Firstly RIP the legend - MJ (musix aint the same without yooou) x
Now apost on the last fews days of my 'business trip' before I travel like a backpacker!
Highlights of the end of two weeks ago -
The visit to the China World trade centre tower which is the tallest skyscraper in the city; go up for free to view Beijing city - This was done after work - me and a few girls met at a station and all walked to the china world trade centre for an expected spectacular view of Beijing City. Inside the building itself was amazing, the view wasn't quite the same but you got to see above everything and how they have structured the city. Also the smog they lifted above their city.
The next day, my boss gave me a day off work for my visit to a baby home. The home was a charity who take in abandoned babies with medical problems before they are fit enough to go into a new family home or orphanage. The home was north east of Beijing about an hour from where I lived, it lasted 2 hours and upon my arrival I had to wash my hands up to my elbows and wear foam sandals provided by the nurses. 57 babies from a week old to 2 years old with either a heart deficit, lung infection, cleft lip and anal closure. All found outside hospitals, police stations or by the large disposal bins in the city. It was heartbreaking.
My journal style visit was an open book of the one-child policy in the country and the conditions occurring because of it. Most parents find that the expenses are too much for an unhealthy child so give it away secretly to born another 'first child' to avoid trouble. This is just one of many problems and 'reasons'. But anyway, I was pleased to have learnt a bit on the orphan issues in China and visited one of many organisations trying to improve the lives of children.
My weekend that week was spent at the Zoo market which surrounds Beijing zoo which is not recommend. Wangfujing night market where I bought souvenirs and gifts, there they have a street full of insects, snakes and such birds on sticks! It was horrifying to see! If you like that kind of 'I'm going to risk wetpooing loads at night' then this one is for you!
Sunday was a day at the Summer palace, 40minutes from east Beijing. This was my favourite spot on Beijing! It has great parks, lakes and landscapes and my favourite was Suzhou street! - it's very big so go early for a full day to see everything. I'm beginning to see the difficulty in seeing the differences between a Chinese and a Japanese, well only if the Japanese is among the Chinese crowd it's difficult! A tour guide was Japanese, I only know this because we asked where he was from stupidly and still got a surprising answer! Anyway, after our feet began to scream, we decided to head back and we ate at Fat Burgers for dinner first before we actually went home. I loved calling it home! I felt a part of China then.
My last week of work couldn't have went any faster!
Monday was work, 10 to 4pm. It was more research and template writing. Papers was flying everywhere and pens were running out! I felt poorly that night so decided to stay in and have another movie night with our impressive flat screen tv (I'm honestly not boasting, uh uhm) That night when I went to sleep there was a 5hour lightening and thunder scream from 12 to 5am. Many people didn't go to work the next day. As if you would!
Tuesday i worked from home as i was feeling poorly again and I felt it was more convenience as I had wifi and worked from my laptop anyway.
The air was ripping my throat apart and my laugh became gassy :(
The weather was poor again so stayed in again at home which is just as good and any trip out. I have everything a home could need. A fully equipped kitchen and my feet up with a Kevin Hart movie playing, bliss.
Wednesday I worked from home again as I still felt unfit to be at the office so took the advantage of visiting our local art gallery at the 798 after i completed a task then we met the girls for ice skating at Guomao. It was hilarious and painful at the same time! Nosh could not skate at all so spent her time posing for the camera, others were wiggling their way around the rink. I was fabulous in the beginning until I fell. Bruised my left arm and leg and made a pact never to skate again (very unlikely) Of course, Fat Burgers for dinner again before we went home - after this time I felt sick.
Just go the once and remember how good it was.
I was sick of Chinese food to be honest - hence the western for dinner.
Thursday I worked at the office from 10 to 5pm and had my last one to one mandarin lesson at 2! Will i still be able to maintain my chinese though? I wanted to have a tearful but I decided to be a professional instead. The evening was spent at the China acrobat show. I believe it was an amateur! It began at 7.15 and finished at 8.33pm Disappointed but impressed - one foot on man's head, swinging on ropes with lady hanging off man's shoes and 20 ladies on one bicycle, wow. (Did you get the sarcasm there)
Friday, I was working at the office from 9 to 5pm and accepting horrible Chinese chocolates and sweets that I had to swallow. I tried so hard not to make face but it got too obvious and they stopped serving me. I felt bad but what do you expect me to do?? I did a bit of shopping before i got home then a last minute decision to head to an Ibiza style bar crawl at sanlitun. It ended at 1.30am unfortunately and I'm guessing you could imagine why. 16376 cheap drinks in no time, yeah.
