Hallo friends and fans, how's life treating you?
To be honest, it's treating me pretty badly...freezing, raining and got a cold. And the snow is gone. But well, it's Manchester...what can you expect?
Anyway, I left you the last time whit my first experiences in the UK. Not really first, but since I came back.
After a month or so that I was here, I went home for a week...to go to the dentist. Yes, good excuse, but it's sadly true!!!
I always fly from Liverpool (Long live Ryanair) so I need to get myself there by coach. The coach being called Terravision (Italian company, actually...I wonder how they came out with that name...) and normally departing from Manchester every hour.
So...I had my flight at 15.20 and I decided to get the coach at 1pm...why should I go earlier! Check in online for the people!!! Got up, breakfast, pack and then to town. Sit at the bus stop and wait with another lady. Yawn. Finally, when it was almost 1pm, the Terravision girl came over saying "The coach is broken...it's not coming!" WHAT?! and she said "You can get the next one..." oh yes, and then walk to Italy from Liverpool airport! Better start from here, then, a few miles less!!! And then she asked me THE question "Why didn't you get the one earlier?" oh yeah...why not? And stay 15 hours at the airport scratching myself??? Anyway...here I go, running to the bus station looking for a coach to Liverpool. All gone. Galloping to the train station asking for trains...too late, too long. OH MY GOD! I want to go home! What can I do now? The only option left is seriously scary. Taxi. Taxi to Liverpool airport. That's going to bleed me dry. But what can I do? I want to see mummy!!!! (Oh yes, I have a soft side too, what did you think?!).
I then walk down the train station, to the taxi area. Sighing loudly I stop a taxi and I ask the big question...how much? And here comes the big answer £70. I saw the world spinning around me but then I got my strength back and started arguing to get a discount. Ok...I got £50. How cool am I? I just couldn't take it any longer, I guess, I wanted to go home.
The taxi ride was actually pleasant and quick, in less than 40 mins I was at the airport!!! I sighed in relief and went to the security check with my so cool online check in and then walked around the shops...till gate opening time! Obviously Ryanair was late (It's always late, but that comes included in the price) but only 15 minutes. Pretty good. We all queueing to get on the plane (with the usual dickheads, mostly Italian, pushing to get to the front...not realizing that priority tickets go first! How funny) till we finally got on. As soon as I got my sit I fell asleep, listening to some music. I don't know how long I sat there drooling on the seat, but suddenly the voices around me started getting stronger and annoyed. So I unwillingly opened my eyes and noticed that we were still in the parking lot. Mmmh? I checked my watch and I noticed that we'd been there for almost 30 mins, that's why people were complaining! What's going on? Suddenly we heard an announcement from the captain: "Hallo tired and skint people who always want to travel with cheap airlines, we have a great news for you! There's red light on here in the cockpit and we don't know what it is! Well, obviously...we're Ryanair pilots! But anyway, jut to be sure we decided not to fly you anywhere today, so get off the plane and wait for the next one!". What? How nice...so we all stand up, get our bags in the genral mess and get off the plane. Yawning still, I get back to the terminal and start eating my out of date sandwiches...what I found in the fridge. I guess it was Paul's lunch, but who cares? We all sit on the floor in front of the gate (The noisy Italians actually sticking to the gate...) and we wait. After a while (my ass was frozen by then...can't they put heating under the floor?) they started boarding again and, pushing pushing, we got on the second plane. I sat, relieved, and fell asleep on the spot. Next time I opened my eyes I saw the Alps passing below us. Good. I'm home. Very good.
Tenerife
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
The misadventures of an Italian English teacher in China - part 3a
Ok, I know where I am. Tianmen. Did I tell you that? just in case, I tell you again. Tiamen, in the Middle-of-nowhere province. rock on
Anyway, good evening my friends!
I know you've all been waiting for this email! heheheheeh! You're hooked now!
Me too, that's the problem...my life is so interesting and busy at the moment, than writing this so called diary is the highlight of the day. You can imagine the rest.
But let's not complain! Tomorrow is another day and I will have to clean. Because nobody else did. Surprise surprise. Chinese hospitality? probably. I'm complaining again.
Where did I leave you, my passionate followers? oh yeah, I was packing to go to Wuhan.
As a sailor crosses the sea, Ellie crossed the whole province of Middle-of-nowhere (Hu bei in Chinese) and went to Wuhan.
The trip was actually quiet interesting. The bus was very middle aged (I mean, from the middle age) and let's not talk of the roads. Unless you are in a big city, roads don't know tarmac (neither did I, up to last week...Stevie told me the word). So we traveled on holes surrounded by mud, dust or simple soil, till we got to the motorway. Ah, what a relieve for my back. The trip lasted more less 3 hours, and we've been delighted by a very funny (I suppose) Chinese movie. Interesting. plus the people staring at me...all trying to sit beside me, but the woman was defending that space she conquered with sweat and blood!
So. I got to Wuhan (that it means Shining Capital of The Middle of Nowhere Province. Chinese are very good in summarizing...) and I dashed to get a taxi, to finally meet the only one English speaker dwelling in the province. Stevie.
(little digression: I'm eating biscuits that taste of chicken)
I get to the hotel and I almost kill Stevie with my pestering smell. So she kicked me in the shower, she made me a coffee and then we went out to get some food. All the time we were speaking in English, and this is an important remark.
So, we get to a restaurant and we sit. At this point of infinite darkness, while all the people were speaking to us in Chinese and showing as menus in Chinese, Stevie produced a shiny book from her bag; a shine little golden book with diamonds on the cover and sapphires as a lock. She pronounced some strange mystic words, and the book opened, spreading star dust on the waitress. And she understood.
Ok, it was a simple phrase book, but for us it was more precious than gold!!!
