbucks in China will make you feel at home. Well it's quite true, even though Denmark isn't known for having a Starbucks on every corner. But if you want to see foreigners, go to Starbucks!
After Starbucks I went back to the house, and we were off to Qingyuan again. It is a fairly long drive, or it seems so anyway. There is nothing interesting to look at and I am all the time worried that we will get hit by a truck, considering their driving skills here in China. But fortunately we survived and arrived at Qingyuan at 7 in the evening. Just in time to watch the international news with Anders Fogh Rasmussen on the tv screen, and me trying to explain who he is. Not easy! While we had been gone from the house they had wifi installed, so now everyone was occupied with their computers. Although it was still very nice when we all sat around the tv and watched the news.

There isn't much to do in Qingyuan other than going to the playground with Michelle and sitting around and reading, which I enjoy. I have been a bit sad about missing out on Danish summer as one of the things I love doing is sitting outside with a book or magazine, cold drinks and my mum. Well two out of three I had here, and my mum was there in my thoughts, so I guess that counts. Oh and the weather is now exactly like Danish weather in the summer.

After lunch we went to a park which isn't really a park but more like entertainment area with big playgrounds and other fun stuff for the kids to do. But not really suited for adults I'd say. Michelle really enjoys being in Qingyuan which is good. My hostdad was the funniest when he said: "This fresh air makes me so sleepy! I sleep completely undisturbed at night." Why was it funny? Because the air is fresh (well fresher than in Shenzhen) but it has nothing on the air where I live near the beach. It wasn't funny haha, but more adorable funny.

Sunday after lunch we travelled back to Shenzhen, just in time for dinner and seeing my wonderful niece on Skype. She is growing so big and it is hard to believe. She is very clever though and everytime I "talk" with her I feel she knows who I am. I wish I could see her again soon.

This week Chinese was cancelled, so Tuesday I went to Dongmen with Calvin, who helped me get a tattoo made. I only ended up paying 100RMB, which is pretty cheap. Thank God I had Calvin to help me translate though! The guy got really sick of me because I was being really specific about what I wanted, but hey, I have to live with it for the rest of my life!

Wednesday I went to meet the others for lunch and after lunch ended up chilling with them for a while. Michelle was an angel when I got back. She wanted to make a dress out of old curtains, so I felt much like Julia Roberts in Sound of Music. She gave up after 30 minutes and instead she styled me as a bride with a veil and everything, and I had to teach her the bridal walse. Then she danced some ballet for me and was being absolutely wonderful.

Today I finally had the opportunity to spend time with the other girls. See, they have class every Wednesday and Friday, and I have every Tuesday and Thursday, which really only leaves Monday and almost no time for proper cath ups. But it was really nice and I enjoyed it very much! Now I have Macau to look forward to next week and also my 20th birthday! Yippi!

Well, I've had some week this week. It all began with a visit to the doctors, which was the first in 9,5 months, which I personally think is pretty good! My hostmum took me to an international doctor as my Chinese is not yet so developed that I can explain the pains that I have had. Nor is my hostmum's English so developed so that she can understand it if I told her. Anyway, the doctor was really nice and gave me some antibiotics, but this entire thing cost me 2200RMB. Thank God for insurance, hey?

Antibiotics helped, but they also made me really really tired. I had to take them after lunch and dinner, so I pretty much passed out on my bed after dinner Monday night. The following days I had to struggle to keep myself awake until at least 10pm. It was horrible.

Friday arvo I went for a small walk. The weather here in Shenzhen is still really good most of the time, however, it has come to remind me a wee bit of Danish weather. When I sat out for my walk it was overcast and a bit windy, but when I got down to the mainroad the sun was shining and burning me and my completely unecessary cardigan, up. I went to the mall to buy a case for my iPhone. I have a favourite shop, which is absolutely adorable. It sells all kinds of crap, and it's relatively cheap compared to other shops. I also bought a lovely milk tea, of course!

Nobody noticed that I had been gone, which I found quite funny. My hostmum was sleeping in her room the entire time, mind you she went up there at 1-ish and I came back at 4-ish.
After dinner I noticed that my hostmum and Michelle were wearing fancy clothes. Normally they only do this when we are setting out somewhere. I suspected that we might be going somewhere, but we never did, although suitcases were packed and ready to go in the living room.

Saturday morning I woke up at 6.30 upon hearing my hostdad's voice. I didn't pay any attention to it, but just went back to bed. At 8 my hostmum woke me up and asked me if I wanted to come with them to their house in Qingyuan. I said yes, and packed by bag as quickly as I could. We left at 9-ish to Qingyuan and got there at lunchtime. How to explain the sight that awaited me in Qingyuan .. Pretty much, where their house is, is an enclosed area. It is probably best described as a fake suburb. It is exactly like seen in American movies, so an American suburbia. Villas everywhere, but they all look so similar. Their villa is quite big. But my hostdad is not satisfied. He thinks it is small! There are three floors. Big living room/dining room, small kitchen, big guestroom and bathroom on the first floor, big bedroom and bathroom and medium size bedroom and bathroom on second floor, and finally one relatively small room on the thrid floor, with bathroom. There is a massive frontyard too.
Anyway, we went for lunch in the only restaurant there is in the fake suburb (I actually think the area is called countryard orange, or something like that). My hostdad told me that there is a five star hotel too and two 18hole golfcourses. Loads of conferences are held in the hotel, hence quite a few foreigners.
After lunch we drove back to the house and there was a bit of relaxing going on. Turned out that my hostdad had been playing poker, all night and didn't get back until 6.30 in the morning when I heard him. We were supposed to leave Friday night for Qingyuan, but because he was out all night we couldn't. Needless to say that he crashed after lunch and didn't get up until later in the afternoon.
Michelle and I went to the playground and enjoyed some time there before heading back to the house, where she also had a tiny nap, because she was exhausted from playing around and from the slightly fresher air outside the city.
In the afternoon my hostmum cooked dinner, and I helped! I was really happy, because this was the first time that I felt that I was actually being an au pair. Silly as it may sound. It was so lovely sitting down at the round table the entire family together and eating dinner, whereafter I helped my hostmum with the dishes.
In the evening we watched the stars, and I haven't seen a star in two months time, so it was just so incredible. When I went to bed I heard nothing but the sounds of the night. No cars, no buses - ah! It was heaven.

