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May 16 time is never on your side,,,Hello fans of the Han Blog...
It's already the middle of May... what has happened?
I have nearly been away in China for an entire year now. How odd is that? I never thought I would be contemplating coming back to London as a culture shock - but it will be.
I don't want to make it sound that my time here has alrady come to an end because that's not the case, I still have over month left and intend to make the most of it.
I have been so busy lately as I've got 2 jobs at the mo. I am still teaching but I am also volunteering for a charity project in my spare time. The charity is run by foreigners here in Beijing (www.magichospital.org). I have learned so much in these last few months. I have realised that I really want to go in events work for Non Profit Organisations - it's just such a thrill and you get to meet such interesting people. I feel that I have met some great people through the charity work here. I will find it even harder to leave now, leaving so much potential behind in terms of contacts, new projects in orphanages, special schools etc... but I think I need to go home (is it still my home?). I want to see my family and actually spend some time with them.
I will take the long way home. My chinese visa runs out at end June, so need to leave before then. Me and my 2 best friends here will travel to Vietnam - Saigon and then travel through Cambodia and then fly back home from Thailand. I am so excited about travelling to these fascinating places! it's a dream come true and will mean that my adventures are still not over when I leave China.
I really want to come back here in a year or so. I feel that I have a real place of existence here now and I really wanna go back to it. But... as always... who knows what will happen!
Over and Out.....
sorry for being so slack!I know I am really slack... I really should be writing more often but as you can see from my photos I have been trying to live life to the max!
I have had some great times recently... what with some very important people coming to visit me during my long Chinese New Year Holidays and then going back to teaching the munchkins.
I had a great week last week when I organised my own lunch-time lecture on English Tea. I just did a little power point thingy on traditions with afternoon tea and then let them some taste some Tetley with milk and sugar! they loved it and now I have been asked by my school to organise something every 2 weeks to get students more involved with english culture. I really enjoy it. Its with my 15 year olds -senior 1 kids -and they are such a laugh. They're like my little sisters and brothers. They know I am a cheeky monkey too so we have a great laugh together. I will post some pics of them soon. I dont know how I will be able to detach myself from my kids. It is gonna be the sadest thing I have to do EVER! My school have told me they really want to stay - but I have said no to them today. I think I need to go back and understand what to do with my life and get my dream job.
On a happier note, My brother is comin out tomorrow so I will be the hostess with the mostess again! I am gonna make my own flag I think. What would it look like? pink? lots of colours all splattered together maybe sums up the experience I offer to my guests. hihi
Love to all my fans out there who read this rambling blog...
I will be in touch again soon....
 January 28 Chinese New YearI was kindly asked by the chinese family who want to adopt if I would spend Chinese New Year with them - or Spring Festival as it is also called. Today is the first day of the one week festival. You spend it with your family and you make Chinese dumplings together, and of course eat loads of them. I was taken to the grandmothers' house where I helped make some of the dumplings. They are little works of art. These ones had porc meat and cabbage in them... yumyum!
Just before eating we set off lots of fire crackers, and all these other different sparklers and some other ones that looked like flying saucers on the ground. It was lots of fun.... I took a few photos so you can see for yourselves! Only this year has the ban been lifted since 10 years ago, so people are going bananas with the fireworks. Car alarms are going off left, right and center because of the loud bangs.
I was welcomed so well into their family and I think it was the first time ever they have had a foreigner invited to their home, let alone for the Spring Festival! It was such a great day... and I have really eaten far too much!
P.S I'm sure Royal Holloway are happy that I'm wearing their jumper all over the place! January 12 Harbin - the coldest place ever!Claire and I decided to go to Harbin for a few days to see the ice festival. We hopped on a train and then 14 hours later and lots of snorring by an old lady sharing a cabin with us later, we were in the cold town of Harbin! It was about 6am when we arrived. Our friend Paul who had been there a few days ago had warned us that the cold will attack you as soon as you set foot off the train like a stick poaking you in the neck (I like the analogy!)... so Claire and I put on about 5 jumpers, our thermal underwear, two wooly scarves, two hats, and our masks for added protection... and then we were good to go.. too good in fact as we were too hot even when we got off the train! It was very funny... we got a taxi to a the main place where the ice festival is and the main shopping street and we managed to book ourselves into a hotel (with our very broken chinese as they spoke NO english). We slept a few hours and then got up around 1pm to explore the town. We were literally around the corner from the main high street, which was great. There were lots of Russian souvenir shops. Harbin used to Russian for many years on and off, and only became Chinese again in 1947, so there is still a strong influence. Lots of russians go on holiday to Harbin too as Russia is next door.
Claire and I wondered round for a while - getting our bearrings. We discovered a covered market too so we were very happy! I bought a mink coat for 16 pounds! hahahaha! I am just waiting for my next evening out to wear it... its just beautiful! it has like a swirly bottom and is just so luxurious! oh!
