Photos

Hey,

Here are the links to my photos :) (yes there are four albums)

Lucy x

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150442558973132.427699.790983131&type=1&l=d6b4a6df2b

 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150442605798132.427712.790983131&type=1&l=4446aa7998

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150442624978132.427719.790983131&type=1&l=b0bfd121ee

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150442653128132.427728.790983131&type=1&l=5a2f6785df

The Trip Home

Well it has been over a month since John, Ashleigh and I arrived home.  We hit the ground running and it was all go,  sometimes it doesn't even feel like we spent three weeks in China!

I'll attempt to give you all a run down on our trip home and then finish with some thoughts I've had on China since arriving home.  Thanks so much to all those that have stopped by to view this blog - over 1000!

Ash and I woke very early on Saturday 22nd October, it was like..right its time to go home!  We jumped in the shower and washed our sheets and cleaned up for those tutors that would be arriving later that day.  My cold was making me feel pretty terrible, I took the last of my drugs and finished packing our bags before saying goodbye to the apartment.  Although we knew it would be many many hours until we got home it was still awesome to have started making the journey back.

We arrived at the domestic terminal in Hangzhou and waited for check in, which was interesting as I was worried my bag would be too heavy.  It didn't seam to be a problem, they checked our bags through until Auckland. We got through customs and immigration and hung out in the airport until we boarded.  Ash and I were able to be seated in the same row which was nice, we had chicken and potatoes for lunch and it was amazing!  Before I knew it I had been asleep for an hour and we were preparing to land - this was one of the three hours sleep I got on the way home.

Our flight was delayed out of Hangzhou which was actually a blessing because it meant we had less time to hang out around in Hong Kong.  By the time we had walked to the food court we were all craving McDonalds! Ha.. we hadnt seen or eaten Maccas for the whole time we had been away and I have never wanted to eat a Big Mac so bad in my life. We then went and found somewhere to sit and make the most of the free internet within the airport.  Ash and I both attempted to do some school work however our batteries died and the 'charge stations' they have didnt fit our power cords.

Planes take off so often in Hong Kong, no doubt it is up there as one of the most busiest airports in the world.

We board our flight and waited to take off, I think we had missed our push back time so we had to wait for an additional 30-40 minutes.  I was okay with that as I had choosen and scheduled my movies :)

We were served beef, veges and potatoes for dinner, with CHEESE and crackers and normal New Zealand bread rolls with butter! soooo good. We also had a few glasses of white wine.  It was all you could ask for after spending three weeks away from the "food that we know".   The bad thing about the flight was due to my cold and cough I got next to no sleep the whole way back to Auckland.  So not cool.  I almost resigned myself to the fact that I wasnt going to be able to sleep and that I should just suck it up.

I managed to get a few hours but heck I felt like crap and I'm sure that was reflected in what I looked like!  The best part was that we got scrambled eggs for breaky which is what I had been craving!

We landed in Auckland and the pilot wished the All Blacks all the best in the World Cup Final.  That was one of the things to look forward to and to be happy about despite all the sleepyness.

We pretty much had to run through Auckland International to get to our domestic flight. This was because our international flight had been delayed.  We got there with enough time to load our bags and sit down for 10mins before boarding.  If we had been walking any faster we would have been running!

The flight to Nelson seamed to go really fast - well compared to the others.  I think I kept falling asleep much to the amusement of John and Ash.  It was awesome to see the fam and come home to my bed.  I gave our pressies and had a shower.. its the little things that make you appreciate home.  Being able to drink the water out of the tap, not having to mop when your in the shower, having your own bed to sleep it! Amazing.

I went to Church and then came home and watched the rugby with a cool group of people.  Most tense final I have ever watched.. gosh it was painful! But I didnt need much motivation to stay awake but the energy drinks did help.  After a massive 48hours I jumped into my own bed and slept until 10am the next morning.. amazing!

It look me a few days to adjust back to the food here, man I love meat! 

We hit the ground running and had to finish all our outstanding school work within a week and had to start preparing for exams which were three weeks away.  It was a busy few weeks.

Since being back people have asked me how I would describe China.  Its a very hard question. You can do your best to describe it but no one will ever truly understand until they have been there themselves. The contrasts are what strikes me. The rich and poor, the innovation and the tradition the different ways that they do stuff yet produce amazing products and infrastructure.

The people are amazing.  It really has given me an insight into how to do business in China and their culture but also gives me a greater understanding of the challenges International students face in New Zealand.   I think that the exchange is something that should continue for the knowledge that can be exchanged and learnt form both cultures.

I'll post some pictures and links to some pictures shortly.