The next day I took my magazine and sat outside in the morning sun reading until Michelle and her dad got back from their little drive and we yet again ventured to the playground and played on the swings. I pity her slightly, because this is what a real childhood should be like. Living in a house, being able to just walk outside whenever you want to, and not having to worry to get run down by a car. I enjoyed this weekend so much because it reminded me of how lucky I am, and because I just really love being in a house compared to an appartment.

We got back yesterday evening after having had a Taiwanese dinner in Dongguan with lovely food, and an ant in my rice (yuk!!). Michelle and I went to buy small fish yesterday when we got back to Shenzhen. I had to carry the tiny aquarium, because it was too heavy for Michelle. I ended up spilling a quarter of the water on  my dress, which made Michelle really upset, because she thought the wish would now die. I do admit it was rather unfortunate, but she was sprinting ahead of me, and then turned around saw how slowly I was walking with the aquarium and then she'd yell at me and tell me to hurry up.
In the lift to 11th floor a lovely guy asked if he could hold it for me. So kind of him! How polite, hey?
We got back and I put the aquariuam on the ground. Note the date: October 16 2011, about 11 fish. How long do you reckon they'll last?

Wauw, just wauw! Okay how to begin this .. right. My host family went away for the national holiday, leaving me behind in Shenzhen. It was nice to have some quiet time, but I did actually miss them. But then Monday I had to go to Hong Kong to get a new visa.
Of course I decided to leave on Monday when the public holiday began, hence almost the entire population of Shenzhen were at Lou Hu port crossing the border to Hong Kong. At first I didn't notice how many of them there were, but then a lady saw my European passport and took me through a staff channel from where I could see them all queing. It was wicked, but fortunately I was lead all the way up to the desk for foreigners, hence skipping the entire queue.
So many people everywhere. I found the train into the center, dropped off my passport, caught the metro to my hostel and checked in.
I went for a small wander around the city but I got well lost and ended up walking around in circles.
In the afternoon I went back to the hostel to get a map and ended up having random conversations with random people, which was really cool.

Back in my dorm I met one of the girls staying there. Being Chinese and not really speaking much English, it was a dead end. I turned it into an early night, because it had been quite a long day which too much stuff going on. My bed was both hard and cold. I honestly don't think I slept more than two hours that night.
Next morning China girl left VERY early in the morning. Waking up me and the other girl, who then began talking about random things. She turned out to be from Peru, but living in the Netherlands at the moment studying. Anaís and I then decided to go to H&M but first we dropped by Starbucks to get some brekky.

After H&M, which was massive, but didn't open until 10.30 (!) I went to Kowloon to check out Ladie's Market. I spent some time in Kowloon just walking around the tiny streets of Mong Kok, and later went to the Avenue of Stars, which I presume is a bit like Walk of Fame in Hollywood. There were many people there! In fact too many, so I retrieved and found a bench and sat there for some time just observing the skyline. I love Hong Kong. I really do. I doubt that I could live there but I do like it very much.
It is an entirely different world. People actually speak English and it is way easier to get around than in China. There are many people though, but that's alright. I love how alive the city is even at 4.30 in the morning.

I went back to the hostel. Bought a new pair of shoes and chilled in the reception where I later met Tamzin who had randomnly been given a ticket to the movies and asked me if I wanted to join. So we went to the movies in Hong Kong, which was a cold experience.
After the movie we decided to cross with the ferry to Kowloon to watch the skyline lit up. Again, amazing. We then went back to Hong Kong island and got a cup of coffee at Starbucks while talking about everything from vegetarians to being executed in China. We stayed until 1am just talking before finally heading back to the hostel, where we said goodbye to each other, as Tamzin had to leave the next morning.

Next morning I met the new girl in our dorm. A Malaysian girl called Rowena. She was going to a pharmacy outlet in Kowloon and I asked if I could join her. I did and we had a great time. I bought my iPhone first, then we went to the market which was mental! So many people everywhere, but definitely worth it. I bought a Clinique cream for just 4 USD! It's all genuine and such. We then had milk tea, of course. Rowena likes it just as much as I do. Rowena was of excellent help. She speaks both Mandarin and Cantonese and knows a lot about Hong Kong. I really admire her for her language skills!

In the afternoon we got ready to go out. We bought some beer and chilled in the reception with the others. I quickly began chatting with a Brighton guy, and two Canadian guys. We went out that night and had a blast.

The Canadians had convinced me to stay an extra night, so I did and spent all of the next day with them and Brighton guy, Mike. We went to the Space Museum and in the evening to the racecourse which was really cool. We ended up in Lan Kwai Fong, which is where it all goes down in Hong Kong. A good night indeed.

Yesterday I am came back to Mainland. It is very strange being back.
My four days in Hong Kong were just amazing and they made me realise that it isn't home that I miss. Of course I miss my parents and my best friends, but all I miss is travelling. Moving around and meeting new people, being independent, living in hostels, bonding with people over H&M and Starbucks muffins. They really aren't lying when they say that travelling is a drug, and I am sure that I was made for this. Most people feel really uncomfortable when they approach the unknown and when they are all by themselves with no safety net, but I love it. I really do.
It's not that I don't enjoy living in China and being an au pair, but it is a very different experience. I think three months is enough for me, and don't think I will be an au pair again.

In some places in the world, the darkness and cold of Winter has slowly turned into Spring. In other places the brightness and warm of Summer is fading into Autumn.
And then there's China. The colours of the trees are not fading, it is still hot and humid outside and the sun still sets at the same time as in the past month.

Today is October 1. China's national day, when they celebrate the birth of their nation. 62 years. Most are given an entire week off. My hostparents have ventured off leaving me behind in Shenzhen. Which works out very well for me. I enjoy the time off.

My days here in Shenzhen are very alike. I do very little and I spend quite a lot of time in the house. Except for Tuesdays and Thursdays when I have Chinese lessons. This has resulted, not only in a lot of tv-shows being watched, but also a lot of studying being done. Alas, I now don't feel quite as lost in Chinese as I felt just a month ago. Today I went to Dongmen with Kate and her mum, and could actually communicate with the shopkeepers in Chinese. I no longer feel helpless. I am no longer nervous when I walk down the streets, because I can somehow talk my way out of the situation I might end up in.