In this way we got a massive amount of food on our table, and a teapot full of hot water. Hot water? I wondered in wonder. And Wise Stevie explained me that it is because you can't drink normal water in China (tap water, that's it) so you get boiled water. What about the tea? We tried our best to pronounce tea in Chinese, but it didn't work, so...hot water will do! The beautiful thing of Eating in Chinese restaurant is the people. Spitting on the floor just right in front of you. Honestly it has been hard to keep my dinner in. How can they do that??? And smoking. I hate that!! Anyway, what could we do? Local customs. But the food was great. Obviously some of the locals tried to chat with us, but it didn't work out very well... (I've just run out of chicken biscuits...mmmh...)
Oh well, the day after we were ready to go and conquer Wuhan! We had an incredibly good breakfast...with steamed bread! ahahahahahahah! sweet and savory...while Stevie got addicted to dim sum (nothing more than small Victoria sponge). After filling ourselves up, we started walking to get to the city center. Now, O really want to see you trying to cross a Chinese street. It is a daredevil sport. I've never been so closed to death. Drivers simply blank out pedestrians. Or try to kill them . That is the same. (I'm watching Muse's videos on youku, and I decided that I want to marry Matt Bellamy. I think you don't care). We were just waiting for some locals to cross the road and follow them, as fast as possible. What a nightmare!!! We wanted to find the park and luckily some of our followers directed us. See? sometimes stalkers are useful!
We walked and walked and walked, till we get to the supposed city center. FULL of people, cars, bikes, motorbikes...anything! We walked around slightly confused, hunting for food and we went down a small alley clearly dedicated to selling shoes. Every single shop had shoes. And the strangest sight hit me! An old man walking around in pyjama and slippers. Local customs again??? Who knows...
A very impressive thing about Wuhan is that they have adapters. That it is not a kind of dinosaur, but an essential item for every traveler. You can't find adapters in Tianmen, but thanks to Stevie' shining phrase book, we found one in Wuhan. And Stevie bought it for me!!! Ready...steady...worship! A present from the sky. It was simply too expensive for me (yeah yeah I know, I have to learn that China is no-debit/credit card place...only cash) but Stevie came down in a beam of light and saved the day.
Life looked better, suddenly. So we decided to take the ferry. And from the river, my eager followers, we could finally behold the extent of the pollution in this country. We couldn't see clearly the building on the other side of the river...a river that is slightly larger than the Thames, to give you an idea. But we could see the sun. The pollution was so intense that it was creating a "sun glasses" effect and the sun looked like the moon. It's a bit scary, trust me. I hope they'll do something about it. Not that we have much time left, but anyway...we're supposed to leave the place as we found it! Bah!
The other side of the river is actually much nicer. Smaller and nicer building, less people and traffic. And we found a tea room where we rested for a hour or so, before walking up to the Yellow Crane Tower, a Chinese style building, very very nice. But we didn't get in...too expensive and anyway, thanks to the pollution, we couldn't see that far.
So we crossed the river back to the modern bit, and we desperately tried to get a taxi (getting an ice cream on the way). Taxi drivers did not bother...they couldn't understand neither us nor the map. So we had to walk again all the way back. My legs and feet were singing a very sad tune when we got back to the hotel...I got into my pyjama, but Stevie forced me to go out for dinner! No respect for young people!!! We ended up in a shopping center in a place that looked more Japanese than Chinese, but who cares! The very cute waiter made up for it. How cuuuuute! Stevie proclaimed that she wasn't that hungry so she ordered a salad. I got tofu with rice. In a few minutes the very cute waiter brought us a bowl of fruit salad with ice cream on top! How nice a present, we thought! So we shared it and ate it. Very nice indeed. Then my tofu arrived...and we waited for Stevie's salad. and we waited and waited...till a strange suspect started growing in our brains...was the fruit salad Stevie's dinner? We'll never know for sure, but most probably yes. Ups.
The day after it was raining...good day for a museum! So, after another good breakfast, we left happily, with the idea of changing some money. We went to the bank and found out that they change money only Monday to Friday. Lazy cows! Why are you open then??? Close down and go home!!! Slightly pissed off we got a taxi and we got to the museum. Very interesting, especially the sight of an old Chinese woman having a poo with the door open. This put off Stevie from going to the bathroom for more than a hour. How sweet.
Unfortunately the time came to say goodbye. I went to the coach station and bought the ticket (thanks to a note that Song wrote for me) and a woman all dressed in red grabbed me and took me to the bus. She was speaking a lot, but the only word I could get was Tianmen. "Tianmen!" "jhgvjhchsdiuvh Tianmen uisfhuisdh" "Yeah...Tianmen..." "Tianmen gbuksgsd?" "Tian...Tianmen...?" "TIanmen". Very interesting. We all got on the bus and we started watching Chinese stand up comedy (?) and then an American movie dubbed in Chinese. They never got the mouth moving right. It was quiet funny!
When I got the Tianmen, all the people on the coach suddenly wanted to talk to me, take photographs and so on...oh my god, I don't speak Chinese! help! I ran and ran, followed by a cloud of screaming people, and I ran till I understood that I couldn't run forever! So I turned to face them, naked my sword and...oh no, that is another story. I just jumped in a taxi. And got home. To find it as dirty as I left it. Well that's life.
The good thing is that after a few hours that I was at home, 4 of my students came to see me. That was nice, good way to end a nice (polluted) week end. Difficult to communicate sometimes, but funny enough.
Anyway, good evening my friends!
I know you've all been waiting for this email! heheheheeh! You're hooked now!
Me too, that's the problem...my life is so interesting and busy at the moment, than writing this so called diary is the highlight of the day. You can imagine the rest.
But let's not complain! Tomorrow is another day and I will have to clean. Because nobody else did. Surprise surprise. Chinese hospitality? probably. I'm complaining again.
Where did I leave you, my passionate followers? oh yeah, I was packing to go to Wuhan.
As a sailor crosses the sea, Ellie crossed the whole province of Middle-of-nowhere (Hu bei in Chinese) and went to Wuhan.
