In HK for a week and half...

At the moment I'm in HK but haven't been updating this blog as often as I normally do...
It's just because I'm meeting many of my friends out here... going shopping, showing people around... and eating a lot...
Will post my pics up here when I get a quiet moment or when I get back to Guangzhou...

Things in Cantonese- English that now make sense…

Every get that feeling when you grew up, that when your aunties would talk or your parents would say something, you would then scratch your head and think… why did they say it like that? It doesn’t make any sense in English!!!
Now I’m focusing a lot right now on Cantonese grammar and sentences I now get why my folks would always say something in this way…

Odd things to say… but make sense in Cantonese
1st time to met you…
Cho chi kin min

So caring, Thanks
Yau sam, doh je
有心，谢谢

Pay attention to Health, Don’t work too Hard!
Chu yi san tai, ng ho tai cho lo la
(seems to be a familiar saying amongst many in HK and Overseas Chinese)

Your Caring
Nei yau sam la
你有心了
(Not said in English, but still said anyways…)

A piece of Dancing
Tung kui tiu jek mo

Thank you! be quiet
Ng koi on ching dick

Borrow your pen ok? not ok?
Je nei ji bat bei ngo tak ng tak?

Can you help me read a map?
Ho ng ho yi bong ngo tai ha lei cheung dei to

Is this map to or not to guide you to bus station?
Lei cheung hai mhai hui chea jam gei de to a?

Don’t at home play fire
Mei hai uk kei waan fo

Ok, I will wait you
Ho, ngo dei dang nei

All is my fault
Do hai ngo ng ho
(gives you idea that It’s no longer just it’s my fault… but all my fault)
Everything don’t take so serious
Fan si tai hoi dick la
(said pretty often I remember… but most English people don’t say this…)

Every time always like this
Mui chi do hai gam yeung dim tak ga
(instead of Don’t be late again…)

Angry to die
Kui nau do sei

Angry very… jumping angry
Kui lau do sang ha gam tiu

Your daughter is very obedient and respectful
Nei koi lui jan hai ching gwaai

Very smart / capable
Ho sai lei!

Fit for me
Do gei ngaam san ah
(this fits well… clothes)

*written the hanzi but only for mandarin… not sure the Cantonese…

The perfect cup of tea — Youth too busy to brew -- Shanghai Daily | 上海日报 -- English Window to China News

The perfect cup of tea — Youth too busy to brew -- Shanghai Daily | 上海日报 -- English Window to China News

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2007/200710/20071020/article_335110_1.htm

An interesting article on Tea brewing... and the generation gap of youth and elders that thrive on tea leaves...or thrive on Coffee Making

My 3 Weeks in Guangzhou

Seems like I’ve been here for a while now, Shall be off to HK tomorrow… So for many reasons as you will see below I am looking forward to it!

I guess my Arrival here has been different for many reasons, so was quite unlike my first month or two of settling into Shanghai…
- I have step family here, and I’ve met them before on a previous visit.
- I can speak Mandarin now, so can use this to talk to people, go to shops, talk to my relatives and get around.
- I’m staying with family.

Same things as Shanghai start
- No friends to start with…
- No clue where everything is…
- People speak to me using local dialect. (but this time the dialect is more familiar to my ears and I want to learn it)

There are some things that seem to make Guangzhou different from Shanghai and there are also things that of course are similar or the same… I mean after all it is a China City.
Different things are small or quite obvious such as…
- Older cars
- Guys are not allowed to ride up front in the front seat in Taxi’s
- Signs are all in blue… and contain some English or Pin Yin.
- Weather is warmer… Down south so of course duh!
- Less spitting in the streets? Only from the limited view I have seen of the city so far…
- There are a lot of temples in Guangzhou / Guangdong.
- Observation… there seems to be more black guys, Asians (Indians and Muslims) walking around here in Guangzhou then I would expect…
Also most of them take public transport like buses… In Shanghai Most only would take Metro or Taxi.
- Everyone here seems to use a mix blend of Cantonese and Mandarin in Conversations.
- There are a lot of adverts on TV advertising plastic surgery.
Also had a hair cut here, cost a little more then Shanghai… only 5 RMB more… so 15RMB. For this I get a wash, a cut, another wash and a head, shoulder and back massage… I wasn’t really expecting the massage… but it was really good!

