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.