Back Home!

Got back last night!

Well, I have had such a great time in China and although I am glad to be back home, I will really miss Beijing.

Thanks everyone for following this blog (I really didn't think anyone was actually going to read it!!)

Nat xx

Last Week!

sorry, various internet problems etc...but i'm here now so it's all good!!

Also sorry I can't show you any photos, my laptop broke a couple of weeks ago so I haven't managed to get any photos up on facebook either.

Mum, Dad and Dan have been here a week now, it's been really good, seen all the sights (I feel like SUCH a tourist haha) It's been so hot this week, it just went straight from freezing winter to summer last weekend...bit of a shock!

We are checking out today and going on the overnight train to Xi'an to see the Terracotta Army tomorrow. Then getting back on the train and will arrive in BJ on Wednesday morning.

Can't believe there's less than a week left :O Will be seeing you all soon!! (apart from all you guys going back to uni this weekend grrrr)

Nat xx

not much to say...

Hi everyone, not very interesting this week i'm afraid!
Moved out of the uni on thursday to tina's flat. Most of my friends have now left BJ, so there's not much to do now until Mum, Dad and Dan get here! Can't wait to show you around though!! Just trying to plan hotels and things, the trip down to xi'an to see the terracotta army and various other sight-seeing trips.
It's so nice to be able to cook for myself now, no more greasy uni canteen food :P except I really don't know what half of the ingedients in the cupboards actually are!!
That's basically it, speak to you soon! xxxx

Passed my exams!

So we had the written paper yesterday, I got 81, and for the oral today I got 91. (it's out of 100 and the pass mark is 60) Really pleased with that, I thought I failed the written paper! And I got an easy topic for the oral...it's because I picked lucky number 8 topic card!!

We had the graduation ceremony this afternoon. My teacher chose me to go up to the front and collect the certificates for our class, but I didn't understand what I had agreed to do (my chinese is so bad) so I was a bit confused and messed it up! We then went for the graduation meal in the canteen.

We have a lesson tomorrow (don't ask me why) and then that's it. Leaving the uni on thursday and going to Tina's.

xxxxxxxx

Exams *sigh*

Haven't written anything this week, because not much has happened! It's been quite a buusy week work-wise - we have exams, written tomorrow and oral on Tuesday.

On Thursday we went on another class trip, this time to go and see a Kung Fu show...It was amazing!! At one point, this guy lat down on 3 big swords with a board of nails on top of him, then another man lay on top of the board and a big concrete block was put on him. Then another guy got a hammer and started hitting the concrete block until it broke. There people are seriously crazy!!

Er went for a walk around Ho Hai last weekend, ate Beijing Duck on Monday with Erica, Michele and Anna (duck brain tastes like liver by the way), went to a market yesterday, that's been about it this week! The weather has been really nie today, I actually went out without a coat...will probably be cold again tomorrow though :(

Can't believe the course finishes on Wednesday, seems like I only just got here! I have learnt so much Chinese though it's so good :)

Thanks everyone who's still actually reading this :P xxxx

great wall etc

helloooo

So we went to an unrestored bit of the wall on Sunday, Erica's host mum's brother drove us there. It was about a 4 hour hike from the village to the wall, it was like sheet ice on the paths so tricky walking. Our guide was a 14 year old girl from the village, she spoke very fast Chinese so it was hard to talk to her, but we tried our best! Really stunning views from the top (see pics). when we got back to the village we were invited to eat there, the girl's family always cook for the visitors when they come back down the mountain. We had a whole chicken (i mean whole - feet and everything!), some omlette thing, soup, veg, really nice hot bread and some pancake things made out of corn - they grow huge amounts of corn by the village. it was a really yummy meal!

Haven't done much else this week, mainly been working...Found a language partner though the other day, there are 2 girls who want to improve their English so me and Erica are meeting with them a few times a week to do some conversation practice etc. Everyone has like 3 different language partners each here it's crazy!

Went bowling again today with some friends - and some random people I didn't know, but it's all good :)

yeah i think that's all...

this week

Hi! 

Firstly must make my apologies for not writing here all week!! It's been quite busy with studying and trying to get in some sight-seeing etc! The work is quite hard, we have 20 new words to learn each day and 1 or 2 short essays. But it's really good to learn so intensively.

Hmm what did I do this week then? Oh yes, Me, Erica and Michele went to a huge market on Sunday, did some haggling in chinese (very funny!) and got me some bargains!! We spent all day there, so we got some lunch from a street vendor in the market - they told us it was rice with veg, tofu and beef, but it turned out to be beef liver.....yucky....

Went out for lunch the other with some people from my friend Erica's class. I sat down and said hello, then realised that none of them spoke English! We tried really hard to speak in Chinese, but it was the most stilted conversation ever! It's good to practice though.

Went to the Zoo with Erica on Wednesday to see the giant pandas: really cute :P

Today we went to wangfujing to this food market thing to have lunch...we tried loads of different things - but not the scorpians on sticks.....maybe next time, or not! Was really nice though.

Some of us are going to a un-restored part of the great wall on sunday. Erica's host family said that they would take us there, it's really kind of them. Will put some pics up when I get back.

Great Wall Of China

As you can see (pics below), we went to the Great Wall today, it was really good, but a long way up! One of my friends counted over 1,000 steps just to the wall, but as you walk along it it's actually really hilly! Spent some time walking across the top and taking pics, then came down again. But we didn't walk down, there is a toboggan slide which goes all the way down the mountain....I know you won't believe me but I'm not joking!! It was so much fun, but we didn't go that fast, because Kevin's one was broken and kept stopping! Fun though...

Went bowling this evening with some friends, (pic above: Me, Michele, she's australian but lives in london, and Erica, she's from USA) And I have no idea why this text is underlined....but I can't seem to get rid of it...

Bei Jing Kao Ya

Just got back from having peking duck (bei jing kao ya - mum you should remember these words i did teach you them!) It was sooo yummy!! Here are some pictures above. (on the left is Jay, he's from Inner Mongolia, and on the right is Candi, he's from Indonesia)

We had the first day of lessons today, after the test yesterday I was put in the 2nd from bottom class, everyone is really nice and the lesson was fun. We learnt some conversation about going to see beijing opera and eating peking duck etc not very interesting for you!

Yesterday I went with some friends to explore some of the centre of Beijing, we had some traditional noodle soup (i honestly don't know what some of the things in it were, but it tasted good!)

Going to the great wall tomorrow on a class field trip, really looking forward to it. will put some pictures up when i get back!

Nat xx

My room...