The trip was actually quiet interesting. The bus was very middle aged (I mean, from the middle age) and let's not talk of the roads. Unless you are in a big city, roads don't know tarmac (neither did I, up to last week...Stevie told me the word). So we traveled on holes surrounded by mud, dust or simple soil, till we got to the motorway. Ah, what a relieve for my back. The trip lasted more less 3 hours, and we've been delighted by a very funny (I suppose) Chinese movie. Interesting. plus the people staring at me...all trying to sit beside me, but the woman was defending that space she conquered with sweat and blood!
So. I got to Wuhan (that it means Shining Capital of The Middle of Nowhere Province. Chinese are very good in summarizing...) and I dashed to get a taxi, to finally meet the only one English speaker dwelling in the province. Stevie.
(little digression: I'm eating biscuits that taste of chicken)
I get to the hotel and I almost kill Stevie with my pestering smell. So she kicked me in the shower, she made me a coffee and then we went out to get some food. All the time we were speaking in English, and this is an important remark.
So, we get to a restaurant and we sit. At this point of infinite darkness, while all the people were speaking to us in Chinese and showing as menus in Chinese, Stevie produced a shiny book from her bag; a shine little golden book with diamonds on the cover and sapphires as a lock. She pronounced some strange mystic words, and the book opened, spreading star dust on the waitress. And she understood.
Ok, it was a simple phrase book, but for us it was more precious than gold!!!
In this way we got a massive amount of food on our table, and a teapot full of hot water. Hot water? I wondered in wonder. And Wise Stevie explained me that it is because you can't drink normal water in China (tap water, that's it) so you get boiled water. What about the tea? We tried our best to pronounce tea in Chinese, but it didn't work, so...hot water will do! The beautiful thing of Eating in Chinese restaurant is the people. Spitting on the floor just right in front of you. Honestly it has been hard to keep my dinner in. How can they do that??? And smoking. I hate that!! Anyway, what could we do? Local customs. But the food was great. Obviously some of the locals tried to chat with us, but it didn't work out very well... (I've just run out of chicken biscuits...mmmh...)
Oh well, the day after we were ready to go and conquer Wuhan! We had an incredibly good breakfast...with steamed bread! ahahahahahahah! sweet and savory...while Stevie got addicted to dim sum (nothing more than small Victoria sponge). After filling ourselves up, we started walking to get to the city center. Now, O really want to see you trying to cross a Chinese street. It is a daredevil sport. I've never been so closed to death. Drivers simply blank out pedestrians. Or try to kill them . That is the same. (I'm watching Muse's videos on youku, and I decided that I want to marry Matt Bellamy. I think you don't care). We were just waiting for some locals to cross the road and follow them, as fast as possible. What a nightmare!!! We wanted to find the park and luckily some of our followers directed us. See? sometimes stalkers are useful!
We walked and walked and walked, till we get to the supposed city center. FULL of people, cars, bikes, motorbikes...anything! We walked around slightly confused, hunting for food and we went down a small alley clearly dedicated to selling shoes. Every single shop had shoes. And the strangest sight hit me! An old man walking around in pyjama and slippers. Local customs again??? Who knows...
A very impressive thing about Wuhan is that they have adapters. That it is not a kind of dinosaur, but an essential item for every traveler. You can't find adapters in Tianmen, but thanks to Stevie' shining phrase book, we found one in Wuhan. And Stevie bought it for me!!! Ready...steady...worship! A present from the sky. It was simply too expensive for me (yeah yeah I know, I have to learn that China is no-debit/credit card place...only cash) but Stevie came down in a beam of light and saved the day.
Life looked better, suddenly. So we decided to take the ferry. And from the river, my eager followers, we could finally behold the extent of the pollution in this country. We couldn't see clearly the building on the other side of the river...a river that is slightly larger than the Thames, to give you an idea. But we could see the sun. The pollution was so intense that it was creating a "sun glasses" effect and the sun looked like the moon. It's a bit scary, trust me. I hope they'll do something about it. Not that we have much time left, but anyway...we're supposed to leave the place as we found it! Bah!
The other side of the river is actually much nicer. Smaller and nicer building, less people and traffic. And we found a tea room where we rested for a hour or so, before walking up to the Yellow Crane Tower, a Chinese style building, very very nice. But we didn't get in...too expensive and anyway, thanks to the pollution, we couldn't see that far.
So we crossed the river back to the modern bit, and we desperately tried to get a taxi (getting an ice cream on the way). Taxi drivers did not bother...they couldn't understand neither us nor the map. So we had to walk again all the way back. My legs and feet were singing a very sad tune when we got back to the hotel...I got into my pyjama, but Stevie forced me to go out for dinner! No respect for young people!!! We ended up in a shopping center in a place that looked more Japanese than Chinese, but who cares! The very cute waiter made up for it. How cuuuuute! Stevie proclaimed that she wasn't that hungry so she ordered a salad. I got tofu with rice. In a few minutes the very cute waiter brought us a bowl of fruit salad with ice cream on top! How nice a present, we thought! So we shared it and ate it. Very nice indeed. Then my tofu arrived...and we waited for Stevie's salad. and we waited and waited...till a strange suspect started growing in our brains...was the fruit salad Stevie's dinner? We'll never know for sure, but most probably yes. Ups.
The day after it was raining...good day for a museum! So, after another good breakfast, we left happily, with the idea of changing some money. We went to the bank and found out that they change money only Monday to Friday. Lazy cows! Why are you open then??? Close down and go home!!! Slightly pissed off we got a taxi and we got to the museum. Very interesting, especially the sight of an old Chinese woman having a poo with the door open. This put off Stevie from going to the bathroom for more than a hour. How sweet.
Unfortunately the time came to say goodbye. I went to the coach station and bought the ticket (thanks to a note that Song wrote for me) and a woman all dressed in red grabbed me and took me to the bus. She was speaking a lot, but the only word I could get was Tianmen. "Tianmen!" "jhgvjhchsdiuvh Tianmen uisfhuisdh" "Yeah...Tianmen..." "Tianmen gbuksgsd?" "Tian...Tianmen...?" "TIanmen". Very interesting. We all got on the bus and we started watching Chinese stand up comedy (?) and then an American movie dubbed in Chinese. They never got the mouth moving right. It was quiet funny!