For Friends I haven’t really made much of an effort myself, part of that effort is hindered by living with family, so not allowed to go out late, have to cancel plans when they make plans… things like that…
So I’m stuck with myself a lot of the time, and occasionally use my phone to call up some friends in Shanghai to chat to.
Otherwise I have spend a lot of time bonding with family or hanging around before or after class to chat to the Head teacher and her assistant @ my Chinese school.
I think if I had more friends here I prob enjoy things a lot more… I keep saying to myself that I’m only here for a couple of weeks and I will come and go to HK to see friends.
So in a sense I’m a little lonely here… no where to go gym as well, as the gyms won’t take me on for 2 or 3 week memberships… and I will save the money instead if I can’t use up the monthly membership efficiently.
Also no Internet access at home… so for that reason, I’ve been writing more e-mails, but most of my friends will now not see me online as much, as I won’t be online when my friends from UK are…I just catch my friends in Shanghai online which on occasion has been good!

I’m riding the bus a lot more here then I was in Shanghai, but mainly cuz there is no direct link for me to take on the subway, and to keep cost down like in Shanghai I only take taxi’s if the bus is no option.
It’s fortunate now I can read some Hanzi, if I couldn’t I prob get lost a lot on the bus.

I think I can say I’ve learned a lot from this experience in Guangzhou, and I could also live in this city as well. I may perhaps may not be really happy, but I could be described as being content… I don’t have issues with a land lord, I don’t have to cook and I don’t have communication issues.

I still have another week and a half in Guangzhou… but I wanted to write this now… as I had some thoughts bopping my head.

Realised a few things…

• If I make time to bond with a family I prob give it like 2 weeks max, 1 week minimum… any more then that… my feeling of obligation has maxed…
• Personal space is a major requirement I have if I live with a family, I’m not familiar with… so that includes being able to do my own things such as shopping, going out or just for a walk… without them!
• Some things I’m happy to do, but the things that I find real enjoyment, may only be enjoyed with some people… for instance the other day when I was up at Bai Yun Shan mountain, I wanted to go for a bungee jump… but I was with my step folks… even though they asked what I thought about it… I know they wouldn’t be able to take it if I said I’m going for it!
Tis the stupid thing to do with how they see young men, and young kids… they are the same. Same Rules apply!


Additional things I’ve learned recently or thought about…
- I’m learning to be less arrogant and to be more humble, either via learning how to say things in Chinese and then translate it back again… or
o Learn by living with other people / family
o See how things are from the other end… fighting to be understood when not everyone speaks your main language.
o People respect you more when you are less defensive, give face and time to them.
- Teaching can be fulfilling, and different across different countries… found out that my techniques today would be received in lots of surprise in too many


Few things Noticed of late
- HK seems to be a model place, right environment control, easy access to the city and everywhere… also takes charity work very serious, Executives, stars and everyday people all take a healthy interest in giving back when possible.
- HK has opened its ports to China, you only need an ID card to cross the water now… no longer as much paper work and trouble as it once was… I believe the same is for Macau and Tibet… No idea for Taiwan however..
- The Word Pure is use way to Often in China… used to describe full grown adults well Girls / Women I mean… and part of that I believe stems too much from parents and Aunties. Girls are aware of this… and also use it to describe many things about themselves, dreams as well as how they may see themselves.
- A lot of the Cantonese I am learning now, I now understand more now, why my own uncles, aunties from M’sia, China, people from HK and so on… why they always had strange English, or would put things in such a way in English that use to be strange to me… I now get that they weren’t thinking in English but in Cantonese… using Cantonese grammar structure and sometimes the literal translation rather then… contemporary interpretation.
I will try and go into more detail with this later on…
*background that I always use to speak English @home and not Chinese…

Remaining thoughts…
Less then 6 weeks left before I’m back to UK... 38 days I’m told by a friend… Not long is it!
Gonna be so different when I get back,
- for one my spoken English is mashed… I speak a little like a Malaysian at best!
- Most of my friends seem to have hooked up, everyone has a boyfriend or girlfriend!
- Some now have their own place to live.
- I haven’t worn a suit in 9 months!
- Not gonna be use to seeing Chinese people everywhere… and trying to spot the minorities…
- Weird to have been away from Home, friends, family and work.