Thanks for stopping by again.. Lucy xx

The Journey is almost over

Ten Thousand words later and I sit here writing the description of our final
two days in Hangzhou. The last three weeks feel like a blur so I am so glad
I have made the effort to keep a record of what happened. I am sure there
will still be many things that I have forgotten and still have to share.
Thursday was a long day; we had ten 15min presentations to get through. We
started out a 9am and there was a variety of presentation.. Some were
great... others made me want to cry! I have a new respect for teachers. At
lunchtime Ashleigh and I headed off to meet our tutor assistant to be taken
to the English Corner. We had no idea what to expect or who to expect but
were pleasantly surprised when we were met with ten students that simply
wanted to talk with us in English.

The afternoon was spent listening to more presentations and by the end of
the day I was over it! We got back to the apartment and celebrated a long
day with the other tutors before heading out to dinner. We went to the
hotel next to the apartment. Far out... talk about a feast! They have a
room and you go in and point at the dishes you want or at the seafood and
they whip it up for you! There was so much food but was a great way to
celebrate the end of the course.

Today I woke up feeling better but I am still fighting off a cold and sore
throat. We headed to the College for the final time and gave back the
presentation results and helped the students fill out their individual
reflections and group evaluations. We quiet often catch the students here
taking sneaky little photos of us on their phones. I saw one girl and said
to her... do you want a photo? So giggles and all we did before a young lad
wanted a photo too. I put my arm around him and the class room erupted with
laugher. We then posed for numerous photos with heaps of different students
and exchanged goodbyes. There are some beautiful students in our class and
it was an absolute pleasure to work with each one of them. After three weeks
you become quite fond of them!
We have also exchanged email addresses so hopefully we can stay in touch :-)

We then went to a formal lunch with all the NMIT tutors (those staying in
the apartments with us) and with Pan the vice-dean of the business school
here. Once again it was a banquet of food, duck, fish, prawns, mushrooms,
chicken livers, beef (amazing!), soup, noodles and some sweet bread. I am
going to miss the food here that's for sure! Following this we picked up my
suits... the jackets fit and look amazing but the skirts need to be taken in
a little bit... my hips aren't that big! Hehe..So if anyone knows a tailor
that could take two skirts in for me I would appreciate t!

We then spent a good half hour trying to either catch a taxi or bus home.
The buses had sooo many people on them that the doors wouldn't close..It was
a hot day and I was not overly keen to play sardines! We finally caught a
taxi and headed back to the apartments for a sleep and to watch the rugby.
I helped John mark half of the individual reflections before and during the
first half of the game. We then shot down to the markets for the last time
and brought a few more socks (six pairs for $2NZD) and some eye makeup...
then to wu-mart for the last time to buy some candy and zip lock bags for
the journey home.

The good news is everything fits in my bag...although the real test will be
when we check in to see the weight.

We are ready to go... so looking forward to coming home but not to the 30
hours it's going to take to get there. I am looking forward to scrambled
eggs... (Don't ask why because I don't know!) And to not being starred at
while walking down the street. There are many things I will miss about
this city and country though.

We leave the apartments at 8am our time, our domestic flight is at 11am. We
then have about 5hours in Hong Kong before we fly to Auckland at 6pm our
time. We might have a chance to do our school work at the airport.. But
really that's not fun!

I will post again once I get home and will continue to post as I remember
things and as I actually get a chance to reflect on my experiences here in
China.

Take care lovely people xx

A Few More West Lake Pickies

West Lake

Tuesday & Wednesday - now only two more days to go

Hey you!
Sorry I haven't posted for the last few days, time is rushing past and
sometimes it hard to remember to stop and take a breath!
Yesterday (Tuesday 18th - Dads Birthday!)
John and I headed off to school without Ash and I told her she needed
another day in bed..talk about bossy..gosh! Oh well.. I cut her up some
oranges, took her a bottle of water and some napkins and told her to watch
movies until we got home. We is starting to feel better today..however I am
starting to feel unwell. Have a mean as sore throat :-( so if you pray..say
a little prayer for me! Thanks :-) I am tucking into the fruit and taking
all sorts of Asian drugs to keep well..ok so not that many but you get the
picture that I am trying to look after myself.

We taught for the morning yesterday and then headed for lunch.. I got what I
thought was mushrooms (you get one meat, two vege dishes and rice for lunch.
It's in this big hall and you kind of point at what dishes you want.. heck
you have no idea what you are eating but you still point and hope for the
best.. turns out it was far from mushrooms instead it was actually seaweed..
epic fail! Ha..

I then went up to the classroom and worked on my final report for Advanced
Applied Marketing before Steve turned up to test the reading of the
students. I stayed and helped him oversee the test before we caught the bus
back to Wu-Mart. I then walked home all by myself! (don't tell my mum..ok
yes I know she has probably already read this!). We had a much needed lazy
afternoon and watched a chick flick before heading out for dinner. I
watched the first half of fast and furious 5 before realizing it's a
massively long movie and going to sleep.