I haven't made many new observations in China, but I have observed something else: that I have become absolutely used to everything here. Nothing surprises me anymore. Sometimes I believe I am slowly turning Chinese.

Michelle's English is slowly improving. She has improved her flair for English and the pace has significantly increased. My hostparents have actually also improved their English.

One thing I have come to learn about my hostfamily is that they don't do much as a family. I mean, sure, we go out sometimes, to the movies or shopping, or well, now they've gone off on a vacation, but at home they never sit down in front of the tv together, or things like that. My hostdad will quite often spend most of his time home in his office and my hostmum will be in the living room, while Michelle will either be in her room or in the study. They are quite happy with solitude.

Something that I, however, have definitely noted is how spoilt the Chinese kids are. But this is because in most cases they will not have any siblings. A couple of weeks ago Michelle got a pair of rollerblades. Two days later a bicycle. The rollerblades are currently lying on my floor waiting for Michelle to use them, the bicycle is on the balcony being used every so often. Remember the turtles we bought roughly a month ago? One of them is now dead, because Michelle forgot all about it.

Thursday the school was closed because apparently there was a typhoon. Admittedly it was a bit windy, but nothing we haven't seen in Europe, and surely not windy enough that our schools would close down! It was raining though, and I got drenched by the time I reached Chinese class. Hurray.

Someone asked me some while ago to describe what I see when I look out my window. There is a massive grey building, which houses the head office of a security company. To the right of the security building, in the distance there is a row of identical appartment buildings next to two shiny towers. On the other side there is a whole heap of appartments, most of the identical, of course. In the foreground, there is a park, but it is very small. Occasinally I can spot people doing tai chi or other fun stuff. There is of course also a main road with cars driving past all the time.
But everyday I seem to spot something new. For example at the moment one of the shiny towers has a light show on which I haven't seen before. This is why I love my room. Because the view depends on what time of day it is, which day of the week and so on.

Now I will dim the lights, pop on a movie while keeping one eye on the events taking place outside my window and enjoy my time alone.

It’s been a while, but all of a sudden the programme needed for accessing blocked websites stopped working.

So there’s quite a bit to tell. First of all, Hangzhou was really good. We arrived semi-late on the Friday and went for a late supper with some of my hostmum’s friends. They were really kind buying me beer and such. We then arrived at our hotel, where I had my own room, with a massive bed and a bathroom with glass walls. Many things came to my mind when I saw that room, but I better not write them down.

Anyway, I had a great sleep, where I was having this weird dream about being Bones and solving a murder, when the phone rang at 4, and woke me up. Some drunken Chinese man who obviously got the wrong room number. Needless to say that I didn’t solve the murder in my dream! Buhu.

Next morning Elisa’s friends picked me and Michelle up at the hotel and we went to West Lake, which is pretty much what Hangzhou is famous for. It was so beautiful. Even though it was overcast, the water of the big lake was circled by shaded green hills with pagodas popping up from between the trees. It was so beautiful. I really loved it. We sailed out to an island which had traditional Chinese pagodas and little huts or whatever they are. This is the real China and definitely more cultural than Shenzhen. Having said that, if I didn’t know that this was Hangzhou, I would easily have figured that it was one of the places I visited last year on our roundtrip in China. Everything is really similar. I experienced this the next day too, when we went to Wuzhen. I was convinced that I had been there before until Elisa told me that this was in the other direction of Shanghai than where we had been. Again, the houses, the atmosphere, everything is so similar to each other.

In the afternoon on our first real day in Hangzhou we visited a little town which has been made for tourist to revive the time of the Song dynasty. Now this was something else. Even though most of the “remains” were clearly recreated, it was very interesting to walk around surrounded by so much history. We watched a show, which again was incredible. The Chinese can really put on a show. At one point rain actually started pouring down on the stage, of course intentionally. At the end of the show an elegant Chinese woman handed me a cup of tea special for their region. Ah, you have to love these aspects of China.

Another thing I got to experience and which is an experience I will never forget is a traditional Chinese dinner with friends. There was me, Michelle and Elisa, Elisa’s friend with her son, three of Elisa’s male friends and the wife of one of them. We had a private room where we all sat and ate and drank. Every other minute (if not every minute) someone would shout “gambei” (cheers) and point his or her glass towards someone. Then you drink, and you are expected to finish your drink. Being the foreigner and cheerfully drinking beer, I was targeted by everyone.

I love how they get together and have such a great time. It would have been even better if I could have participated in their conversation.

Monday, our last day in Hangzhou, we went to watch some wave which was really big on that particular day. I don’t really know why it was so special, but it was pretty boring. Maybe if I knew what I was looking at it would have been more interesting. There was heaps of people there, though, pushing and crowding from both sides. There are so many Chinese, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.

After having visited a small café where we had our own little room and drank tea and ate rice, we drove to the airport and that was Hangzhou. It was very nice to get away from Shenzhen. Shenzhen is a very young city, only 30 years old, so culturally speaking there really isn’t much here, which is why it was great to go to Hangzhou.

But back to reality, Tuesday morning I sat out for Chinese lessons, which are now twice a week. I enjoy going to lessons, because it makes me feel like I have a life. I actually have somewhere I need to be. It makes me feel a little important too.

The next day I spent with Harika, going for breakfast and then shopping at Dongmen. This is one thing I have definitely missed while backpacking. Not the shopping bit, but spending time with friends, going out to eat and just chilling. True that when you backpack every day is just about chilling, but it’s a different kind of chilling. Anyway, what I want to say is that I really enjoyed Wednesday with Harika! Especially buying cheap stuff that probably won’t last long. Except for my earrings, I really love my new earrings!

This weekend has been rather uneventful to say the least. Other than going to the movies in the evening we didn’t do anything. So I finished off the last season of Bones, which left me with a smile on my face, craving for the next season!

And that’s all there is from here. 