A weekend road trip in Guangzhou…

Well my Uncle surprised me, turned up last minute and whisked me away last minute on Friday with plans to take me on a weekend road trip to show me some parts of Guangzhou I have not been to before…

Well first of all on Friday he took to his place, which was a bit away from Guangdong area, but seemed like a really nice place… it seems like a mini town all built for working professionals in Guangdong, where everyone will be able to afford a car to get themselves into the city. The Compound / town seems able to have a self supporting community with schools, supermarkets, libraries and things like that available.
The apartment itself, has like some of the expat Shanghai Compounds, community areas, like a pool, tennis area, Sheltered areas for Tai Chi and Dance classes and a BBQ area as well…
Everything in the building is modern with good kitchen equipment and most people can leave their windows open and no bugs / mosquitoes will be flying in either…
Just the only negative is that is pretty far away from town (Guangdong) so getting a taxi home will hit the 50’s or 100’s Yuan.


Well Road trip started on Saturday @ Huangda Xian Temple… 黄大仙寺 @ Xiqiao Hill / Mountain 西樵山.
The deal with this place is that it was built for the worship of the Immortal Huang Da Xian. The Architecure follows a combination of Daoism Culture and Lingnan Architectural Culture. A priest called Liang ren set up this Puqing Altar to worship Huang Da Xian.
More information check out www.huangdaxian.com
Address… Huangshan Road, Xiqiao hill Tourist and Vacation, Nanhau City, Guangdong.







Next Stop was the Nanyue Confucian Hill also @ Xiqiao Hill (西樵山), where it is home to the Worlds Biggest Guanyin Statue (观音). There you can check out many things dedicated to Guanyin, @ the actual statue itself you can see the many different types of Guanyin there are… it’s a big selection very much like the Buddha portrayed in India, Thailand and China… there are many different ways to see Guanyin.
The Statue itself, is 292 metres above sea level, it is cast in bronze plate. The Whole Statue is designed to be 61.9 metres high.

There is also a golden statue that shoots out Holy water…
The Believe is that, he will purify water with popular branches, he would sprinkle this water over living creatures so that all their worries and diseases would disappear. If you can pray to Buddha sincerely you can turn bad luck into Good luck and realise what you wish.

Background on Guanyin…
It’s a representation of Buddha, symbol of great benevolence, he is everywhere, he /she see any living creatures, trouble and will turn up in different incarnations to save them and help them realise their wishes.

More information in the photos…




Next stop was Huang FeiHong Lion Dance and Kung Fu Centre (黄飞鸿 lion dance… kung fu)… here you can see a museum dedicated to Kung Fu, the centre’s cups and prizes around the world and part of the legend that is Wong FeiHong (Chinese folk Kung Fu Hero).
Have enclosed some pics and a youtube vid clip of the Lion Dance…. It’s pretty good stuff… my first time to see the lion dance take place on top of the poles… very good quality Kungfu….


Well that was it for the Saturday… went to a hotel in Dragon Mountain and in the evening went nearby to the Hot Springs… really cool shit… they have a big outdoor area where you can go out in your bathing suit… swim in the pools, where half are heated to 61.8 degrees C by hot Sulphur and another area with very cool Water to cool down your body… very relaxing… and nice place to chill and chat.
Cheap as well… 50 元 to go…




Sunday headed off to the Guoen Temple （国恩寺）


After this ended up in Ding Hu Mountain 鼎湖山, this place is one of the first nature Reserves that was established in China in 1979 by the United Nations… called MAB.
It is said to also cross the line of Tropic of Cancer.



Inside is also the Qingyun Temple 庆运寺



Flying Water pool 飞水潭


So that was my weekend… quite cool, fun cruising the countryside… made me miss driving that much more as well… Many thanks to my Uncle, very patient, treated me a lot… and taking many pics for me that weekend… he seems to know how to take shots too…

Tips of living in Shanghai / China

- Cab drivers that have more then 4 stars in the cab, will be able to speak English… this is coming about in every Chinese city… slowly…
- Phone number in Shanghai for English police is 6357 6666
- Ambulance is 120
- Fire is 119
- Police is 110
- International SOS is 6295 0099
- UK embassy and web address in Shanghai, 6279 7650
- Jaywalking can be issued on the spot by street marshals… upto 50 元
- Within 24 hours of arriving you must register with the Police (or PSB Public Security Bureau) for a Temporary Residence Permit, if you are staying with a hotel they will sort it out for you.
What you will need to do is to find your local police station (Not any old one they are very particular about this! Must be the closest one to you ! ) fill out a form when you arrived, when you will go etc… and then hold onto your pink copy… should you ever need this.
If you don’t register and you get into trouble with police, or have VISA problems, then you will be fined… it’s unknown how much is the real amount.
And you will need to do this every time you leave and enter the country!
If you happen to be caught out with an out of date temp residence permit, then you can cheat by going to a cheap hostel or hotel, and they re-register you for that night… and then you can register again… for the address you stay at full time.
In Chinese this is called… lin shi zhusu dengji biao 临时住宿登记表 which is Registration form of Temporary Residence.

