30th MarchFor the first time since arriving in Songjiang, China, yesterday I was having doubts about staying...Next week I get 3 days off school and so to have the opportunity to travel further than Shanghai, this break has excited me so much. I've been searching online places I can go, all that I can see and that was exactly it; All that I can see! I've had one week off for Spring Festival and my next week holiday is in October, just 2 weeks in a year! Is this t...

26th MarchChecklist:Eaten a chickens footEaten a pigeons footEaten cows stomachWhen Sunny (my Mandarin tutor) told me in my last lesson, "I will cook us chicken feet for dinner" My response was of course "Yes, that would be great" Yet in my head I was dreading the thought! Tonight that dish was served…A huge spread, cooked by Sunny's husband Leo, was placed infront of me. Green vegetables, delicious chicken and potato, beef, fish, bean sprou...

24th March?Fact:The Church on She Shan hill, is the biggest Church in East Asia.Staring down at Steven and I was a brick and wood, seven story Pagoda, originally built 700 years ago. Some monks walked past in their yellow, slack garmets preparing for the afternoon prayers. I felt out of place not knowing where to walk, if I was doing something correct or even offensive and that would last thing I would ever want to do!!Clouds of incense wafted from great bronze b...

22nd MarchChecklist:Caught a coldYáng Xué - 杨雪 (pronouced 'young cher')My family name is now, Yáng. When introducing myself, my family name must always come first. I chose Yáng because it's easy to pronouce and is also my Chinese sign, Sheep. My tutor, Sunny, gave me my Chinese name, Xué. I quote "Snow is white, you're white. Snow is beautiful and you're beautiful" So my Chinese name is Snow. I like it!"Wo jiao Yáng Xué " - "My...

18th MarchChecklist:Hair cutI've been worried about using a Chinese hairdressers incase it goes wrong. With long hair you can atleast manage to hide the mistakes but with short, well you have to walk around with with what you got! But then I'd prefer to say my hair looked bad due to a hairdresser and not my own stupidity of using my first aid scissors!I placed my bag on the 'hairy' floor, took off my scarf and jacket, placing them on my lap and showed with many a...