別の外人

So, for a recap of my life. My stupidly busy unorganised basically 'disheveled' life.
I have been once more horrifically busy aaaagh why can I never find any free time in which to write a blog... examples of how I waste my time:

one. list of disney villains
two. talking about random stuff on skype
three. finding places in Shanghai where I can buy cheese
four. looking up stuff about random languages
five. researching cults
six. trying to solve the VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT SERIOUSLY WHY EVERYONE HAS FAILED THIS IS NOT GONNA WORK
seven. buying random stickers

... so yes.

Anyway, vague recap.

Class: interesting, good for my characters, but otherwise too much, too slow, too boring. Apart from calligraphy which is hysterical because everyone else there basically is Japanese and can already do it, while we are still not that confident in holding a paintbrush. And taichi involves mosquitoes and looking like an idiot in some abandoned storage area in an abandoned area of uni hidden from the natives.

Food: not enough of, probably... I keep forgetting to eat ^^;; half the time I'm busy, the other half I can't decide what to eat til 3am and then it's a bit too late. I need to buy a rice cooker really but I again can't be bothered and don't have the time. But have had fun corn on the cob from a street seller, gongbao chicken (yum yum) and a 'flabby thing on a stick'... the best policy is actually not to ask what you're getting.

Also wanted some dried banana chips the other day, and didn't know the word for gram, only knew the Chinese measurement 'jin' which is like half a kilo or something and that was obv not what I wanted... so just said 'a bit of that please' to the guy... he gave me the right amount to start with but then he kept adding more, I asked him to stop but he carried on. I ended up with like 300g which was quite a lot and I was a bit worried but then I only ended up paying 50p so wasn't too worried :) Yay :D

Friends: really really REALLY REALLY REALLLLLLLLY miss everyone in Japan.

a lot.

more than I can say.


Already in a way looking forward to going back to Leeds in order to see everyone... :)


But then at the same time, am really enjoying getting to know everyone better... yes there have been problems, a fair few problems I will admit, but I don't think it's time to go back yet.

Plus there will soon be Beijing people coming to visit, us Shangers lot going to Beijing, Laura coming over, which is something I seriously can't wait for, going to Cambodia, going to various Taoist places in late February, doing the tourist thing in March with Tori...

This introspection is probably a result of the fact that it's nearly my birthday, and I'll be the furthest away I've ever been from home. I had my 18th in Leeds, and it was fine, but still this is so foreign and there is an 8 hour time difference and everything.

We are starting to make Chinese friends now, which is great and all, and really improving my oral language ability, but all the same it's not anything near the same as having my other friends with me. I want my best friends here with me, I want to be able to ring them up, go round theirs, text them, without having to think about the time difference or whatever. But I am in China for such a relatively short period of time that I shouldn't be moaning bout it, I should just get on with it, surely?

But before anyone feels neglected, I also miss all the Bath lot and then just other random UK friends in general. However, it's in a completely different way, as I didn't really see the Bath lot during termtime, I only saw Leeds people. At Christmas, I reckon I'll miss you lot so much more, although at the same time I mostly missed you lot when I was in a familiar place, like when I was in my room, as that's what I associate you lot with. You are missed though.

Introspection over :P Well at least until my birthday.

Nights out: Large amounts of nights out but a very limited amount of money spent on said nights. We have now found Western things, even Cadburys :O It's quite expensive but in an emergency it'll be amazing. Oh yeahhhhh

We seem to be in a pattern of going out on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, so much less than I did in Leeds, but still really fun. Last two nights I have spent in the other guys' flat, quite looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight.

Speaking of the other guys' flat, it still saddens me a bit... they're all living together til the end of July when we leave the country, and they said it was they couldn't find a shorter lease contract and maybe but the people were seemingly desperate to rent and short term rents here are still quite common... ah maybe this is silly. I'm actually writing this from their flat but it's like, the entire time I'm here, I still feel awkward coz I know I don't belong here, and then in the morning I just knew I needed to be out of there, they seemed a tad uncomfortable with me lurking around. And I know I shouldn't keep coming round but being stuck alone in my flat isn't that appealing, and then like Jo who also doesn't live with the others is often around here so I come round here partially because of that. Looking forward to when Laura comes, we can live together as long as she still wants to by then :P Might have a word with Jo and check she doesn't want to move out of her place in Jing'an early.

Thinking now about living arrangements for third year... Jo has offered, as has Dan, and I know Rakhee and Laura want to as well, but atm it's still all up in the air, depends on whether people are going to continue doing a second language or not. Fingers crossed something will get sorted soon, I just wanna know who's definitely not gonna drop another language so will therefore be around for the whole of third year, not just the first two semesters.

Right, I need to go and buy food now. Sorry for the rubbish update, will PROMISE to update properly more regularly from now on. Honestly. ...maybe.