- It’s a good idea to Photocopy your passport and VISA several times over, keep a copy on your person should you have trouble for ID or you encounter a service, e.g. temp residence permit where they will require a photocopy of your passport and VISA.
- Should you wish to extend your VISA it’s best to find a VISA agency, normally most language schools will know one and can sort it out for you… but the rule is you must leave China once every year on any permit.
- Should you accidentally overstay your VISA, each day fine is 500 元。Max is 5000 元 (10 days) and if you don’t register with the police (PSB) for your Residence permit this will also result in another mystery fine too…

- In taxis
- Its illegal for taxi’s to smoker or speak on the phone
- In Guangzhou, guys cannot sit in the front seat… only children or women.
- Make sure the meter is always running
- Dark Red taxis are not always the safest to take.
- Police
- Everyday officers carry only handcuffs, batons and pepper spray
- Very few officers speak English
- Detectives carry guns
- A person can be detained up to 15 days without charge,
- Police can hold foreigners up to 4 days without contact to the consulate or make a phone call.
- During this time, you may be fined a lot of money just to drop charges.
- Foreigners are not allocated a state lawyer and in most cases rarely granted bail.
- Travel
- Using Metro is the most efficient way to travel Shanghai, and most other Chinese cities when they come online…
- Line 1 covers North to South, Line 2 covers West to East and there are some ring lines covering the inner city.
- It is worth while for longer then 5 day stay to get a Shanghai Transport Card (Jiaotong ka) 交通卡, this will enable you to charge (pay as you go / prepay) your card before you travel, and not queue in long lines in the ticket offices or Convenient stores. You will need to Deposit 40 元 for this…
And you can use this for Buses, Taxis and to pay for goods in Stores and McDs. A similar system operates in most Big China Cities.
- Taxi drivers do not like to ask for directions, so if they don’t understand you or recognize the place when you tell them where to go, they will not just take you…
- And if your lucky you may already have a phone number for an English cab driver or you happen to hail a cab that has more then 4 stars on their ID… on the windscreen in every taxi. They will speak English.
- Driving in China
- So should you wish to rent a car, you must first of all be a residence permit, over 18, a valid licence from your country and then will be required to take another driving test.
- Bare in mind you won’t find driving schools on the roads in China… they train off road… in a test town area…
- Tests are all conducted in Mandarin or the local dialect where you may be.
- This applies as well to motor cycle licences as well.
- Money
- China is mainly cash hungry, you probably only be able to pay things on card in big department stores, Shopping Malls with a large enough store, Supermarkets and Hotels. So be prepared to carry quite a lot of cash on your person… be careful for pickpockets and flashing it around.
- Money Exchanges, will require your passport every time, and they will photocopy your passport as well… Most Foreigners are happy to draw from ATM’s from China Construction Bank, Bank of China, Industrial bank of China and there won’t be extra charges to draw just a slightly lower exchange rate.
- Useful Websites
- www.exploreshanghai.com a useful street and Metro map for Shanghai
- www.enjoyclassfieds.com classifieds for Shanghai
- www.danwei.org media, advertising and news of urban life in China
- www.shanghaidaily.com news in Shanghai and China
- www.sherpa.com.cn Delivery Food Service in Shanghai
- MY LINKS>>>>>>>>>>>

- Teaching English full time or for extra pocket money
- Most schools or private students only require that you’re a natural speaker.
- You can either work for 1 school, work through several schools (via an agency), or private one to one tutoring.
- Most contracts are 3 months, 6 months and 1 year.
- You will get better paid jobs or better contract (e.g. accommodation and free Chinese lessons) if you have a degree and / or teaching qualification e.g. TEFL.
- You can make up to 300 元 an hour private tutoring one to one.