When I got the Tianmen, all the people on the coach suddenly wanted to talk to me, take photographs and so on...oh my god, I don't speak Chinese! help! I ran and ran, followed by a cloud of screaming people, and I ran till I understood that I couldn't run forever! So I turned to face them, naked my sword and...oh no, that is another story. I just jumped in a taxi. And got home. To find it as dirty as I left it. Well that's life.
The good thing is that after a few hours that I was at home, 4 of my students came to see me. That was nice, good way to end a nice (polluted) week end. Difficult to communicate sometimes, but funny enough.
I'm back!
Hallo EVERYBODY!
Ellie's back! Did you miss me??? Of course you did...hehehehehe
Sorry about this long time without any updating or any news from me, but I moved back to England and I've been off the net till yesterday. How bad.
Came back to Manchester at the end of September and since then I've been in a race. Find a house, find a job, pay deposit, rent, bills, internet, food, check savings, get the net, toilet paper, buy food...AAAAAAAAH! That was tiring...but now I have my little cosy flat and a crap job, so I'm sorted! Well...more less...these 2 months passed by in a blur, it's been very intense.
The first three weeks |I lived with my boyfriend, while we were looking for a flat together...and you can't imagine the stupid discussions we had about that! He wanted to live in the most horrible areas just to save money...but I have iron balls, and I got to live where I like... Chorlton! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorlton-cum-Hardy it's a great place to live, a small village in the south of Manchester. So cute! In a couple of weeks I managed to find a one bedroom flat in here, and it's very nice. Quiet spacious for two people, I'm very happy about it! And finally a kitchen for myself...you see, I LOVE cooking, so that is MY KINGDOM. No one can get in there without my permission. I just loooove to put stuff together in pans and pots...I find so creative, and I'm surely very inventive!
But I guess you don't care about that.
In a week i got a job. A crap one, I told you. I work in another call centre...how exciting...hire cars. Gosh it's so boring! And people in there hate each other because you have to make booking to get money. So they' all trying to steal each other work. How sad. Well...I get my little commissions and I live well. Till I find a better job, obviously. Will I? Of course I will!!! Gosh!
Just a couple of strange happening occurred to me since i came back. A cat and Terravision.
Interesting? Could be, but now I have to hoover the carpet.
See you later alligator
Ellie's back! Did you miss me??? Of course you did...hehehehehe
Sorry about this long time without any updating or any news from me, but I moved back to England and I've been off the net till yesterday. How bad.
Came back to Manchester at the end of September and since then I've been in a race. Find a house, find a job, pay deposit, rent, bills, internet, food, check savings, get the net, toilet paper, buy food...AAAAAAAAH! That was tiring...but now I have my little cosy flat and a crap job, so I'm sorted! Well...more less...these 2 months passed by in a blur, it's been very intense.
The first three weeks |I lived with my boyfriend, while we were looking for a flat together...and you can't imagine the stupid discussions we had about that! He wanted to live in the most horrible areas just to save money...but I have iron balls, and I got to live where I like... Chorlton! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorlton-cum-Hardy it's a great place to live, a small village in the south of Manchester. So cute! In a couple of weeks I managed to find a one bedroom flat in here, and it's very nice. Quiet spacious for two people, I'm very happy about it! And finally a kitchen for myself...you see, I LOVE cooking, so that is MY KINGDOM. No one can get in there without my permission. I just loooove to put stuff together in pans and pots...I find so creative, and I'm surely very inventive!
But I guess you don't care about that.
In a week i got a job. A crap one, I told you. I work in another call centre...how exciting...hire cars. Gosh it's so boring! And people in there hate each other because you have to make booking to get money. So they' all trying to steal each other work. How sad. Well...I get my little commissions and I live well. Till I find a better job, obviously. Will I? Of course I will!!! Gosh!
Just a couple of strange happening occurred to me since i came back. A cat and Terravision.
Interesting? Could be, but now I have to hoover the carpet.
See you later alligator
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Turkish delights
Good mornign guys,
and sorry if you missed me sooo much!
Today I want you to know about my adventures in Turkey, Instanbul actually. That's all I saw of Turkey, so it's just Istanbul not Turkey...I guess the title should be Istanbul delight...well, doesn't matter!
I went with my boyfriend and it took us at least one month to decide where to go on holiday...oftern arguing! Firstly we wanted to go to India...but then we found out that in June is monsoon season...so...mmmh... better not to go. So we thought...why not Canada? And we thought and we thought and we thought...by the time we decided the flight was to expensive, so...no Canada! So...what was the other one? Don't remember..must be getting old...anyway, at the end we booked a flight to Istanbul. I've been lucky to be honest, because my flight costed me only 150 euros return! But soon you will find out why...
So! The big day arrives (I don't remember the date, sometime in June.,.23rd? Could be) and my parents take me to the far far far far away airport. We get there to find out that the flight is 2 hours late. And here I start panicking, coz that meant getting to Istanbul at almost midnight...buses? Taxis? Now, the fact is that my boyfriend was supposed to get there like 5 hours earlier than me (he was flying from Manchester, me from Milan) so he was going to wait for me in the city centre. But now, considering the time, I asked him to get me a shuttle from the hostel. Meanwhile, I call my sister and I tell her to check all the possible bus timetables on the net! Ah, poor Ellie. So...we seat on a chair, me mum and dad. One chair each, obviously, and we wait for the check in to open. Let me tell that this was the first time in many years in which I decided to check in my bag. Normally I fly with Ryanair and I just take a hand luggage (Ryan is too expensive when it comes to check ins...) but Blue Panorama included the bag in the ticket! So I thought...why the hell not?
Finally, after the moon and the stars moved slowly in the sky, the check in opened and I happily join the queue, celebrating. It was almast my turn, when the check in closed, and I had to join another queue. Oh, how happy I was. Swearing loudly, I changed queue and I ended up behind a massive and noisy turkish family! Ah poor Ellie...finally my bag was on and my parents left me alone, heading to Istanbul.
