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Day 28: December 19, 2013

What I did today:

  • Henry kindly partnered up with me for our speaking exam. I really like how he makes people feel relaxed and can put a bit of humour into every situation.
  • Received our results from the grammar test and I got a D! Didn’t really expect to get such a good mark but I’m happy with that 😀
  • Farewell luncheon for all the students and teachers involved in the problem. Had my first taste of authentic Peking duck and it was yum. We had Katie, Alise and Henry act as our class reps and they did a really good job with their twist on a Chinese children’s song. I’ll have to look for the video 😛

Day 27: December 18, 2013

What I did today:

  • It’s exam time! Yayyyyyy…not x_x We had our grammar finals today and I felt really under-prepared and super tired from staying up so late but surprisingly the questions weren’t too hard. Makes me wonder why I worried so much :/

Learning opportunities:

  • I’m not getting enough sleep at night so I’m always feeling tired during the day and drained of energy. What can I be doing that will help me rest better whilst being responsible with my studies?

Day 26: December 17, 2013

What I did today:

  • Walked on water. Just kidding, but it’s not too far from the truth. Weiming Lake has frozen over and after a bit of pushing I decided to try walking atop the frozen lake too. It was scary because we could hear a noise that sounded very much like cracking ice but there were some really brave people who walked towards the middle and took pictures. It’s amazing how much can change in one month
  • Went to BS again 🙂 Was good but I liked it when the British guy was leading. I was chatting with this guy from America and something he said really struck me as perhaps a narrow view for the expat. He was only planning to stay in Beijing for a year to teach English and had already been in the country for a few months yet he barely knew any Mandarin and he hadn’t even considered learning it before he arrived or whilst he was here. Is that really okay? What would you do if you were in that situation?

Learning opportunities:

  • Studying in consistent amounts each day is much more effective than cramming. I felt so bad for waking Xerri up each time I came into the room past 11pm because she’s a light sleeper and I keep her up >.< I even considered just sleeping in the chair rather than bothering her but that probably isn’t a good idea either

Moments of success:

  • Not class-related but I ran 5km at the gym today! It was really draining and I didn’t expect to run that far but Henry said go 4km and my pride made me want to push myself harder. I probably won’t run like that again anytime soon because my body can’t keep it up but it was fun challenging myself

Day 24: December 15, 2013

What I did today:

  • Went to the BICF morning service with a few others including Brenda and Alise (who aren’t followers of JC)
  • Lunch with Fangxue at a Cantonese restaurant. I never get to go to Yum Cha in Australia so having cheap eats in Beijing is really nice. I really liked the water chestnut cake 😀
  • Shopped at Sanlitun with Fangxue and ended up spending a whole lot more than I had expected to – around $100 because our bargaining skills are awesome :3

Learning opportunities:

  • Sanlitun attracts a lot of foreign shoppers so the level of English used to convince you to buy an item is a step up from the usual cheap markets. Sellers prefer to pick on the foreigners because they know they can afford to and are willing to pay for overpriced products. This was probably the only time where my English has come in handy because I could double team with Fangxue as she bargained in Chinese and I in English. We made a pretty awesome team and Fangxue was so surprised at how low we had managed to bargain for some uggs that she bought a pair too!

Memorable moments:

  • Celebrated Elle’s 21st over dinner at a Korean restaurant. It was great to share this memory with her and I love how Grace tricked even me as she ‘disappeared to the toilet’ for quite a while and came back with a birthday cake 😀 When the waiters heard us singing Happy Birthday to Elle, they even cooked up a special noodle soup for Elle to wish her a long life 🙂

Day 23: December 14, 2013

What I did today:

  • A trip to the Summer Palace with Rachel, Linda, Lora, Elaine and Grace. It looks amazing even in winter with the lake frozen and trees losing their leaves; I guess that’s just the beauty of nature 🙂

Learning opportunities:

  • I accidentally bought something without realising it when I became curious at a vendor selling artworks (the ones who write the letters of your name using pictures). I’d always wanted one to hang in my room but a tip for those who don’t know: if the seller asks you to write your name down and you do, you’re pretty much affirming you will buy the item like in a contract.

Day 22: December 13, 2013

What I did today:

  • We wrote poems using Chinese in speaking class and I used clothes to describe my experience in Beijing. On arrival, China gave me an uncomfortable feeling like super tight jeans but now it feels more like a pair of warm, snuggly ugg boots (okay I didn’t actually write that but it was something along those lines)
  • Excursion to the Temple of Heaven – I thought it was quite boring and there wasn’t actually anything to do there :/
  • Afterwards our bus took us to the Pearl Markets (look out for Toy City hidden behind it)

Learning opportunities:

  • I feel that I’m starting to enjoy class more than dread it these days. Sure there is still a lot of homework, dictation tests and many instructions I don’t understand but I don’t feel stressed about it.
  • I grew up in Western culture thinking bargaining was rude and I remember being so embarrassed when my mum used to bargain for a lower (and more realistic) price during family holidays back to Guangzhou. Now that I have the opportunity to try it out on my own it’s actually quite fun and is really useful in helping me relax into Chinese culture.
  • At Toy City I found a store that sold calligraphy materials so I bought a cloth chart and brush to practice some water calligraphy. I’m thankful for the lengthy conversation I had with the seller and another customer who gave me some tips and an opportunity to practice using my Mandarin 😛

Funny moments:

  • The bus broke down on the way home so we had to get off and make our own way back to the dorms. I think this was the night where Lora showed us the Italian pizza place!

Day 21: December 12, 2013

What I did today:

  • Intended to go to the water park with Xerri and Alex but it was closed so we ended up swimming in the pool instead. Communicating with the staff there was really frustrating because they have so many rules and the staff weren’t very helpful

Learning opportunities:

  • Had a swimming lesson with Xerri (although it would have been better with goggles). Now I know to break out through my nose while I’m underwater! We left after we saw a little girl pee in the pool though O___O

Funny moments:

  • It was so cold (definitely 5 degrees or less) by the time we left that our hair froze in the wind and there were ice particles. I thought it was cool but Xerri was worried we’d get hypothermia

Day 20: December 11, 2013

What I did today:

  • Wandered off to Wudaokou by myself as Xerri and Elle went off to the zoo
  • Went to international BS with Alex and Xerri at Café Heaven. Very cool 😀 Met people from Nigeria, the UK, the US, Chile and other parts of China

Learning opportunities:

  • Practiced using my Mandarin whilst I ordered Meet Fresh…but they didn’t understand me so I ended up just saying the number on the menu TT___TT
  • Chatted with a guy called T on the way back who said he’d take me to the other C he attends in 2 weeks! Also cool chatting with him in Mandarin on the way back home

Warm & fuzzy moments:

  • Came back from BS and we lounged in Jocelyn and Grace’s room as we shared our testimonies and talked about other stuff ❤

Day 19: December 10, 2013

What I did today:

  • Went to a little Hong Kong dessert chain in Xizhimen called Honeymoon Dessert. It was deeeelicious. Yummy coconut ^____^ I’m glad I’m taking more opportunities to go out and try different things 🙂

Learning opportunities:

  • We took turns to run the lesson in our speaking class. Scary but helpful for me as a pre-service teacher