It's hard to believe that one year ago exactly, I was running around somewhere in Beijing, and now I'm back in China. That's how far I have progressed in my life, haha. So far I am liking China round 2 better than round 1!
Shenzhen is actually a cool place. There isn't much cultural stuff to do, but that's okay.
Wednesday I met the au pairs at the office from where we were going to Felix' goodbye lunch. It actually makes me really sad that all of the people I have met are leaving, well excluding a few. It was nice spending time with them again. They were actually in class, but Harika and I had planned to go to Dongmen, and tricked Felix and Mariana from México(!!) into coming with us. Dongmen is mainly shopping, which we didn't do a lot of that day, but I had the best mango smoothie/drink ever. Wauw! I'd move here just because of delicios mango smoothies and milk tea!
In the arvo I went to pick up my passport with my new visa. My passport is slowly turning into a miniature book with something on every page. The most educating book I have ever read, that is for sure!
Of course I only remembered the metro stop where the immigration office is, but not where it is once you exit the metro. So I was wandering around trying desperately to remember something, but I couldn't. I went down to the metro station and looked at a map, when a lovely Chinese lady working there, came over to me and looked at me with a questioning look on her face. I showed her the receipt for my visa and she told me the correct exit. This is why I love China. The people are so friendly. They want to help you even if they can't communicate with you.
There was so many people in the immigration office and I had to wait for just about an hour to pick up my visa. Something else from 20 minutes at the consulate in Melbourne!

During the days I usually take Michelle to school at 7, pick her up at 12 and then she goes back at 2.30 and I pick her up at 4.30. It is very different from schools I have seen. Firstly they wear uniforms, but that's not so strange. I have seen uniforms before. The following takes place when they exit the school: the class lines up in two rows in the school yard, which is fenced with guards standing at the fence so nobody can enter or leave. Their teacher stands next to them. One of the kids is holding a sign with the class name on it. Michelle is 5.2. Fifth grade, second class. Then they simultaneously walk outside, line up on the pavement, turn around so that they are facing their teacher and bow and say goodbye to their teacher. It's like a mini ceremony. Quite fascinating!
Today is teacher's day in China, when you show your appreciation of your teachers. Hence, yesterday I was helping Michelle making cards for her teachers and we went down to buy flowers. She only has three teachers which makes it easier, and as far as I understood her, she only has three subjects. Chinese, Math and English. Anyway, Michelle wrote me a card too. In Chinese obviously. I wrote her one too, because she is my Chinese teacher.

Yesterday afternoon deserves some mentioning because Michelle and I really bonded over Chinese emperors, Hangzhou and Chinese traditions. Basically we were just playing around but I was so happy and so was she, and that made me even more happy. It was particularly funny when Elisa was telling me a legend from Hangzhou and Michelle tried to say buddhist munk, but it came out as boogie monkey. I laughed so hard.

Tomorrow it will be exactly one month that I left Australia to come to China. Sunday marks my first month in China, round 2! So this weekend will be celebrated in Hangzhou, which is said to be the most beautiful city in China. A Chinese saying goes "above is paradise, below is Hangzhou".

It's been a while since my last entry, but believe it or not, I have actually been busy! Well sort of, anyways. Wednesday Becky and I went back to the HHS Center office, to meet up with my coordinator to get my visa extended. In the office I met some of the other au pairs, which was really nice. Becky was amazed by them all! She was running around taking photos with her phone and especially was she impressed with Lindsey, an american, who has blue eyes. Becky turned to me and whispered: "is there something wrong with her eyes?" Bless her, she is adorable. She was so happy despite the fact that her new shoes had given her blisters on her heels and that she was whinging almost the entire way.
In the afternoon we reached the immigration office. Turns out that they can only extend my visa for another month. We spent some time there before heading back, by taxi, because Becky's feet were hurting too much.
We went to KFC for dinner and then to a department store, where we in the toy deparment spent some time. Michelle got really upset about something, hence, Wednesday night was a bit hectic in the Wang household. Michelle was in the living room screaming her soul out, Becky locked in the bathroom crying, and me on my bed, listening to my iPod, while desperately waiting for Becky to vacate the bathroom.

Thursday Michelle started school again, so it was all very quiet during the day. In the evening we went for one of our weekly movie nights watching the Source Code. Turned out to be quite an experience. In the middle of the movie, the screen went pitch black. Next the screen went white. Then all you could see on the screen was something burning, like a piece of paper or something. Everyone turned around looking anxiously whether this was the time to evacuate the cinema or not. The movie continued and it was I good movie, I thought. But Becky was definitely not fond of it! There was too much in the movie she couldn't comprehend.
Of course we had milk tea! The people at the stall actually know me by now.

Friday night I joined the other au pairs for dinner and later briefly for drinks. It was my first night away from the family so I made it an early one. It was good hanging out with people around my age and with the same interests as me. I met some absolutely wonderful people, however, most of them are or have already left.
It makes me a bit sad.

My host dad is always back on the weekends, otherwise he works 100km away so he is only back every other night, but stays all through the weekend. This is why weekends are spent doing family things. Saturday evening we went to Shenzhen Bay Park and rented tandem bikes and biked around. The Chinese might be brilliant at business, at numbers, technology, but they were definitely not made for biking! Becky was controlling our tandem and I was clinging on to my seat. My hands were red. I was terrified. She had no balance what so ever, and had obviously not biked a lot. She kept saying: "don't worry" but I couldn't help it. It was really thrilling when we were going rather fast and a boy jumped out in front of us and Becky couldn't steer the bike around the boy but had to brake really hard. Nothing happened except for my heart beating a gazillion times faster than normally. No serious accident occured though, and we all survived, fortunately!

Then, early Sunday morning Becky woke me up. We were going to the movies to watch Oceans. The Disney movie which was released last year, but which I still haven't watched. It was so amazing, but again neither Becky nor Michelle liked it. After the movie we went to the arcade to play games. Becky wanted to play this dance game of some sort, Michelle was beating everyone's high score on every single machine in an IQ game, and I wanted to race.
So then after having done all of the above, we went for lunch which consisted of frog together with lettuce and  noodles. Lamingtons for dessert and then we ventured to a little fake Dutch village, where we were looking for gold fish. We found them and brought home two turtles too. Just to make it more fun.

