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Naomi's World
Following from Gary's departure to Ningbo University, Helen and I ventured North to the well-acclaimed city of Beijing. Apparently they have a big long wall there...??On arriving in this dusty, noisy city following a 12 hour train journey (on a very upright SEAT), we were greeted by a rank smelling dorm room. To put it nicely, it was consumed with a suffocating smell of thick, intense HANGOVER. It was (we think) generally down to one very stinky boy in the room. I was actually wretching. we moved rooms the next day...
However, Beijing also came packed full of reunion fun, with Josh, his girlfriend Sarah plus Angus and Ben from Uni and later with Jono, his brother and Dad!! it really was little Britain. First we visited Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City and starred with intruigue at the imposing portrait of Mao in its entrance. Weird!
The best activity by far, was having Sunday lunch at Josh's flat...real food cooked in a real home! It was a novelty. Josh, Helen and I went to visit the wall aswell, which was...well....very long! It was quite fantastic to see how far it stretched, and we only saw a tiny part of it.
In Beijing I begun to understand Chinese culture a little more. Everything is done to military precision, this often stiffles creativity and spontenaity. Tasks are often done only to fulfill a function and frequently do not actually achieve anything. Another observation is the way things here are either one thing or the other....For example, as I have been looking for a job, I am only able to work until the 1st week of January. The schools term finishes on the 3rd week of January. I went for an interview in Shanghai for a job and he would not employ me for the sole reason that I was not going to be there for 2 weeks at the end of term. This means, therefore, they will have no teacher (as English teachers in China are quite hard to come by) for the sake of me not being there for 2 weeks! Is this logical?
Anyway, Beijing offered a great deal and I had a great time there. mainly due to all the friends that I met there. It was really fun to be surrounded by a group of friends again.
I am now in Ningbo, where Gary is studying. Nottingham have built a campus out here so it is a replica of the original. A little bit of a crazy idea but it seems to work pretty well and has a lot to offer, including a touch rugby team, which I seem to have got myself involved in. On a rather different note, I was able to finally purchase some very much needed hair straighteners yesterday, which I am quite scarily over excited about.
Will update on project hair straightening soon, let me know whats goin on at home,
all my love
Nay xx
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