別の外人

Now properly in December, and need to start knuckling down to work properly, but many ponderings and exciting things are happening:

Today went for a meal at Latina (a Brazilian restaurant) with some classmates, which comprised of me, Jo, Igor, Leo, Sin, most of the Japanese students, a Korean girl and a few others :) Was really good, we got a lot of meat... it was 70kuai which did put us off and we were worried about going in the first place, because the others have gone to Hong Kong today til Sunday I think it was, but then once we said we'd go, it was fine. We spoke quite a lot of Chinese, ate Brazilian barbeque and buffet food, and then played a game which involved guessing ‘谁是杀人’ which was very fun, as well as...

CHINESE WHISPERS

IN CHINESE

This actually blew my mind.

In the rest of the week, posted my secret santa stuff as well as a few assorted packages and letters, went shoe shopping with Jo which failed as there were no shoes that fit her feet but we did get to witness the fitness of Shaanxi Nan Lu (caught the metro from Xujiahui to there and then walked along up to Nanjing Xi Lu and then to Jiaozhou Lu) and the millions of amazing shoe shops and clothes shops with some big shoes, mostly small shoes, but just generally awesome, and then went onto Marks and Sparks IN CHINA AND THE LAYOUT WAS JUST LIKE BATH'S. It occurred to me from talking to Carrie that Southgate must be near finished now... anyone wanna take photos for me when they go home for Christmas?

I've also put up my tinsel and brought out my last blanket, woo winter's here. When I was doing washing too, I thought I'd managed to lose all my clothes, but no just turned out I'd left an awful lot of stuff in Nerys' room haha. Went round there one evening last week and played some sort of Uno-like game, and then characters. Robbie was the expo blob... I love how noone outside of Shanghai really has a clue about it. I read an article on the Telegraph website though about the British exhibit, which looks awesome on the outside, but is... EMPTY on the inside. Sorta sums it up doesn't it, woo Britain. I am still missing it though.

I realised that I'm still talking to pretty much everyone I was friends with in Leeds, which is really good considering I haven't seen them for again 6 months (with the exceptions of the people who came down to Bath this summer), I think my friendships are gonna work out :) plus I've made friends with Jo who i wouldn't have known at all were I in Japan for 6 months, whereas all the people in kansai I was friends with in Leeds. Well, excluding the Japanese :P Even after arriving in shangers, I still know I wouldnt have been friends with Jo as she has actually said were she not friends with me, she would hang around with the 'church crew' far more than she does atm, coz atm she hangs round much more with the 'Leeds crewage'. So that's a nice thought :)

I've definitely got a proper routine here now, it's well fun :) Monday is Jing'an Mondays for me, I go round Jo's til late and then go straight to sleep when I get back around midnight. Georgie Thursday is Jo coming over here and staying til late... we also end up coming back to mine after morning classes when she can't be arsed to go home straightaway/wants to share fruit. Though we suspect youzi season is almost over now *shock*... oh well when we end up finding a flat altogether these special days will no longer be needed haha. And then one of us won't have to spend ages travelling home, and then we might even get into bed earlier :O

See the thing is with my waking up, is that I wake up at like 6.30am my time (10.30pm) but then I maybe can't be arsed to get out of bed til between 7.30 and 7.50... and I'm meant to leave between 8am and 8.10 oops xD So that's why I'm not around then. And I'm not voluntarily waking up at 6am... though tbf I have tried. I was so lucky on Monday, set my alarm for 10am since I had class at 1pm, but slept through it apparently, until midday... lucky or what??

I still have a total mysterious toe injury. Like my mysterious sudden acute eyebrow pain I once had in French xD Although that said, I do have my suspicions as to what caused it... I think it's bloody sympathetic pain xD Like after I met the girls after the marathon, they were really tired, and then I got really tired... and then my legs ached... and now my toe hurts and they started moaning today about toe pain. Kinda like animal false 'sympathetic' pregnancies xD I'm so weirdddd

I really want to do something in my life here in Shanghai. I'm really really bored and I haven't got any societies here (as there aren't any) so am having to resort to expat activities, such as a choir. Have found one, but the open session is too far and expensive... waiting still to hear from cheaper one. I know that it'd be more classical stuff, but I wouldn't have to solo at all which is good as my voice really isn't that good haha.

What else have I been up to this week... I bought a massive watermelon. You've never ever seen anything as big. Some woman had a load on the pavement yesterday, ie the first of December xD and was like '2 for 70p' and I'm having enough trouble eating one... they're actually really good, it's so confusing xD My fridge is full to the brim of watermelon.

I have paid for my Cambodia flights, was hoping to be paying for Beijing train tickets on Friday, but the tickets haven't been released yet. Need to buy them soooooonish though, once the others get back from Hong Kong. And I am deffo doing interrailing as well as everything else, I can prob afford it and still have a lot of spare money left :D Yay :D I had to use my UK bank card to buy flights with as my Chinese bank card was not happy but oh well.

Today I sang 'O Little Town of Bethlehem' as my Christmas carol of the day. Right now it is 10C outside and 18C in my room. Toasty :D Am also listening to Travis 'Driftwood' as we speak. I also slept 6 hours last night which is impressive for me. Tomorrow an early start, same on Thursday, then 4 lie ins in a row oh YEAHHHHHHHHHH
My dad told me he's completely redecorated the house (well still in progress but oh well) and hopes to have another job by January... this is still worrying me xD
Got to speak to Laura via her phone email (Japanese phones only email not text weirdly enough) which was cool, and briefly on MSN just now, which was nice as it's hard for us to contact each other atm as she doesn't have internet at her host family's house. Can't wait til she comes, only like 7 weeks now :D Also double checked Tori's dates of coming, so happy that we'll have a fortnight together :D

Oh and I have also bought recently: 27 dresses, 2012, and a pen with a panda on it. Didn't really buy much food though (read any) oops... gonna have a big tea to make up for it :) We decided on some awesome swear words: gobshite and knobjockey and are using them at any available opportunity. Just before my teacher asked me a question in class about what I really can't stand, Jo mouthed 'knobjockey' at me, and so when I was asked the question, literally the ONLY thing in my head was that word. I stuttered and stammered until I just said 'nothing' in answer to her question and then just blushed quietly. Now it's one of those things I can just say at any moment... along with 'do you feel the moon', 'I turn to YOU' (Mel C) and 'HI HI HI HI HI' which is a dog impression XD I'm not mental at all...

I HAVE ALSO NOW WATCHED LOADS OF CHRISTMAS SONGS MUSIC VIDEOS ANDDDDDD.... THE SNOWMAN :D :D :D It feels like Christmas is properly coming now.

Love it. This Christmas is gonna be so weird, but Beijing will make it all better. BRING. IT. ON. xxx