Renting in Shanghai
- Please note a recent change this year (2007) requires each occupant of an apartment to have 1 bedroom each, you can no longer have a 1 bedroom apartment as a couple.
- Unless you know Chinese very well, most apartment rents for a 1 bedroom apartment will start around 2800 RMB a month, and may not include bills for electric, water, gas and Broadband.
- Make sure you sign a decent contract that is in dual translation English and Chinese. But get a teacher or friend to check the Chinese as that is always the one that takes precedence. (check small print like notice to kick you out for Landlord reasons, or issues with money)
- You will have to pay first month’s rent, along side with a 2 month security deposit as well.
- It’s normally best to look in the local Expat adverts or websites for room mates and housing, as going through a agency will cost more money. And it’s not too hard to find a reasonable deal yourself.
- You cannot buy a place of your own in Shanghai unless you have been there for a whole year.

Calls
- Most people use IP cards (internet Phones) to call internationally home or otherwise.
- You find most of these cards are sold on street corners on carts or shops. Or online www.cnard.com .
- Often from shops however they may offer you a discount, mine was 100 元 card paid @ 35 元
- If you have internet most people also use VoIP, most reliable connection of course using Skype, to call oversea’s and VoIP out to landlines overseas. Free of course if the receiving party uses Skype too… quality is often reasonable at both ends.
- Mobiles phones… Well there are only 3 networks to choose from, most people will buy a simple Pay as you go Sim (prepaid) but you must also recognize when you use it, as many will charge you to receive phone calls nationally or internationally. So you may need to register your ID with the shop. It is prob better to do this in a China mobile shop, where some staff can speak English and offer to do this for you.
- Expat Call, www.expatcall.com
- Gizmo Project www.gizmoproject.com
- Virtual Calling Cards, www.china-mobile-phones.com



- BILLS
- Monthly utility bills can be paid in Post Offices, Kedi convenient stores, Family mart Shops. However if your bills are out of date, you will need to go to the branch office of the utility company or simply wait for next month’s bill, or give to your landlord to sort out.



- BARS / GOING OUT
- Generally going out can be quite cheap, however places like shanghai will also have Open Bars, so it’s often useful to check out Time out guides / magazines, before hand which will tell you which nights these will take place. So which means you may be able to drink all night for 100 元 around 8 quid.
- Also you will find some Korean and Japanese restaurants may offer a buffet option, which you order off the menu and unlimited drinks for a tidy 100-150 元 price, so sometimes it’s useful to ask before hand if they offer this.
- No dress code in most places so you can go in shorts if you felt the unexpected need to do so… last minute impulse and it will be ok.
- Also you can check in you bags in most places free of charge.
- Be careful of KTV places, sometimes this places are also classified as well as Hostess Bars, where girls will come to talk to you and ask to pay for their time and drinks. Barber / massage shops also come into this category you may ask for a special massage with happy ending or end up in a barber shop with fluorescent light and girls wearing all white, it’s basically a sex shop, where you go behind and do your things… for a set price or they might just scam you.

Conclusion / Review 6 -7 months in Shanghai

At the moment I don’t have access to my blog right now, so I can spend a nice long while to read what I’ve written, so I’m gonna do this from memory…
And perhaps add more thoughts when I get the time and the access to my blog.

Month 1 (March)
Man oh Man, I was a proper F.O.B. from the UK, Although I have been to China before myself but with family and someone to hold my hand…

I was taking a big step into the unknown:
- no friends or family waiting for me (actually a semi lie… had a mate visiting for a week in Beijing and saw him for a week was cool hanging out)
- no place to stay
- No Chinese under my belt just the canto I knew… and 1 semester a year or 2 ago study into Chinese.
- And a possible jobs in Beijing and Shanghai
- No idea what it was like to live in China, who I would make friends with and any problems that could come up…

Well, tumbled off the plane feeling shit… I don’t know Chinese!!!! Air hostess had been trying to talk to me on the plane and hadn’t a damn clue what she was saying!
Managed to find a taxi and got to the Hostel I booked online…

Well I looked up a job teaching kindergarten kids… found it wasn’t for me, made a decision and hop it to Shanghai, booked a ticket and flew out…

Got Shanghai, started arranging things from the Hostel, place to stay (family advised last minute by my folks), sorted out a Chinese school and found it… got lost a few times!!! And found asking for help a bitch!!!