We visited the old Russian cathedral (see photos). It was an incredible sight. We went inside to the museum about the history of the town but unfortunately it was all in chinese. But all the photos were amazing. All the shops on the high street were all russian... and all these other old photos of these russian families in their homes in Harbin. SO interesting...
Then clairey and I decided to go to the ice festival which was in the park opposite our hotel. It was night time so all the sculptures were lit up with coloured lights. It was like a winter wonderland. The sculptures were beautiful. All different. Some were funny, some were very Picasso style and some were very chinese. There were also some massive sculptures of whole cathedrals, temples, and pirate ships. Even the little kiosk selling snacks was made out of ice! hahaha
After that... clairey and I went to search for some much needed vodka... !!!
The next day, we went to see the snow sculptures which was on an island off the main part of the town. We had to cross in a horse and carriage over the frozen river. The snow sculptures were even better than the ice ones. Just absolute massive sculptures of the russian cathedral, buddhas, animals etc.... an incredible sight. The only problem was that it was about -20 degrees at least so the cold was attacking us more and more as we were walking around the park looking at the snow sculptures.
We went to a russian cafe after for some much deserved soup and bread! yum yum i say!
Then we hopped back on the train back home! What a wicked adventure... I really enjoyed it and had lots of giggles. But now I am longing for the sun. Where shall I go next? The Chinese island Hainan which is like the Asian Hawaii is just calling out to me!
Han xxx
December 27 Christmas in China - first instalmentHello ma lovies...
It's the day after Boxing Day and I am back to work. I have just taught my 4 classes after putting together a very fast lesson on New Year which was more like a lecture which didnt go down too well with little munchkins who just want to play. I dont have much patience today after a very energetic and fun-filled Christmas weekend.
It was amazing. It was just so much fun. I think we did the right thing by going skiing and climbing the Great Wall for Christmas. It will be one I'll never ever forget!
Well...I just want to write all about it. I dont want to forget a thing while it's still fresh in my mind.
So, we had set up a travel expedition with a Chinese tour company for a fun-filled Christmas weekend... we really did act like bunch of crazy drunken lao wais (foreigners)! We were 14 british council english teachers.
We got picked up from Huwie and Tom's school on Saturday afternoon. We got to the hotel about 2-3 hours later. We had a chinese supper as soon as we got in. We were already rather hung over from claire's b-day birthday party involving lethal cocktails and then the night after after with the british council evening where we were being ploughed with beer. But hey! its christmas! so hence forth with drinking and eating! After supper, we went to the karaoke bar in the hotel complex. I was eager to do my Whitney Huston debut for my friends! After feeling suprisingly nevous, I sang it and got a lovely round of applause as opposed to having eggies thrown at me! hihihi - then our chinese tour guide did a great dance and singing act for us. He was a great man! He looked like he was being electrocuted when he was dancing. It was wicked... it provided much entertainment. Then we did lots of duets. Alex and I did Aladin's magic carpet ride song! with a little dance to... then people just seemed to started to drop like flies from drinking too much beer. We had a row of drunken eyes so Alex and I made the most of it to hog the 2 microphones like we had our own t.v. program asking people what their party tricks were. We had a double jointed thumb, an extra long tongue, the alphabet backwards, falling in love by being whispered several words, and being able to smile 24 hours a day. Wow! what a talented lot we are!
Oh have to go now to catch school bus to go home! stay tuned folks!
xxxH December 13 It's been a while!Hello my avid readers of Hannah's voyage to China....
WEll I must apologise for the lack of blogging. WHere have I been?
Mongolia was a trip and a half horse trekking in the vast expanse of grasslands. Space at last i thought! hurray! I have also been to Shanghaigwan -where the Great Wall meets the sea. What an unbelievable sight that is!
WHat else? 3 trips to the airport in a month to collect my lovely visitors.
I must say that the visits were rather a shock to the system as I realised that i actually live in china and have become used to the huge number of bicycles carrying their fridges and moving houses on the back as well as the sounds of china - mainly beep beep beep!
My chinese is come along very slowly indeed. My god its difficult! and the beijingers have a pirate-type accent when they speak and insist on me copying it. warr arrr arrrr ma harties! My chinese teacher is a retired teacher from my school and comes and teached me writing and conversation 2 hours every frinday. He has never taught a foreigner before and obviously seems quite baffled as to why the language is so difficult for me. He is an absolute encyclopedia to the chinese language and knows the history of each character which really helps you remember them. Its fascinating but something you will never ever stop learning. Its not the alphabet. Every character represent something and then if paired with another character can mean something else! yikes!
On another note... I am still feeling frustrated at the lack of understanding. Like today, I'm at the boarding school and on the way back to central beijing at the end of the day we are about 10 teachers in the school bus. They are all chatting and joking. And there I am feeling very lemon-like, not being able to understand. Its frustrating i guess coz you appear to be a way that youa re not at all. FOr instance, I am usually the one playing all the jokes and there I am in China as silent as a mouse! not hannah-like at all!