And yesterday I set out for another Chinese class. This time we touched upon more political issues. Kaitlyn told us about the US and I told them about Denmark, and it was a really interesting session. I swear I should be given some kind of medal or something from the Danish government for my excellent promotion and representation of Denmark. I was convincing both Kaitlyn, the american and Joe, my Chinese coordinator, to come to Denmark!

Where else if not in China?

Weekends in my Chinese family are spent doing things together. The mornings are always lazy, nobody is doing anything, but then after lunch is when it all happens. Hence, Sunday afternoon was spent in a karaoke bar. But a karaoke bar as you would imagine it. This place was much bigger than any karaoke bar I have ever seen. We rented a VIP room, which basically meant that we had a room the size of our living room in Denmark to ourselves, with a massive gold upholstered couch, comfy pillows, our own Western style toilet, flat screen and a glass coffee table. Where else if not in China? They love their karaoke too. Fortunately, they had English songs, but in China Britney Spears' Baby One More Time is still big and Ke$ha and Justin Bieber are something near to God. So I was forced to roar Tick Tock and Poker Face, until I for a second overtook the touch screen catalogue and found the real deal, such as Beatles and REM. I am pretty sure I introduced them all to the Beatles, and it wasn't really their style, but I enjoyed it tremendously.
After singing our souls out, we went for dinner, and shopping, which was pretty much just chocolate shopping. Will and I had a conversation about iPads, iPods and iPhones, and he told me how a lot of people in the cities have iPads, because they are so easy to use and so brilliant. I told him that I haven't really seen many around in Denmark, which he found weird. But then I told him that iPhones are common back home, where to he said: "But they are so expensive and not easy to play games on". And where else if not China can they actually make an iPhone out of your iPod for just 100 dollars? I laughed so hard when he told me this, not because it's particularly funny, but because it is absolutely genious!

Yesterday I had my first Chinese class, which I had been looking forward to. I don't understand anything of what they're saying, I mean I sort of make sense of a sentence when my name is mentioned, but other than that I am lost. It's the first time I have ever been this lost.
Anyway, my class was in the other district. I live in the Nanshan district, which I have just been told is the new center of the city and hence the more expensive area. My classes are in the Futian district, the old center, but now more the economical center.
My hostmum said that she'd take me there. I had been told my class would begin at 1pm. But in the meantime this had been changed to 1.30. So there we were in the car on our way to Futian. She dropped me off at the building where I met Joe my coordinator who took me up to their office.
Kaitlyn, an american girl, who is also an au pair came around at 1.30 and we were ready to begin.
Chinese is probably the most complex language I have ever had to learn. I am struggling with the tones. The numbers are my best friend at the moment, same with the countries. Hopefully I will pick up a bit of Chinese before I go back. Fingers crossed.

Having the world at my feet

By the evening Michelle was all good and cuddly when we watched Harry Potter. I think she realised that I don't really care if she doesn't like me, I will not try and consolidate our relationship.
Yesterday morning we went to the foul market again. This time it wasn't as hot but the smells still get to me. Especially the smell of poultry, yuk, makes me want to become a vegetarian. Anyway, new observation from the market: guy standing topless behind his meat counter, smoking a cigarette while cutting up meat for his customers. Hungry yet?
In the afternoon we had a delicious lunch, not even the market can alter my appetite it seems. I have truly comed to love Chinese food. Well, most of it anyways. I love the seasoning they use, which is so different from ours. I love how they prepare, in ways we would never dream of. I just love it. However, I think I have reached the point where I no longer love rice.
After lunch Elisa took me to the post office so I could post some of my stuff back to Denmark, as I have way too much. Not even 40 USD for 7kg, something different from Qantas' 70 dollars for 2kg. I wanted to post everything that I won't need here back, BUT I was not allowed to send my adidas hiking shoes, or my D&G bikini back without their receipt because it could be fake.
One thing that truly fascinates me, is how they have people hired to do absolutely everything. In the parking lot, there is a ticket machine and often an employee who is there in case you can't reach the ticket machine. At the post office, there were three guys packing things into boxes, three girls sitting behind the counter to handle payments, two guys who would deal with post within China, two people selling books and postcards, two guys sitting immidiately as you entered the door doing whatever and one guy walking around just checking that everything was okay. So 13 people and the post office was really not that big. But then I have to remember that there is so many Chinese, so of course they need jobs.
In the afternoon we spontaneously decided to go out for dinner. We drove to another plaza a bit further away than our regular one. This was even bigger. There was some kind of talent show on for kids and it was ghastly and yet very entertaining. I think I was really amazed how five year olds can act and look as ten year olds, and how excited the parents got, and how much make up the kids were wearing. It was really horrible, even a five year old boy was wearing make up!!

Anyway, we had dinner at an outstanding restaurant where the staff spoke English! A rarity in China.
After we had ordered the waiter began bringing the dishes to our table. He brought in a bowl covered with a lid. He opened the lid and I saw living shrimps. He then poured something over them, which my host dad told me was a sauce made out of red wine, ginger and something else. This sauce would drug the shrimps and hence make them unconscious, while you ate them. So pretty much you eat the shrimp while they are still technically alive, but they are not conscious. Of course I had to try it! When will I ever have such and opportunity? It was interesting but in a good way. Overall the dinner was so delicious. The best meal I have had for ages. I didn't eat a lot and there wasn't a lot of dishes but the ones we had were just amazing.
Oh and at the restaurant they even had a Western style toilet! In case you didn't know, in China they wee in holes. Seriously though, I am not kidding.