Today (Wednesday)

We got up at the normal time - which means to be 6am.. heck I have never
been a morning person. We got on the B1 bus into town and went to the Silk
Market one last time, I got a sa-weet as outfit for my Nephew... it has
dragons on it and everything, not that he needed any encouragement with the
whole ninja thing!

We then caught a taxi to west lake, this is another World Heritage Site, we
paid $12NZD each and got on a boat and were paddled out to the main Island
and around - spend an hour on the water. It was so beautiful, hardly any
people, hardly any noise just sunshine and a slight rocking motion. I have
some amazing photos (well I think) from this wee visit Ill post a few
shortly but will figure out a way to post lots when I get home. Those of you
that are my friends on facebook I will upload them here first.

After the boat ride we walked around the edge of the lake with an ice cream
(they have amazing ice creams here!) and caught a taxi back to Marriot
Hotel. Ash had found a Puma outlet store on the same road so we got dropped
off and kind of walked down the street in the general direction hoping that
we would find it. We did! Which was a success in itself but we didn't find
any shoes that fitted! They have such small feet over here you struggle to
find any shoes that fit - guess this is a good thing for my bank balance!

By this time Ash and I were hanging out for some food and a sit down, you do
A LOT of walking in this country. We found a Pizza Hut and flip it was
flash and clean! We order a traditional pizza and it was amazing! Honestly
it's the small things in life - AND THE TOILETS WERE NORMAL.. ahh :-)

We then caught a taxi back to the apartment and worked on school work for
our students. The final report is due tomorrow (or so they think) and so
they have been emailing their reports asking for feedback. We spent about an
hour working on these before heading out for dinner. I brought some cold and
flu tablets (well what I am told are cold and flu tablets). I am now gonna
watch the second half of my movie before a massive day tomorrow.

Tomorrow all the groups have to deliver a 15min presentation. We will be
working from 8.30am -3pm which doesn't sound like a lot but heck in China it
is! Ash and I also have this thing as lunch time with the first year
students.. who knows what that will turn out to be. We also think Pan the
vice dean wants to take us out for dinner.. we are hoping this is tomorrow
night and not Friday as we will need to pack to come HOME!

I also hope our tailor made clothes from Shanghai arrive tomorrow.. I am
holding out to see my suits!!!!

Two more days before we leave.. our domestic flight to Shanghai leaves
Hangzhou at 11am on Saturday but we have to leave the apartments at 8am - I
figured out its going to be a 30hour journey home between airport waits and
flights.. just as well it's worth it hey!

Love to you all, take care, look after one another..

xx

Once again please excuse any spelling or gramatical mistakes - we have
decided that in China you get a 'China Brain' much like a 'mummy brain'.
Even the simplistic things are so hard here. I was trying to figure out how
much change out of 100 after dinner one night.. took me 30mins! Hehe xx

Not long until we are home!

Hey Hey
So the mighty All Blacks were victorious! Nothing like a convincing ABZ win
to make you sleep well at night :-) we headed into the city and arrived at
the sports bar, it's under the Marriot Hotel. We were really worried that
we need to get there early to get a good seat.. Well we were the only ones
there! It was sweet! We watch the game on a big screen while enjoying some
drinks and nibbles.. yum! So proud that we won.. we then played some pool
and darts before heading back to our apartments and heading out for some
dinner. We had an incredible banquet of food, a full fish bones and all
cooked in a red sauce, dumplings, rice, crispy pork, an assortment of
mushrooms just to name a few.
Content and tired we came home and went to bed around 10.30pm.

I still can't get over how tired I feel. Even spending a day teaching can
make you feel so wasted! We got up this morning and headed to the College.
Ash came with us although she is still feeling average. We brought her some
Chinese drugs and cough medicine which could kill the bugs. We taught in
the morning and then helped Steve the English language tutor oversee the
reading test he had set for our class in the arvo. We then caught the B1
bus into Wu-Mart, 40 cents NZD! We met up with John and headed back down to
the shoe market. This is my favourite way to pass time :P

We headed home and rested for a few hours before heading down stairs for a
farewell drink with Di as she is heading back to New Zealand early tomorrow
morning. We have just got back from another fest at dinner. Prawns,
dumplings, rice and many other veges... yum!

We are looking forward to coming home. It's strange the closer it is before
we come home the harder it is to stay here. We love our time here and don't
want to leave yet the last few days are feeling really hard. We have a full
on week, tomorrow conduct the last lectures before a much needed day off on
Wednesday. Then Thursday we are assessing the team's oral presentations all
day. Lisa has also arranged for Ash and I to speak to the first year
students. I think they want to practice their English or something. I have
no idea what to expect or what we will be doing but I will be sure to let
you know on Thursday night. Friday will then be the individual reflections
before packing to leave the apartment at 8am on Saturday.

We are going to check out the local hotel to see if we can catch the game on
Friday. Would be kind of ironic if they are showing it considering we went
all the way into town to watch the last game.

Hope everyone is warm and well :-)

Much love New Zealand

xx