Staying with the family wasn’t easy, they were too protective from the start… unwilling to let me to go out to explore solo… had to stomach shit long bus rides and subway rides out with my aunty.
Also found it difficult to communicate to them what I wanted, or to talk to the son… his English wasn’t too hot… I’m guessing I was the first English / British person he had met… and never spoke to nature speaker before…

Never the less, I found my way to school, managed to start shopping… after a couple of weeks of lessons and man it was cold!!! Never expected Shanghai and Beijing to be so cold!!!!

My Chinese sucks to start with, everything I was reading, I kept using Cantonese tones… to read the Pin Yin… took me ages to get this habit out… and to start back once more in Mandarin! A difficulty I found when I was back in London before in my previous studies…


Month 2 (April)

Still experiencing some culture shock, some things I remember, and didn’t really notice from my 1st month with so much to take in!!!
- People push in everywhere!
- Careful crossing those roads… you get run over by cars, bikes, mopeds and anything on wheels!
- Spitting everywhere but all ages and sexes
- Little kids take dumps and whizzes everywhere… parents encourage it!
- Asking for help takes 20 mins… no such things as simple instructions… or directions… from everyday people in the street.
- Tooting is the way of the road… you will be deaf, you will hear the motor… bike… car something coming within a couple of hundred feet or metres…
- Buying things is like Argos… you pay for it @ a cash desk miles away… and you go back to the sales person that serves you to collect your goods… What a WANK!


Digs at my Chinese and Origins
- I look Chinese so therefore I can’t come from anywhere apart from China… doesn’t matter where I was born… Have to learn to say Hua Yi 华裔 very quickly!!! Overseas born Chinese person.
- Thus now also begins the long explanation process to any over curious Chinese person that talks to me in Chinese question my origins! Well my parents are Overseas from China too… Chinese people can’t come from Malaysia can they? I mock…. There is also no such thing as hakka people or hokken people either…
- I look Chinese therefore I must speak 汉语 Mandarin 普通话… Cantonese 广东话 is not Chinese! Apparently… even though there are millions of Chinese in the world that speak this and not mandarin!
- So thus the reason where ever I go, no one will even speak to me in English, or even when I say I can’t speak in Chinese… this falls on deaf ears…
- When I leave, they mock my Chinese immediately!!! 马上

Started to go to Group Classes this month, and make friends from classes… this was my first step to making friends with people like me… study chinese and live here… of course some of them were only here for a short while or just a month or 2…

Also started to realise… I’m prob the only Chinese person in the school, learning Chinese… so everyone outside of class even the teachers…. Think I’m the teacher!!! Hahaha… I can con anyone !

Well the upside of being Chinese…. Not just looking it, means I don’t get bothered by the touts and people in shops… screaming what English they know… Hallo hallo! Buy watch !! buy Rolex!!! You look nice!!!
Success I also managed to get my hair cut… took the balls get my hair done… was fed up with the long length… and can’t stand to look exactly like every Chinese afro do going on out here….
Guy doing my hair was chatty the whole, time hadn’t a clue, when he wanted to wash my hair, how short I wanted it… if I wanted to colour it or whatever…
They were shocked I spoke English and shitty Chinese… most of the guys in this joint were young and fresh from High School…. Thinking about it later… I would expect them to know some English… however perhaps they never cared to learn properly…


Month 3-5 (May-July)
Gun off to HK for golden week… oh my god… did I enjoy HK, Fresh Air!!! Clean and streets in English.
Started talking to locals in Mando Chinese without even thinking about it! Realised how much they were struggling to understand me! Towards the end of the trip was able to start communicating once again in Cantonese… but was too late… had to get back to Shanghai to sort out my place to live… and found it hard once again to get chatty again in Mandarin.

Chinese wise, started to get to a level, where I no longer panicked going outside, felt afraid every time someone spoke to me in Chinese..

I still look too helpful… people seem to come to me to ask for directions!!!

Weather warming up… and I’m hating Mosquitoes as well!

Paid a visit to Suzhou… compliments of Bill, cheers for including me on a trip and getting me out of Shanghai for a day! Was good, got to see some gardens, Canals and a lot of rain.. lol.

