The Last Two Weeks...

Well I've been very lazy with the Blog becasue the last two weeks have been pretty uneventful...as uneventful as they can be living in China anyway.

Two weekends ago I was extremely sick with what I thought was some throat disease from trying to pretend I'm Jeff from the wiggles when I'm clearly not! But I ended up loosing my voice completely two days before the dreaded open week at the Kinder that all the parents come to watch me teach English. I had been told this was the most important week for the Kindergartens in China so I felt absolutely no pressure, especially when none of the parents have 'conveniently' been told I'm still a uni student and this is my first experience like this ever!!

Luckily the parents day got put back a week (for the fifth time) and I got over my sickness after a trip to the hospital. They don't have doctor's like we do they go straight to the hospital where instead of having one doctor to diagnose all problems they have a room labelled with every problem any human could ever consider to have and a doctor sitting in each room waiting for the people with that particular problem to come in. I would have found it amusing and taken some photos at the hilarious names for some of the rooms had I not been so sick myself.

I got well again in time for the parents day and it ended up going OK. I was surprisingly nervous and the parents were very intimidating but I thought the lessons went fine. Sally my english helper on the other hand wasn't very helpful throughout the day and told me at the end that they were terrible and she was worried about the parents complaining. I cracked it and said well I hope the Principal fires me then because I'd had just about enough anyway....

About a week later I was able to watch Sally eat her humble pie as she had to translate to me that the parents had commented to her how impressed they were with my lessons!! So that was a good day for me. :)

Two Saturdays ago I went with Jessica, Doris, two other girls and their parents to Chaoyang Park. It's over 3 hectares long and has everything from those balls that you roll in to people having their siesta in tents you can hire! Chinese people can be very funny if you just take the time to sit and watch...

Here's a couple getting sleepily out of a tent just smack bang in the middle of the park!!

This is like a bar that you sit around and the seats hve peddals that make you move...very funny to watch

Fishing for pets.....there were heaps of goldfish in here and heaps of asians catching them with tiny rods and tiny bait....you could watch the fish swim around and eat the bait...then they put them in plastic tanks when they had enough and took them home....(prbably to eat knowing there thoughts on whats edible)

That night I went out with Vikki and Rosie. We had dinner on Lucky Street which has a restaurant from basically every coutry lining its path, and after a quick look we opted for a bit of Americana with the Nashville Bar and Restaurant. After we caught the bus to the Hilton Hotel which our guide book had reccomended as a nice Bar. It was a little too nice so we soon left and opted for Sanlitun Bar street again.

We found a great Jamaican Club and felt very...white... but it was fun to watch how well they dance and the Jamaican DJ was excellent. The place was a perfect place for couples becasue behind the bar was a huge flatscreen with gaming controlers sitting on the bar so the boys played street fighter while the girls danced. It would definitely be a hit with John and Nick anyway!

I stayed at Rosies and Breakfast was amazing at a little place down their street that made banana and nutella crepes!! and fruit salad which was delicious...I'm sure i'll visit that place more then once!

This Friday just gone was Jessica's Birthday so I met the girls at the silk market and I bought her two bracelets from a tibetan style stall. I also bargained for a camera for Rosie the same as mine was but 8megapixels instead of 10 and got it for $250 when mine cost me $400! I've definitely become a better barginer since being here...Frigay night was a feast we actually had chicken wings and satay chicken-y things it was great...And I've been forced to excel at the whole chopsticks thing otherwise I miss out on the good stuff becasue i'm too busy with the slippery onion.

Saturday was Mandarin class and it was full on. I love the ins and outs of the differences between languages though and I would love to conintue it somehow in Australia. I can communicate very basic things now with alot of actions and a few words but I definitely need to practice more...

Sunday was my usual of trying to clear my head and relax before another week of Kinder and Swimming after lunch. I am loving the swimming. It was just Doris and I on Sunday to I did about half an hour on and off laps by myself and the other half was doing laps dragging her up and down with me singing together "swimming swimming 1, 2, 3.. yoyo yoyo yi, ar, sun..." Which works fine for me because it means more exerciese!