The flight was ok, and I finally got where I had to be...2 hours late.
So...get off the plane, stamp the passport, go and collect my bag. Stand in front of the rolling thing and wait for the bag.
Wait for the bag.
Many people collect their bag and go.
Wait for my bag still.
Wait for my bag.
Me and an Italian guy left waiting for the bag.
Silence surrounding us.
Wait still.
The rolling thing stops.
My bag wasn't there.
Swearing softly, me and the guy look at each other, our eyes lost in some other planet or parallel dimension where, a so much happier version of us, was now leaving the airport. With the bag.
So...we collected our courage and went to the lost luggage office. Mmh...mmmh...and here the problems start. Yes, they start NOW, can you believe it? I couldn't. Anyway. Obviously, English is a language mostly unknown and overlooked mostly suspiciously...luckily (some luck at last) the girl was very nice and tried her best to understand and help us. But there wasn't much we could do, our bags weren't there. So we filled some form and left...
I started calling my boyfirned who said that a driver would have been at the airport waiting for me. Obviously he wasn't there (that reminded me a bit of China...waht about you?) so I called him and he said that he didn't know what to do. What's the point of having a boyfriend if, when you are stranded in a far away airport, he can come to pick you up because he's watching the world cup?
No comment.
So, after sheding some tears (just 2 or 3...I was nervous and angry, you know!!) I left the airport and I started wandering around, avoiding taxi drivers and looking for coaches. I approached all of them just saying "Istanbul?" till someone answered... yes Taksim! Got it!
Jump on the bus, keep texting to my sister who tried to cheer me up (bless her) till I get to Taksim square..and the world cup boyfriend at least was there! And even paid for the taxi back to the hostel.
So I went to bed, slightly smelly and hungry, sheding some tears (just a few...) and I fell asleep...
and sorry if you missed me sooo much!
Today I want you to know about my adventures in Turkey, Instanbul actually. That's all I saw of Turkey, so it's just Istanbul not Turkey...I guess the title should be Istanbul delight...well, doesn't matter!
I went with my boyfriend and it took us at least one month to decide where to go on holiday...oftern arguing! Firstly we wanted to go to India...but then we found out that in June is monsoon season...so...mmmh... better not to go. So we thought...why not Canada? And we thought and we thought and we thought...by the time we decided the flight was to expensive, so...no Canada! So...what was the other one? Don't remember..must be getting old...anyway, at the end we booked a flight to Istanbul. I've been lucky to be honest, because my flight costed me only 150 euros return! But soon you will find out why...
So! The big day arrives (I don't remember the date, sometime in June.,.23rd? Could be) and my parents take me to the far far far far away airport. We get there to find out that the flight is 2 hours late. And here I start panicking, coz that meant getting to Istanbul at almost midnight...buses? Taxis? Now, the fact is that my boyfriend was supposed to get there like 5 hours earlier than me (he was flying from Manchester, me from Milan) so he was going to wait for me in the city centre. But now, considering the time, I asked him to get me a shuttle from the hostel. Meanwhile, I call my sister and I tell her to check all the possible bus timetables on the net! Ah, poor Ellie. So...we seat on a chair, me mum and dad. One chair each, obviously, and we wait for the check in to open. Let me tell that this was the first time in many years in which I decided to check in my bag. Normally I fly with Ryanair and I just take a hand luggage (Ryan is too expensive when it comes to check ins...) but Blue Panorama included the bag in the ticket! So I thought...why the hell not?
Finally, after the moon and the stars moved slowly in the sky, the check in opened and I happily join the queue, celebrating. It was almast my turn, when the check in closed, and I had to join another queue. Oh, how happy I was. Swearing loudly, I changed queue and I ended up behind a massive and noisy turkish family! Ah poor Ellie...finally my bag was on and my parents left me alone, heading to Istanbul.
The flight was ok, and I finally got where I had to be...2 hours late.
So...get off the plane, stamp the passport, go and collect my bag. Stand in front of the rolling thing and wait for the bag.
Wait for the bag.
Many people collect their bag and go.
Wait for my bag still.
Wait for my bag.
Me and an Italian guy left waiting for the bag.
Silence surrounding us.
Wait still.
The rolling thing stops.
My bag wasn't there.
Swearing softly, me and the guy look at each other, our eyes lost in some other planet or parallel dimension where, a so much happier version of us, was now leaving the airport. With the bag.
So...we collected our courage and went to the lost luggage office. Mmh...mmmh...and here the problems start. Yes, they start NOW, can you believe it? I couldn't. Anyway. Obviously, English is a language mostly unknown and overlooked mostly suspiciously...luckily (some luck at last) the girl was very nice and tried her best to understand and help us. But there wasn't much we could do, our bags weren't there. So we filled some form and left...
I started calling my boyfirned who said that a driver would have been at the airport waiting for me. Obviously he wasn't there (that reminded me a bit of China...waht about you?) so I called him and he said that he didn't know what to do. What's the point of having a boyfriend if, when you are stranded in a far away airport, he can come to pick you up because he's watching the world cup?
No comment.
So, after sheding some tears (just 2 or 3...I was nervous and angry, you know!!) I left the airport and I started wandering around, avoiding taxi drivers and looking for coaches. I approached all of them just saying "Istanbul?" till someone answered... yes Taksim! Got it!
Jump on the bus, keep texting to my sister who tried to cheer me up (bless her) till I get to Taksim square..and the world cup boyfriend at least was there! And even paid for the taxi back to the hostel.
So I went to bed, slightly smelly and hungry, sheding some tears (just a few...) and I fell asleep...
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Thinking about Italy
Life in Italy is strange. Italians love to look great. Massive sun glasses that make them look like flies, all the same. You just want to stop them and ask if they think they're skiing. All boys cover their hair in gel and shoot them to the sky...ok, Italians are small...but...how many cm do you think you can get? I don't understand...why do you wear sunglasses in the shade? Why are your pants falling off, we don't really need to see your underwear! Come on, pick them up. And they think they are cool...all wearing the same clothes, pretending to be original...bah!