At dinner Will told me about how there was an event on at the theme park next door, so we went. The theme park is called Window of the World, and it is things like this theme park that is the reason why I have come to love China. Basically, as the name hints it, you have the entire world in one park. They have made replicas of world famous icons. So yesterday, I went up the Eiffeltower, walked down to Arc de Triumph, visited Munich and Octoberfest, went sledging in the Alpes wearing a light jacket, wellies and shorts, went for a walk at Marc's sqaure in Venice, before finishing our tour somewhere near the pyramids.
It's all good fun for me, because I have seen most of these places in real life, so I had a big laugh about it all, but for them (not my host family, because they are educated people and they have travelled a fair bit, mostly in Asia though) this is somewhat like the real deal. They were posing for photos in front of the Eiffeltower, or the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
While we were up the Eiffeltower I looked down on all the mini replicas of icons I had been and seen, and those few I haven't been to yet. There was the Notre Dame, next to it the Operahouse in Sydney, and just there was the sfinx, and the windmills of Holland .. I quite literally had the entire world at my feet. It made me wonder how many of those Chinese, who were pushing me from both sides in order to get to the elevator, would actually make it to any of those places. How many of them will just settle for the view from the 1:3 scale Eiffeltower replica, with parts provided from Germany but otherwise made in China. Maybe it's just because I am the way I am, but I could never be pleased with just that. Something even worse I thought about was how many of them HAVE to settle with Window of the World. How man will never have the opportunity to leave China, to go travelling and explore places. This is the scariest of all. I know that some of them have no desire to leave China and why should they? Everything you want, you can find in China, even Mount Matterhorn. But then there is people like Becky, whose heart was broken when I told her that I had been to Paris thrice. I can't describe the look on her face, but it made me really sad. I didn't dare tell her that those three times had been before my 18th birthday. I guess the reason why it makes me so sad is because I love travelling as much as I do, and I can't imagine how my life would be if I had to spend every day of it in Denmark.
I looked up from those haunting thoughts and looked straight at the lattice surrounding the viewing platform at the top of the tower. But I didn't see a lattice. All I saw was a cage.

Some days we just spend doing absolutely nothing, which is alright by me.

Other days we decide to do nothing for the day and end up at the plaza. Like Wednesday night, when we just casually went to the plaza, because we had nothing better to do. That's all good, because plaza usually means milk tea (yum, I'm in love). Becky and I dropped off Michelle in "Fundoland" which is an indoor playground sort of thing. Then we went off shopping. I am trying to live off the money I am earning here. Partially, because I want  to save money for "adventure 2012", yes Emma Fisher, this is for you, but just as much because I know that what I am paid is what an average Chinese is paid for a part time job. I am paid 150 dollars a month. 

Becky was so excited for shopping! One thing I love about China, is that you can find everything here. The shops sell so many quirky things, I love it! Though I haven't bought any yet, because I know it will end up in my drawer and never see sunlight again. Anyway, I was looking at a wallet, which I thought was pretty cool, when Becky said: "You can buy it, you have money, I know." It made me feel really awkward. I just said that I didn't want to buy so much stuff. Which is actually true. It was a bracelet which I will probably never wear back home, but I liked it at the moment.
Becky told me how she really wants a Louis Vuitton bag, but how expensive they are. I asked her how much they are in China, 900 yuan, which is roughly 180 dollars. I knew instantly that she must have been thinking about the replicas which are to find in every shop, yes even proper shops. I went into a shop and grabbed a "Gucci" wallet, just to see the price. 90 dollars, and it wasn't even a nice replica, but here they believe that that's the real deal. Well some do, because I have a vague idea that my host mum is actually running around with a proper Gucci bag, but to be honest I am no longer certain, which is really unlike me.
Instead of buying completely useless stuff I invited Becky for milk tea, and she loved me and I loved my milk tea. She is always surprised when I finish off my milk tea within in instants while she takes her time drinking hers.
Another thing I have noticed and one that I am sure will annoy me during my stay, is that the Chinese can be really selfish. Michelle bought a bag of sweets and didn't offer any to me or Becky. But that's their culture I guess. I am affraid of saying anything, because I don't want to offend them and I don't think they'd understand it if I told them that this is how we are in Denmark.
This is just another thing I will have to get used to.

Yesterday we spent the entire afternoon at the plaza and there is really not a whole lot to do there except shopping, which is starting to bore me. We began our afternoon with a milk tea, of course. After walking around the plaza for several hours, I was sort tired. We left home at 1pm and met Elisa and William at 6.30pm so 5,5 hours of walking around doing nothing. We ate out last night and then went to the movies, where I scored my second milk tea for the day, oh yeah. The people at the shop know me already and among  the little Chinese I know is the sentense: can I have a milk tea please.

My patience has definitely been tested while I have been here. Today Becky asked me to teach her English grammar. I first dragged her through all of the tenses, then tried to explain to her how to use them, and when. It is difficult because I just speak the language and pay no attention to which tense I am using. She understood me, fortunately, but a timeline became her best friend.
After lunch Elisa told Michelle to join our English lesson. Michelle finds grammar boring, so I had to switch to something completely different. I tried teaching her a song, but she didn't want to do anything and was being so grumpy! I was so annoyed, especially when she began crying and acting like a two year old. It was so hard holding all of my anger back. I was exploding! But I tried to act cool. I was relieved when the lesson was over and had to tell poor Becky, who was so keen on learning more that I needed a break. Fortunately, she understood. Luckily, Becky is quite happy just talking in English, so she came into my room and we had conversations about everything. I can tell that she is thinking about which tenses to use in her sentenses and her English has definitely improved since I came here, which makes me really proud of her.
As to Michelle, well she has been moody all afternoon and hasn't spoken to me since, but she'll come around.

Right, so the weekend went by quickly. Just me and Michelle having fun and practising magic and doing other fun stuff.
Yesterday Becky came back to Shenzhen. She came in to my room after lunch and spent a couple of hours with me just talking about everything you can imagine. I like Becky. Right now, she is my only friend here. Her English is far from perfect, but she still manages to get her statements and opinions across. I showed her photos of my friends and family. When I showed her a photo of my brother and his girlfriend and later my niece, she looked at me rather puzzled and asked: "Are they just boyfriend and girlfriend?" When I said yes, she asked whose child it was. I told her that Lykke is their child. She looked at me quite shocked and said: "But they are not married, how can they have a child?" So I had to explain to her how getting married is not necessary to have a child. She was just shocked. She simply could not comprehend how that is possible, which shows the difference between our two cultures.
We then began talking about boyfriends and girlfriends, and she told me that in China first you are friends, then a couple and then you get married. This is why she is in no rush to find a boyfriend because she doesn't want to get married yet. She wants to wait at least another two years. She just turned 18.
This world is so far from mine. I am constantly reminded by the cultural differences. I told Becky that I am too young to even think about marriage now, where to she replied: "But you must find a man who can take care of you." I told her that I can take care of myself, which she found hard to understand. It is so strange how she is almost two years younger than me, but her mindset is light years ahead of mine.
The reason why I really like Becky though, is because she is an ambitious girl. Moreover, she would love to go travelling and explore different places, but she is too scared to go on her own, which is understandable really. To be fair, I don't think she has ever left this country.

