Christmas is a-coming (fast)

I'm massively loosing track of time probably because all the hype in the run up to Christmas doesn't happen here, it's nice not having to think about Christmas and all the associated mayhem. Saying that though, our local supermarket was playing awful cover versions of western Christmas songs using Chinese singers with bad English accents -  it took me a while to work out which songs they were murdering. Surprisingly the supermarket also had a small section of Christmas decorations - not sure what the quality was like though. I've decided to just sort of pretend Christmas isn't happening this year, swapping turkey for tofu might be quite refreshing (ok maybe not the tofu part).

I did come across an area in Guangzhou where I could buy enough tinsel and Christmas trees to decorate the whole of Guangdong if the mood suddenly took me....

Owen and I went Christmas browsing in this area on Saturday, here are some of the gems we found.

 This is an ingenious way to use strawberries!

G x

Winter's coming

So after last week's sweat inducing temperatures and humidity, the weather has changed to more winter like weather. Saying that the temperature is about 12oC so the swimming pool isn't quite freezing over yet...

The change in temperature has made everyone dive into their wardrobes and dig out every item of clothing they own and proceed to wear it all at the same time - even last week's sports day jumpers. Everyone looks like they've landed in Siberia. I don't think i've ever seen so many ski-jackets in +0oC temperatures. 

I walk into every class and i'm greeted with 'are you not cold?!?' and all the teachers just stare at me when I walk past because i'm still wearing skirts and shoes with no socks - I have donned a cardi though. I think i'm going to have to go and buy some tights at the weekend just to pacify everyone - I think they are all concerned that i'm a bit mad and that i'm trying to get hypothermia or something - even the male pupils (who hardly ever talk in class) are concerned for my welfare! Next week's topic is definitely going to be about the weather (except I think it's supposed to be warm again next week).

I walked into on classroom yesterday and just laughed. In one corner of the classroom a group of boys were eating ice cream, which they'd bought from the school tuck shop, whilst simultaneously moaning about the cold and on the other side of the classroom a girl was knitting a scarf! (not something I expected to see this year).

Gotta love China and all it's quirks

G x

Sports day

Last week was easy peasy teaching wise - I only had to teach 10 out of my 19 weekly classes - gotta love sports day! It did mean I didn't really get to teach my St. Andrew's Day lesson though so I haven't quite got the youths of China greeting each other with 'Fit like i' day' but there's plenty of time yet for that.

Sport's day here is quite and affair. Each class designs and wears their individual t-shirts or jumpers, some were were better than others, it has to be said but funnily enough most of the slogans they had written on them were in English  - this made for an entertaining morning for Tom and I. 

I'm not really sure how sports day works at the school - not everyone seems to take part but sports seem to include track running, high-jump, long-jump and shot-put so not all that different from sports day anywhere else - not a half-time orange in sight though!

To be honest I think the main attraction of sports day turned into Tom and I - i've never had my photo taken so many times in the space of an hour. Everybody seemed to want pictures with the white teachers - I didn't even recognise half of the pupils who all seemed to know my name (not that they can pronounce it properly - Julian seems to be the closest pronunciation they can manage!).

There were even two pupils (well at least I think they were pupils) dressed up as Minions. I say I hope they were minions because Tom and I decided to simultaneously run at one and hug them - definitely not what they were expecting when they excitedly waved at us - he ran off pretty sharpish afterwards as well which was funny.

So whilst the students were pretending to do two days worth of sports I got 2 days off work to enjoy the very hot weather we were having - i'm not complaining! Here's me thinking I was going to be worked to the bone and I think i've had more weeks incomplete weeks than complete weeks!

G x

Culture kick

So somehow the whole of November has runaway with me so i'm very behind on the blog posts - time for some serious catching up!

A few weekends ago I had a very full on Chinese themed day. The university, where some friends and I go to mandarin class, has some cultural events every now and again and November's event was an afternoon of Chinese tea art and Tai Chi.  Maybe not the most thrilling sounding way to spend a Sunday but when in China...

The afternoon started with some displays of different kinds of Tai Chi (there are 5 different types apparently). One type involved a very large sword, the woman wielding it was very impressive...

We also got to have a go at practicing some Tai Chi - I was rubbish but it was fun. In order for the Tai Chi master to prove his strength, 10 of us had to try and help each other push him over - it all ended with us in a pile on the floor and him merrily standing there looking strong! I enjoyed the Tai Chi - it's definitely harder than it looks!

After the Tai Chi, there was a tea ceremony demonstration. I've got to say it's not quite as exciting the second time round - maybe it was the lack of wishing frog this time - didn't mean I didn't happily drink the varying rounds of tea though (some habits never die).

The following weekend I was invited to one of the teacher's houses for Sunday lunch, China style! She used to live in the same building as me with her son and husband but she had recently moved to a new apartment and Sunday lunch was her house warming party. I am genuinely chuffed that she invited me to join her and her friends - none of the other teachers have really paid any attention to us!

There was a group of about 8 of us in total, the only problem was though that everyone else was Chinese and they were all talking a local Cantonese dialect so my basic Mandarin skills didn't exactly come in handy.

I definitely experienced the Chinese hospitality - i've never eaten so much mutton in my life! I had been warned that you will just kept being fed until you put up a fit or collapse from eating exhaustion. I was treated to a traditional style  Cantonese hotpot - a famous local dish in these parts. It's a bit like a stew - it's the closest thing I can think of to compare it with. The meat of choice in this dish was mutton. As the guest who didn't have a clue what the etiquette was at this my bowl was promptly ladled full of mutton, I think only about one vegetable made it into the mix.  I definitely wasn't quick enough off the mark when my half empty bowl was snatched away and refilled. After we'd all polished off the mutton the stew (which was kept on the heat) tofu was added and then vegetables and it probably would have just kept going if we hadn't all refused to keep eating - hilariously enough after being made to sample everything on offer (at least twice) I was told I don't eat much...this definitely isn't true!

After the meal it was repeated rounds of tea and a giant grapefruit type thing - both good but I never learnt the lesson that if you drink your little cup of tea (even if it's just a sip) it will promptly be refilled! 

If I sounds skeptical, I don't mean it, I genuinely had a great day mingling with the locals the hardest past is definitely trying to work out what are good table manners when it comes to spitting out the bones and eating 12cm long bits of vegetable!

The had nice views out of Foshan too (or at least I think they are nice)

G x