Anway... perseverance!
Chrsitmas is coming and i am looking forward to skking on the mountain! i really hope i m not like bridger jones and go flying off the slopes!....
October 11 Manners in ChinaManners in China is an interesting topic.
It appears that all the table manners that have been drilled into my head at home ("ton coude Hannah!"), by my parents and brothers (otherwise know as the big daddies) have no importance here.
This is how you eat in China:
You literally slouch down onto your plate sucking up the contents of your plate, aided by your chop sticks. Or, to be a bit more well mannered, you can bring the bowl the your face and suck from there (at least your back is straight then!).
You talk with your mouth full of food. I realised this was not rude when the principal of the school turned round to me with a mouth full of rice and spinach to ask me a question. I didnt know where to look as her mouth was wide open.... yikes!
Burping is a sign of being full up. At least the girls dont join in with this one.
Spitting bones out on your plate - there is none of this British subtely putting it in tissue business! You just go right ahead and spit!
Talking of spitting, for those who are coming to visit me, be prepared for the symphony of hurling the flem from the back of your throat. The men all partake in the old spitting as a national sport. Who can hurl up the most? rhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh - pah!
Where did it land? nobody knows! just move out of the way if you think the spitter is close to you!
What else? let's see.... oh yes... my personal favourite....blowing your nose into a dustbin of course! It was a pretty site- really! Was sitting quietly on my top bunk in a train to watch the man below me hurtle out the contents of his nostrils in the dustbin! yumyum I say!
I regret to inform my family that my mother may have to send me to finishing school after all when I come back! hahaha
 September 20 a spot of bad luckThere may be a rain cloud sitting above at the moment.
Firstly, I thought it would be good idea to do some washing-up before i go to bed. I closed my door as it doesnt lock unless you press the button on it from the inside. Anyway, so i come back with clean coffee pot and cup in hand, and bang bang - my door doesnt open! Panic! I see that the american still has his light on so I go running down the corridor feeling like a right idiot. He sais that there is not much you can do at this time in the night coz everyone is home and the security guard doesnt have any spare sets of keys. I was due to wake up at 6am that morning for a full day of lessons - I had images of sleeping in the corridor and going to school with no materials - no nothing really.
I pleaded with him to do something so he gets a plastic card and starts trying to jam the lock open. Nothing happens - meanwhile i am in kitchen bringing out any instrument that could possibly help: a screwdriver, a pair of scissors, a safety pin.... anything! Anyway - a few minutes later he opens the door! Hurray Hurrah! I have never been so thankful to have a room and a bed. I now said i would buy him big prezzy for helping me - Yikes!
Anyway - disaster no 2 was not too long after this one.
The school bus decides for the first time in Chinese History to leave at 7am on the dot. Here I come at 7.01 and no bus to be seen. I panic again! I rush to my mentor teachers' office and say what has happened. She gets hold of driver and my mentor teacher decides to drive me to catch up the bus. We start going on the motorway -and hurray the bus is there!
What another near disaster. I think i may start the process of hibernation early this year. I must go and build myself a nest.
Hx September 18 The Great WallI ve just come back from day of trekking at the Great Wall. It was amazing. We took a bus from central Beijing. It took about an hour or so - not long - and before we knew it we could spot the lower bits of the wall. The mountains are huge and so beautiful and green. I cant wait to get my pics developed. took loads of pics but with old school camera so they will be arty but will have to ask for them to be put on cd to be able to put them on web. Anyway, we took scary cable car up further in the mountains. When we got off everywhere we looked was the wall. Going uop and down, swirling around the mountains. The old calf muscles certainly had exercise today - we walked all afternoon. Taking pics from all angles. We had picnic in one of the towers. It would so scary at night to be there. But would be great place to be proposed to if you out candles everywhere - anyway! sidetrack - there wernt too many people there so it was wicked. A memorable day for sure! Will hopefully go back many times and explore all the different spots. The wall is just unbelievably vast. Just cant really understand how big -its never ending!
September 06 I'm in my office...It's just gone 11 and I am in my office at the boarding school. I had to get up at 6am to get the school bus at 7 to get here. It's about 30- 40 mins out of centre of Beijing. I put my sunglasses on the bus so the other teachers wouldnt see and slowly closed my eyes. I havn't felt this tired in ages. I actually feel quite sick. I cant sleep so well lately. Too much information in my head and my brain doesnt seem to want to switch off. I have another 3 classes to do and I am not very fun today that's for sure!
I am teaching 11 year olds here in the boarding school. They are sweet, and all the other teachers are so lovely to me. They run around for me finding things and making sure i am ok. So that's always good. I'm listening to capital fm radio on net while i write in the hope that it will inject me with some energy... It's funny hearing london news. It feels like i am still there. It really doesnt feel that far.
Off I go now to teach the little ones!
H xxx
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