Anyway, we were having a really good time talking and I really enjoy her company. However, I certainly did not enjoy it when she began biting her nails and spitting the nails onto my floor. I didn't know how to react. I just kept quiet. But it is really gross. So is it when she showers before me and the bathroom floor is transformed to lake Taupo and her long black hair is everywhere.

After dinner we went to the cinema. As soon as I heard that we were going I went in to my room to grab my iPod and earphones just in case the movie would be in Chinese. Fortunately, it wasn't! It would have been weird watching Nicholas Cage in Season of the Witch in Chinese. I enjoyed the movie, but poor Michelle got scared and I could tell she wasn't enjoying it at all.
Once I got back I felt the urge to Skype my mum and tell her about my first normal movie experience. I was so psyked and the fact that I had watched a new movie too. Of course my joy was shattered when mum told me it had been released on dvd a month ago back home.
After discussing the movie with my mum I discovered that parts of the movie has been censored, which I found quite interesting. Of course the movie came with a milk tea!

Chinese living

Wednesday in Shenzhen was rather quiet. I had an English lesson with Michelle, where I tried to do something a bit more entertaining than just talk about verbs, which she doesn't understand anyways. Instead we drew animals and described them and talked about what actions they were able to do. Michelle's favourite sentense is: "wauw, so beautiful!" She is lovely!
In the evening we yet again ventured to the cinema. This time we were watching a Hong Kongese movie. It was better than the Chinese one, for sure! It would have been even better if I understood anything of it as it was in cantonese with mandarin subtitles. Anyway, the thing I like most about going to the cinema is when the host family buys me either a milk tea, which I love so much, or a mini cup of Häagen-Dazs. Yum!

Friday turned out to be somewhat hectic. Before I continue let me inform you that the average temperature is 32 degrees and high humidity. So anyways Friday, I was sitting and chilling youtube, when Michelle came into my room and said: "Barbara, Barbara let's go!" I asked where. This was her reply: "It will be good!" So I grabbed my stuff and off we went .. to a theme park. In a gazillion degrees, with heaps of people and queues to everything. Fortunately, we only spent a couple of hours there. I was dying it was that hot.
I took Michelle home and waited for Elisa to ring us, because the same night we were going to the swimming finals of the Universiade.
We went for an hour in a taxi and it cost us 120 yuan, which is around 24USD. Pretty cheap if you ask me. I was really excited for the finals, seeing as I have never been to any major sporting event. There was a lot people there, most of them Chinese. Nor Denmark nor Hungary was represented at the finals, so I either cheered for Australia or New Zealand, occasionally a European country, mainly Italy. But then China was represented in one of the disciplines! Man, I have never seen anything alike. People we're jumping out of their seats screaming and yelling, and when she won a rush of joy went through the hall. It was amazing and scary at the same time. I guess the reason why I found it really scary is because I suddenly remembered everything I was taught in school about how the communists would treat their athletes. Impregnating girls so they would perform better, not paying them unless they won, not giving them food etc. I couldn't help but wonder if any of the above had been relevant for Sun Ye, the winner of 100m breast stroke.

Scary or not, I really enjoyed the competition. I took a few photos with my iPod, which I will try to upload later.

Friday morning Becky, an 18 year old girl who has been here since I arrived, left to go back to her hometown. She is a really nice girl, so I was rather sad when she left. Will, my host dad, went with her. Yesterday morning Elisa went to Guangzhou, leaving me alone with Michelle. I feel like she is my nanny and not the other way around. For a 9 year old girl she is incredibly independent! In the afternoon she decided that she wanted to go shopping. So we did. For her shopping is really just an excuse to go to the plaza and chat with whoever she meets. She is always asking people questions, and she is genuinely interested in .. well everything. We went into a magicians shop and stayed for 45 minutes while she was trying to learn a card trick. The good thing about her is that everybody loves her and think she is adorable.

While I have been here my host family has started to get to know me slightly better. For example they know that they can't tell me what I am going to eat. They let me try it or do as Becky did the other day, walked up to me and popped something in my mouth, which at first tasted a bit like pork rinds. Turns out I wasn't too far off. It was pork ears. It was alright, but after I learned what it was I didn't touch it. It wasn't that good.
The other day for breakfast we had "black eggs". It tasted alright, not much flavour really but it was good in the soup we had (yes, soup for breakfast is normal). Anyway, I googled it afterwards to find out what exactly it was. Click here to see what I ate.
I still don't get a whole lot of meat, but neither am I hungry. Yesterday we skipped breakfast and it didn't even bother me. Opposite to my days in New Zealand where I was hungry all the time. Whenever meat I like is served, I stuff my face like a greedy pig. Like the other day when we had KFC.

Another funny story that I have to share with the world is what I saw when we went to Toy'R'us yesterday. They have all of these toys on display that kids can play with. Michelle wanted to play with this swimming pool something for something like Duplo figures but not quite. It was meant for smaller kids, so there was a lot  of them playing with it. At one point a boy, who must have been only 2 years old, if not younger, who was sitting with his grandma, started weeing. See, they don't really use diapers here. They cut the kids pants instead, exposing everything. So the boy casually started weeing on the carpet in the toystore. Then, his grandmother turned him away so he would wee on the floor instead which resulted in his rays hitting not only his grandmother but other kids too. How's that for hygiene. I wonder if you see this anywhere else in the world.

Something else I have been thinking about, is how observed I feel. I am not talking about people in the streets, who obviously notice me because of my race, no, I am talking about the police and military who is on every corner. I am not even lying, they are everywhere, watching every single move you make, listening to every single word you say, and not just me, no the Chinese too. It's scary, but hey, I am guessing that's communism. The word "freedom" has been given a whole new meaning. I don't feel free, at all.

Sometimes I forget that I am caucasian which makes me wonder why people are staring at me.