Just look at our prime minister...a shame, a clown, a joke. He couldn't rule in any country but Italy. Because he's rich and full of women (paid ones) and Italians want to be like him. Well done. All the world take the piss out of us because of him, but Italians...keep voting for him.
Thanks god I live in England.
God save the Queen!
Just look at our prime minister...a shame, a clown, a joke. He couldn't rule in any country but Italy. Because he's rich and full of women (paid ones) and Italians want to be like him. Well done. All the world take the piss out of us because of him, but Italians...keep voting for him.
Thanks god I live in England.
God save the Queen!
Chinese Life part 2
Hallo there my friend!
here is so unbelievably humid that you must forgive my spelling mistakes but the keys are slippery (good one, isn't it?).
Anyway, where were we?
Oh yeah, my first day. on Monday I didn't work, so I was planning to sleep and sleep and sleep. what else? But obviously I was wrong. First, I had to call my family to tell them that I was somehow surviving, and to do that I had to get up at 6. then, when I was gladly falling asleep again, my colleague stood under my balcony calling my name. What? I go downstairs and she tells me (at 7am) "Should we go for breakfast?" what? "Mmh...maybe a bit later..." "Oh you know, breakfast is served between 6 and 8" and that is the deepest and darkest hour of the night for me "I see" I said "I think I'll skip it for today". I haven't been since. but she forced me to go with her at lunchtime, at 11am.
see how Chinese work? breakfast is actually a midnight snack; lunch, between 11 - 12, is breakfast; dinner, between 4 - 5.30pm, is actually lunch. and then? I throw some dumplings in the microwave at 9pm and I feel better. The Chinese way...
Anyway! we get to the canteen and I see a room as big as my village (no, seriously...it looked like a stadium) packed, and I mean PACKED, with minuscules children, all the same, running and screaming up and down hunting for food. I stood still. What? Song smiled and I followed her to the teachers quarter, as a big as a napkin, where more less 200 teachers were packed sucking their lunch. Chinese eat sooo fast that in 5 minutes they've swallowed a bowl of various stuff (normally rice+hot vegetables+hot meat+spicy soup). I sat with my bowl and I attacked with my chopsticks. Ya hi! To be honest the food was GORGEOUS on the Italians' face (on my face, then...mmmh...). it's so tasty and varied...all this unknown things floating in I don't know what, but for some reason soooooo good. I loved it. Obviously we had to eat in 5 minutes, giving me a very heavy stomach all day. I'll never get used to that! After lunch Song forced me to have a rest (?)...and I actually needed it, and a lot of hot tea to free my stomach from the massive ball of stuff I had in it..."I'll come to pick you up at 5 for dinner" food again???? "Ok...see you in a bit" and I went back in to burp loudly!
Later we went to see my future classes. and a long shiver chilled my spine.
Ok, there are 2 big buildings with more less 6-7 floors each. Each floor has 4 classes. Each class more less 80 kids. You count them...
Obviously even the kids were staring at me, jumping on each other to get a better view. Oh god...I decided to get sunglasses and a black wig...that could help!
Whatever! Dawn came, and with it...gym time! At 7am a very loud music is unleashed from the loudspeakers all over the campus, and the Chinese exercise! Now, you have to see that the earlier I start working is 8.50am so I have the damn right to stay in bed till 8, at least! No, wake up at 7, and they keep playing music for a hour or so...don't ask me why.
but I stay in bed, skipping breakfast and gym! ole'!
But the real nightmare is the classroom. I got in and counted them. 86. 86! eighty six, my god! All looking at the green alien standing in front of them. WHY ME!!!?!
In some way we went through the lessons, and I noticed the most strange thing!
At around 2 o'clock in the afternoon a relaxing music is unleashed from the loudspeaker with a voice giving instructions, I guess...and the kids start massaging their heads, eyes, noses...for 5 minutes or so...and then we start the lesson.
During lunch time I was eating happily (fighting with my chopstick) when a lady approached me and started talking to me. how nice! She said I speak English very fast (clearly, so you won't notice my mistakes) and she underlined that this is the best school in the city. and so I thought...is it not the ONLY one???? But I didn't say it. She kept asking me question for half hour and, came 12, the canteen guy kicked me out because they had to close. Nooooo, my rice!!!! Oh well...
The big problems start in the evening. there's nothing to do in this city, it's very small. No bars or pubs. People just sit in front of their houses and chat with the neighbor...but unfortunately I can't chat much...so I have to stay at home on my own, writing this stuff, chatting on skype or watching movies. The fact is that it takes me between 2.3 and 5.7 minutes to plan a lesson, so I don't have much more to do. and anyway, 2 lessons are enough for one week, since I have 18 different classes in 5 days. Rock on.
Between one class and the other I go back home for a quick nap (I don't sleep at night, I will have to sleep sometimes) and at the end I just go home and sit.
This is the problem of being a celebrity! they all look at you in awe but nobody seems interested in getting close to you. how depressing.
And another good thing! Soon we'll be 5 below 0, and there's no heating in the whole house and/or school. Well, I have the air conditioning in my bedroom (that can work as heating as well) but what about bathroom???? I will wash myself with blokes of ice.
So, it's all uphill, and yesterday night I found a mouse in my house and today my fridge broke. Bye bye dumplings, had to throw everything away.
So I ask Song if someone could come and properly clean my house, and she finally revealed me that the house hasn't been clean since the last teacher left...4 months ago! Well done! So...this week end I'll be away and meanwhile they are supposed to clean. Fingers crossed.
Let me just take a short digression and explain you about the weather in Hu Bei. We are on the tropic, even if I don't remember which one. So...it's SLIGHTLY humid. just a bit. I'm so sticky that everything I touch get stuck to me. I feel a bit like a blue tack. It's never sunny in Tianmen, just cloudy (or too polluted? probably the second) so the heat stays on us. Oh well, it's breezy, but never enough. I visit the shower very often (not as much as I normally do in August in Italy, anyway) but it's completely useless, because, as soon as you are out, you're sweating again. and the whole house smells of humidity. My clothes never dry!