Month 6-7 (Aug-Sep)
Celebrated my birthday overseas for the first time… well sort of…

Started to chase girls… sort of… and get asked out too…

Left Shanghai and Moved to Guangzhou…


Lessons Learned
There are lot things to learn,
- It’s not just all about speaking and listening to the language, there is still a culture and way of thinking to learn about.
- I am probably the first person most people met that is from the UK,
- I will have to defend where I am from, and define myself as an Overseas Chinese guy from UK,
- Judgement will fall on how good my Chinese is, so it will be a long time before I will just be accepted…
- Things run a certain way here, Don’t expect things to run the same way as it does in UK.
- Pushing in is a way of life here, live with it and push back.
- Chinese people will work hard for whatever money they will receive, they won’t ask for extra pay, or holiday they will just get the job done!
- Saving Money in anyway possible is the way of life here.
- Chinese people have stereotypes like everywhere else does… Good Boy, bad boy / People from different areas of China / if you’re a girl or boy / from where you are from.
- Watch out for Sharks, people that want to use you any way they can…
- Life runs round the clock, people don’t really sleep much, they work and they work…
- I can live in China, I can live anywhere and make friends… just need to try!
Women
- There are many Women here to chase, I still don’t know what I want… but I should also not get hung up on it… I should still date, have fun and keep my eyes open.
- Being pretty isn’t everything… find the attraction… find the spark!
- Girls here are very old school, men do the work, they chase, they ask them out, they plan the date, they also lead the foreplay.
- There are some very hot women that live in China.
- There is no harm in asking
- It is very easy to be the playboy here
Getting things done
- You must watch people do work… don’t rely on them to just do things the way you expect it to happen… you must stay in and make sure… no Money back Guarantee B.S.
- You must be specific in what you ask… treat everyone dumb… and pretend they have no logic either…
- Paper work is always important… don’t hand shake shit!
- Not everyone is honest… some times they want to con you… No more belief in that you can trust the China man not to cheat you even if your Chinese.
Other things
- There are no such things as discussion… Locals don’t know what that is… they just take your word or someone else’s as the truth.
- Some people are honest here, and they are good
- People don’t question things… tis good and bad.
- People also belief in money… making it, till they day they die is the most important thing… to live prosperous.
- Holiday outside of China is impossible for the most part… paper work, the cost of doing it… however the dream of it is best dream (for most mainlanders)
- You can look like a geek here and it’s ok… however there are some judgements made in your appearance… I don’t want to look like the same skinny china man in glasses, bad hair and bad clothes… Don’t mind acting geeky however… and cheesy… girls like it here…
- It’s important to take time out of China often; you mustn’t forget how the rest of the world thinks!
- There is no Racism here… it’s not seen as the whole race…. But look for the subtly in discriminating across other Chinese minorities.
- Speaking English is the money! But you should know some Chinese at least…
- Many people here can be your friend for life… its likely you will see them again in the future.





Conclusion

I could live here, there are still lots of things for me to learn other then just Chinese the language.
Half a year, and this year already has been a huge life changing thing for me, I’ve learned a lot, matured and realised how to live away from the Nest and comforts of home.
Life is far more exciting here, but there is more work to be done and things happen fast here… and a lot more challengers and unexpected things that can trip you up that you won’t even expect…
I enjoyed these past 7 months, it’s been a lot of fun learning, doing and experiencing it all… No better education or experience can teach you all this…

It’s been sad to leave the UK, leave my friends, family and listen to the many things they are doing, buying houses, getting married, hooking up, breaking up, getting fired, getting new better jobs and in many ways live life like a soap opera… A lot of these friends are close to me, and will continue to be so but I have to do my things and believe in myself.
Home will always be there… but the world is a bigger place then just London, UK… once must rise to it!
I may lose some friends, mainly due to the lack of face to face… and I realise some people can’t write, call or Msn / Facebook… it’s just the way they are…I don’t blame them… but don’t be shocked either when you bump into me later on and say… so emmm I’ve been meaning to call you but its like been a year.. or 3.

A part of me also looks forward to getting back to London, think I want to experience a bit of normality again…

Still have another 8 weeks to go… 2 months and I will be back… lets see how this all goes!

Temple of the 5 Immortals 五仙观 + Yue Xiu Park 越秀公园

The Story goes 5 Rams carried celestial beings first landed in Guangzhou in this spot…2000 years ago. People were poor, had no money and no food.
So One day a heavenly melody rings and down 5 Celestial beings on 5 rams with 6 bundles of spikes in their mouths. So the celestial beings, send the spikes to the people, wishing them Famine free, and abundant harvests every year from now on in. They rose into the sky and rode the clouds and disappeared.
The five Rams they left, turned into Stone. The Rams prove also a symbol for Guangzhou so this is why you will see pictures of them around the city.