And that's all for now!

A whole other world

After 6 days in China, I have realised that this is like a whole other world.
The other day me and Michelle had a splendid time! We went shopping and had KFC for dinner, and just enjoyed ourselves. KFC is not the same here. They sell Chinese soup, noodles and rice and the amount of people who actually go there the for chicken is small.

Yesterday I had my first English lesson with the family, which just assured me that under no circumstances will I ever be a teacher. Unfortunately my patience is too low. But that's alright, at least now I know that I am unsuitable for that profession.
After dinner we went to the cinema, where we went the other day as well to watch a kids movie, in Chinese of course! My host family loves going to the cinema, but as far as I can tell it is just as much a matter of prestige as actually watching the movies, as the cinema seems to be for the upper class. So off we went yesterday to the cinema, to watch yet another Chinese movie, but this time with English subtitles. The translation is Chinglish, so nowhere near grammatically correct. The movie was absolutely horrible, but my host family seemed to enjoy it tremendously so I just smiled and nodded when they asked me if I liked it.
Man, a whole new world, this is. In the cinema my host dad was joyfully playing on his iPad, and when his phone rang, he casually just picked it up and began talking in the middle of the movie. Nobody told him to be quiet or anything. Nobody gave a shit, to be fair. The movie had barely ended when the lights came on and everybody began walking out of the cinema at once.

Today we went to a market, which my host mum described as "very dirty", and yes it was dirty, but the dirt as such wouldn't have bothered me. Just be careful where you step - no, it was the odours of raw meat, combined with fresh vegetables and sweat which made me feel sick. I quite literally got nauseous. Pretty much, the market was covered, the stands were inches away from each other, one selling meat, the other one selling fruit or veges. It was hot and people were sweaty and the smells couldn't escape the covered area. I guess I am a bit to European for this. Moreover, the butchers were gutting the animals, cutting up their stomachs in front of me on a very unhygienic surface. Interesting to see if I will eat at all today because I definitely lost my appetite. Having said that, this is all just a part of the adventure. But next time my host mum, Elisa, asks me if I want to go to the market with her, I'll probably say no.

Welcome to China!

I arrived in Hong Kong early in the morning of August 11. Hong Kong is not quite China, it is currently self-governed, and will only officially be a part of China in about another 40 years.

After getting my luggage I sat down and waited for my host mum to come pick me up. The Shenzhen bay doesn't open until 8, so I had to wait quite a while. She finally found me and had brought Michelle too, my new little sister. She is adorable! 

After brekky in the airport we headed to China. It is not easy to get in to this massive country. An older passport photo is enough to cause three policemen running around you, looking at you from every angle to see if it is really you on that photo, or if you are just some imposter trying to get into China. After having been checked from left to right and from every possible angle, they finally decided that it was me on the photo and I was allowed into Shenzhen. Yay! 

It was so hot and I was wearing my jeans and flannel shirt from when I departed Melbourne.

Shenzhen is host to the summer universiade this year and they have posters everywhere with the mascot UU. There is therefore also a lot of tourists, but I still only see asians everywhere. Whenever you see a caucasian you smile and nod. We finally got to my home for the next three months. 

My host family is absolutely lovely, but they really don't speak a lot of English. Sometimes communication goes through a translating programme on their iPads. They each have an iPad even Michelle, who is just 9 years old. Welcome to China!
I was really scared at first, when an older lady entered my room, which by the way is purple ( ..), but then I learned that she is just the cleaning lady, who comes everyday to clean the house. The family also has a chef to prepare all of their meals for them. Very different from what I have ever been used to. 

My first evening in China, my host family took me to a very fancy buffet restaurant to introduce me to Southern Chinese cuisine. You can tell that Shenzhen is the gateway to the Western world. In the restaurant you'd have forks next to chopsticks, which a first time tourist may not pay attention to, but when you have travelled around China, you know that this is a very rare. 

The Chinese culture is so different and it has been one big culture shock. Smacking is not considered rude. In fact the louder you smack the better. Spitting on the street is just a casual Chinese thing. Be careful where you walk, I almost had a Chinese lady spit on me today. It is so weird though, because women walk around in fancy dresses and nice shoes, but spit as if they were men. 

Another thing I have to get used to: I am too masculine for this country. When my host family realised that I didn't bring any dresses with me they almost fainted. How can you be a girl without having any dresses? 

Observation no. 4: the Chinese are dead on honest. I showed my host mum some photos from New Zealand, to which she said: you are fat. Thank you! So then she said: you must lose weight. 

Which, to be frank, I probably will too. They eat a lot of fish here and I am not too fond of seafood, so I don't really get any meat. 

Saturday they took me rafting. I was the main attraction for our fellow rafters. Basically how it works is that a bus takes you up a hill from where you jump into a rubber boat and follow the water stream down to the bottom. It takes about an hour and you get wet and bruised, but it is so much fun! Safety is low, so you either survive or you don't, pretty much. You end up in flat areas where you have to wait to be pushed further down, and this allows time for water fights. Being non-asian I was, of course, targetted by everyone. This girl yelled: WELCOME TO CHINA, where after she splashed water in my face. But I just laughed. I just think they are cute! 

The same night we had duck tongue for dinner. At first I was slightly disgusted, but then I tried it and I loved it! 

I still haven't adjusted completely to life here. However, the family makes it really easy to feel at home. Michelle has become like my little sister. She takes good care of me and always remembers to ask if everything is okay. 

Even though the first couple of days have been a bit hard, I am sure that I will have a wonderful time in China. Especially now that I have my blog, youtube and facey! 

peace out

It's all gone by so fast.

August 7 .. Initially I was meant to fly back to Europe in three days, but I found that three months in China would be way more exciting. A spontaneous decision which arose one April morning when everything in Australia had become way too monotonous for my suffering of wanderlust. So into Google three simple words went: work in China. One thing lead to another and before I knew of it I had a Chinese visa in my passport. And on Wednesday it is happening. I am off to China. I am excited and I am nervous and I have too many thoughts to be written down here.

I don't know if I can manage to use facebook whilst in China, but if I can't, just follow this blog and I'll let youse all know what the lowdown is in the country of rice, bicycles and Chinese.