And now came the rainy season...you can imagine the smell...HAPPY HAPPY DAYS!
But let's talk about happy things! Tomorrow after work I'm leaving Tianmen and going to Wuhan! Yahiii, to the big city! There I will meet up with Stevie, a friend I made while studying for my celta. yes, she live close to me (in Chinese terms, obviously...). But she lives in a real city, stays in a real flat (no mouses!) and work for a university. Now you see what is the difference between being mother tongue and not be. ah ah. but we, mixed race, are stronger!!! ahahahahah! Anyway....I complained so much to her that she decided to leave her shiny tower and come down to visit the mortals. how nice...sigh sob...I can't wait to see her!!!!!
Ok, I leave you now and go packing.
Bug hug to everyone, I'll update you next week!
Ellie
Fun fact of the day: at the ticket office everybody approaches you telling any timetable, but the one you need. And once they got what you want, they can tell you up to 5 different journey lenght for the same route. How can you plan something here???
here is so unbelievably humid that you must forgive my spelling mistakes but the keys are slippery (good one, isn't it?).
Anyway, where were we?
Oh yeah, my first day. on Monday I didn't work, so I was planning to sleep and sleep and sleep. what else? But obviously I was wrong. First, I had to call my family to tell them that I was somehow surviving, and to do that I had to get up at 6. then, when I was gladly falling asleep again, my colleague stood under my balcony calling my name. What? I go downstairs and she tells me (at 7am) "Should we go for breakfast?" what? "Mmh...maybe a bit later..." "Oh you know, breakfast is served between 6 and 8" and that is the deepest and darkest hour of the night for me "I see" I said "I think I'll skip it for today". I haven't been since. but she forced me to go with her at lunchtime, at 11am.
see how Chinese work? breakfast is actually a midnight snack; lunch, between 11 - 12, is breakfast; dinner, between 4 - 5.30pm, is actually lunch. and then? I throw some dumplings in the microwave at 9pm and I feel better. The Chinese way...
Anyway! we get to the canteen and I see a room as big as my village (no, seriously...it looked like a stadium) packed, and I mean PACKED, with minuscules children, all the same, running and screaming up and down hunting for food. I stood still. What? Song smiled and I followed her to the teachers quarter, as a big as a napkin, where more less 200 teachers were packed sucking their lunch. Chinese eat sooo fast that in 5 minutes they've swallowed a bowl of various stuff (normally rice+hot vegetables+hot meat+spicy soup). I sat with my bowl and I attacked with my chopsticks. Ya hi! To be honest the food was GORGEOUS on the Italians' face (on my face, then...mmmh...). it's so tasty and varied...all this unknown things floating in I don't know what, but for some reason soooooo good. I loved it. Obviously we had to eat in 5 minutes, giving me a very heavy stomach all day. I'll never get used to that! After lunch Song forced me to have a rest (?)...and I actually needed it, and a lot of hot tea to free my stomach from the massive ball of stuff I had in it..."I'll come to pick you up at 5 for dinner" food again???? "Ok...see you in a bit" and I went back in to burp loudly!
Later we went to see my future classes. and a long shiver chilled my spine.
Ok, there are 2 big buildings with more less 6-7 floors each. Each floor has 4 classes. Each class more less 80 kids. You count them...
Obviously even the kids were staring at me, jumping on each other to get a better view. Oh god...I decided to get sunglasses and a black wig...that could help!
Whatever! Dawn came, and with it...gym time! At 7am a very loud music is unleashed from the loudspeakers all over the campus, and the Chinese exercise! Now, you have to see that the earlier I start working is 8.50am so I have the damn right to stay in bed till 8, at least! No, wake up at 7, and they keep playing music for a hour or so...don't ask me why.
but I stay in bed, skipping breakfast and gym! ole'!
But the real nightmare is the classroom. I got in and counted them. 86. 86! eighty six, my god! All looking at the green alien standing in front of them. WHY ME!!!?!
In some way we went through the lessons, and I noticed the most strange thing!
At around 2 o'clock in the afternoon a relaxing music is unleashed from the loudspeaker with a voice giving instructions, I guess...and the kids start massaging their heads, eyes, noses...for 5 minutes or so...and then we start the lesson.
During lunch time I was eating happily (fighting with my chopstick) when a lady approached me and started talking to me. how nice! She said I speak English very fast (clearly, so you won't notice my mistakes) and she underlined that this is the best school in the city. and so I thought...is it not the ONLY one???? But I didn't say it. She kept asking me question for half hour and, came 12, the canteen guy kicked me out because they had to close. Nooooo, my rice!!!! Oh well...
The big problems start in the evening. there's nothing to do in this city, it's very small. No bars or pubs. People just sit in front of their houses and chat with the neighbor...but unfortunately I can't chat much...so I have to stay at home on my own, writing this stuff, chatting on skype or watching movies. The fact is that it takes me between 2.3 and 5.7 minutes to plan a lesson, so I don't have much more to do. and anyway, 2 lessons are enough for one week, since I have 18 different classes in 5 days. Rock on.
Between one class and the other I go back home for a quick nap (I don't sleep at night, I will have to sleep sometimes) and at the end I just go home and sit.
This is the problem of being a celebrity! they all look at you in awe but nobody seems interested in getting close to you. how depressing.
And another good thing! Soon we'll be 5 below 0, and there's no heating in the whole house and/or school. Well, I have the air conditioning in my bedroom (that can work as heating as well) but what about bathroom???? I will wash myself with blokes of ice.
So, it's all uphill, and yesterday night I found a mouse in my house and today my fridge broke. Bye bye dumplings, had to throw everything away.
So I ask Song if someone could come and properly clean my house, and she finally revealed me that the house hasn't been clean since the last teacher left...4 months ago! Well done! So...this week end I'll be away and meanwhile they are supposed to clean. Fingers crossed.