Saturday was spent having lunch then we visited a blind charity centre in the afternoon. The Hongdandan Charity! We learnt and took part in 'living as a blind person'. This group works with visually impaired young people to provide them with resources for learning and fun. We were given blind folds as we arrived at station of the centre and they led us to the centre all so that we can experience what it’s like to have a visual impairment in Beijing. We were crossing roads and walking over rocks!?!?!! I'm deaf!!!
We were given a talk by some of the blind participants then got an introduction on what they do and what it's like such as the way they watch movies with audio help. We were given tasks as a group to work together drawing an animal. We had to decide what animal to draw then who draws who. There was alot of finger touchy feeling and closeness .
Being deaf and blindfolded, I felt so so so out of the world. It was a sad afternoon but I learnt something new.
Nearby was a one of the biggest chinese Hutongs which we visited - Nanluogu xiang street. We shopped without buying anything and admired things we just left to be viewed at by the next person. The stares were as usual but this time, I just ignore them rather than smile. I do smile tho not in the frantic way. It rained later so we went home and ate italian.
Sunday, we took a trip to Tianjin all day. Third largest city in China!
We first went to the Italian Style Town square
Then we visited the China porcelain house where a collector had a pottery antique obsession basically and built a house of broken pottery. It was beautiful and true art!
He bought the house for a million yuan and spent 3 years building it! Over 30,000 potteries and glasses were used.
Our program managers took us to Nankai university which is top 250 in the world for a talk about study abroad issues and a calligraphy lesson where I finally learnt how to write my name in Chinese characters!! Am I Chinese now?
Lunch at the canteen was just spot on, best Chinese Ive had in a while here! Is that bad?
We got back at 9.33pm and I did some work until the girls all came crashing in mine and Sophie's apartment to watch a movie; but like most of the time, we talk too much and ignore the movie!
Monday this week was my last day of work!!! Am I permitted to cry??? I finished at 2pm and handed over my report, electronically and printed.
I also had an interview the last week there just to see if I was capable of getting a real career like job and I found out that I got it! I obviously didn't take the position because I am still a student but I wanted to bare that in mind that life wouldn't be so bad from now. Not if I keep working hard! It was the educational management support position!
The evening was spent at KTV where we all ate pizza, received our certificate of participation with CRCC and sang horribly for the rest of the night. KTV is a popular karaoke joint in China! Any music you ask for, they will give (apart from The Blue Brothers) They played artists such as Nelly, Taylor S, Beyonce, Busta R, Robbie W, One Direction - ahhh everyone! We left home at 9.30 and had a Pasta night in at mine until 4am as a goodbye. It was my last night with the girls :(((
I'm going to miss them so muchhhhhh!
The next day though!
At 9.45am, me and my travel buddy for China - Sophie (aka Phiphie) did some last minute market buys before our 21 days of travelling around China! I couldn't wait!!!! We were to travel the dragon way - 10 hostels, 5 night trains and 9 cities in 20 days.
It was also just 20 more days until I see my mummy, friends and my special prince again! Ah siblings too but they're manageable.
First stop was Hangzhou! The train station was like an airport, checked I with our passports and tickets, bags scanned and going through customs.
Our sleeping train was at 4.55pm to head down south.
I had the bottom bunk while Sophie was above.
Duration : roughly 17 hours
Arrival: 9.56am the next day
I slept at 7.40pm
9pm, air con off, lights off, lamp on,
11.30 - train stopped.
Writing until 1.05am
Slept again
Awoke at 8.16am when train thought to be stopping.
Chilled until 9.55am, train finally arrived Hangzhou!!
We strolled around the west lake which is the stunning lake around which the ancient local capital was built. I bought icecream and dropped of within 10 licks - I cried like a baby. We then shopped at the market strip nearby and had horrible noodles for lunch. It was finally time to board the bullet train to Deqing (which were almost late for!) it was only 15 minutes away then we drove to Morganshan which is a bamboo nature reserve and a favoured summer time retreat of the late Chairman Mao. It was raining but still was beautiful! We checked in around 4pm up the mountain lodge called Xiwuli no. 73 just for one night before we move on!
Our backpacking adventure begins right nowwww!
New blog post when we complete our travel in Shanghai in a few days!!!
See yaaa xxx
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