Footprints by the Immortals / goats
Footprints by the Immortals / goats

The Temple itself is also interesting to visit just to see the footprints, the bell and the structure that the Ming Dynasty brought to building Temples as well.


After this I headed off to Yue Xiu Park 越秀公园
This is also one of the biggest parks in Guangzhou @ 93 Hectares.
Here I visited the Guangzhou City Museum 广州市博物馆, this is quite interesting place to check out, contains a lot of the history of Guangzhou, what it is now and what it was. It also contains the remains of the Cities walls that were in place to keep the city safe as well. The view from the top also has a great view of Guangzhou too…








It’s pretty cheap to visit, and a nice place to go to as well. Don’t have too much high expectations however…

This park is prob good for kids too, lots of rides, bumper cars, theme park cheap kiddie rides to go on…

Also just nice just to chill out walk around, and escape the city as well… lots of trees and a good place to go as a family or couple.

So I’m in Guang Dong / 广州。。。广东…

So I’ve been in Guang Dong 我在广东… and basically I’m staying with the folks…
Seen a few places here and there like Bai Shan Mountain and Shamian Island.
Living in one of the Universities… Guangdong Technology University… it actually makes me think Guangzhou is very clean as I’m living on campus…
Starting to understand why so many Chinese students love the campus life… seeing students hanging out everywhere… pretty easy to make friends.

Now the downside I never saw coming, was that I’m relying heavily on my Mandarin all the time… to speak to my stepmom’s family and to get around too…
Even on the train down… to Guangzhou…. 17 hours man…. Bare hard to sleep on a train… when it rocks side to side… however had company… was in a 4 bed train room… 1 nice looking girl and a mature guy… both were from Guangzhou, going home… pretty cool to chat to… but had to do the whole lot in mandarin… my canto is tooo bad now to try using to talk in… much better in mando… aiya…..
Oh yeah I got stuck for weight in my bags when I arrived…. They bumped me for 64 元 for my 2 bags… each weighing 30 kg each… gits!!!

Missing Shanghai already… had many things to do , go gym, hang out with friends… and there were some friends I just wanted to hang out with a bit more… maybe even to see if there was something between to 2 of us… who knows….
Moving day for me was a bitch, I tried to post a bag back to UK, hung around the post office for half an hour, with cunts pushing in front of me, workers not being helpful… so allowed it in the end… left my gear with a mate, who I will collect off later to send it when I return to shanghai for 3 days in November.
Gave some of my things to my friends, realised I bought a lot of shit whilst living in Shanghai… my kitchen was fully kitted… had all the things you would need in a chink’s kitchen. Really Ikeaed!!!
Otherwise… getting my shit to the train station was otherwise uneventful… went pretty smoothly… but next time I really want to travel light!

My Cantonese has gone… taking me bare ages to think about old words I knew… and to use my old books to try and say words… bloody hard… since I’m thinking in Pin Yin for Mandarin…took me like 2 months before to shake canto now have to do the reverse again…

Quite looking forward to meeting my friends out in HK in 3 weeks time… perhaps to see an old face, to perhaps get back to talking in English… or just to chill out.
I’m a monk now… no beer… no staying out late and studying when I’m not going out…
No internet access @ home… so no interaction with new friends or old friends… well as much as I normally which is everyday…

Otherwise… Guangzhou seem cool, girls are quite hot here as well… just different hearing canto in the background and signs are all in blue… taxis are a little older… other signs seem to have English on them… even more then Shanghai sometimes as well…. Wish the Subway network was more extensive like Shanghai or London.

Shamian Island 沙面岛

A very peaceful place to visit in the middle of Guangzhou and bopping in the middle of the Pearl River of Guangzhou. In the 18th Century foreign traders were allowed to set up base here, after the opium wars, this island became a French and British concession and 150 Colonial buildings are there in varying states of decay.







Nearby as well is the Qing Ping Market place, where you can buy all kinds of spices, herbs and pet turtles, snakes and other things…
Apparently it’s one of the best places you can buy things as well…


After that I also took a walk with my uncle down the Pearl River 珠江, apparently this is the best part of the River, with good views of 3-4 bridges.