Let me just take a short digression and explain you about the weather in Hu Bei. We are on the tropic, even if I don't remember which one. So...it's SLIGHTLY humid. just a bit. I'm so sticky that everything I touch get stuck to me. I feel a bit like a blue tack. It's never sunny in Tianmen, just cloudy (or too polluted? probably the second) so the heat stays on us. Oh well, it's breezy, but never enough. I visit the shower very often (not as much as I normally do in August in Italy, anyway) but it's completely useless, because, as soon as you are out, you're sweating again. and the whole house smells of humidity. My clothes never dry!
And now came the rainy season...you can imagine the smell...HAPPY HAPPY DAYS!
But let's talk about happy things! Tomorrow after work I'm leaving Tianmen and going to Wuhan! Yahiii, to the big city! There I will meet up with Stevie, a friend I made while studying for my celta. yes, she live close to me (in Chinese terms, obviously...). But she lives in a real city, stays in a real flat (no mouses!) and work for a university. Now you see what is the difference between being mother tongue and not be. ah ah. but we, mixed race, are stronger!!! ahahahahah! Anyway....I complained so much to her that she decided to leave her shiny tower and come down to visit the mortals. how nice...sigh sob...I can't wait to see her!!!!!
Ok, I leave you now and go packing.
Bug hug to everyone, I'll update you next week!
Ellie
Fun fact of the day: at the ticket office everybody approaches you telling any timetable, but the one you need. And once they got what you want, they can tell you up to 5 different journey lenght for the same route. How can you plan something here???
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Right...why?
Hallo!
See how cool? Yeah, and that was just the beginning...so many things more happened after that...heheh
Do you know how I ended up in China? Long story...well...i decided to become an English teacher. Yeas, an Italian English teacher. Controversial indeed. But what can I do? That's me. So i got my qualification (a CELTA. do you know what a CELTA is? no? google it) in London and then, just to work, I accepted a job in China. I left UK not even really knowing where I was going. I just had a ticket, a temporary tourist visa and many heavy luggage. Poor crazy Ellie!!!
See how cool? Yeah, and that was just the beginning...so many things more happened after that...heheh
Do you know how I ended up in China? Long story...well...i decided to become an English teacher. Yeas, an Italian English teacher. Controversial indeed. But what can I do? That's me. So i got my qualification (a CELTA. do you know what a CELTA is? no? google it) in London and then, just to work, I accepted a job in China. I left UK not even really knowing where I was going. I just had a ticket, a temporary tourist visa and many heavy luggage. Poor crazy Ellie!!!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
A Chinese life (part 1)
This is the story of my adventure as an English Teacher in China. It all started strangely in September last year, to end horribly one month later. Enjoy...
Good afternoon my friends, good afternoon from happy and humid China!
I don't even know precisely where I am, but it doesn't matter. Let's start from the beginning.
Thursday morning I left Milan full of hope reading to embark on a forever - hours flight to Beijing. To the credit of British Airways, the food was pretty good. Even the movie choice. But the flight was long, looooong, LOOOOONG! And I just can't sleep on airplanes...so you can imagine!
I got to Beijing at 5.45 am and I had to pass 3 controls...health, flu, passport. Then my luggage, and I run out looking for a sign with my name written on it...that OBVIOUSLY wasn't there. so I sat and waited for a while...probably traffic...waited another bit and the strange feeling that they forgot me was growing bigger and bigger.
So I decided that I had to make a move. With my massive luggage I started moving from an info desk to another, trying to find a way to get to the internet. Guys, you can't imagine how hard it was...Chinese people speak a version of English that I haven't updated yet, and it get really frustrating after a while. But I managed it. The phone staff (yes, they have phone staff....) helped me out in logging in with my laptop and I finally found the number I had to call. Super happy, I open skype and called. and skype doesn't work. what a surprise. So I swear very loudly, write down the number, switch off the laptop, pack everything and go back to the phone staff. I bought a sim card and called the guy "Hey it's me, I' in Beijing airport" "Oh are u? good, get the shuttle bus to sdfgsejchigh" to... WHERE???? so...the lazy cow didn't pick me up and I had to struggle with tickets buses with destination unknown and so on...and Chinese people do not raise a finger to help a poor lady with a massive luggage struggling up the stairs. happy days!
I got to the coach station of bdfgheiufhwiudh and called the guy again "Ah ok get a taxi! pass me the taxi driver so I can explain him where to take u!" WHAT?! you lazy f****r!!!
So I got on the taxi and arrived there...at that point I was unbelievably tired, not having slept for around 15 hours. and they made me wait...and wait...and it came out that, because of the anniversary of the republic, entrance is restricted to foreigners...so, no more Zhengzhou. cool. while waiting, I met a couple of Australians that had already been there for a week waiting to be assigned to a place. GOOD. what about me, not even native speaker...midday was approaching and I was falling asleep everywhere, my head as big as a balloon and my eyes as heavy as stones. get me a room!!!
So the strange man - lazy cow told me that he finally found a place for me in the city of jhfghv province of jgbhjbghv. What? I don't know, doesn't matter...I just said yes yes and finally they took me to the hotel.
Now...consider that Beijing is big (the size of Belgium) and they put me in a hotel on the border with Holland. I asked the guy "Where I am????" "oh...beijing...suburbs..." ok "Don't worry have a rest!" ah ok...Now, it's difficult to describe where I was...take Fez and Xochimilco and put them together...and here we are! I was in a motel where the staff obviously spoke only Chinese...in a suburb where they only spoke Chinese. I sat on my bed and I felt so badly lonely that I wanted to cry. But I braced myself and I said "Cheer up and sleep". And I slept a good 5 hours and then I went out for a walk. Not bad, not considering the people constantly shouting or staring at me. I felt like a green alien with silver hair. I tried to approach a couple of diners, but the look in their eyes just pushed me away. so i just bought some biscuits and water and I went back to the motel eating that and watching Chinese cartoon...till I fell asleep listening to the neighbours shagging vigorously. how cute.
In the morning I got up full of hope. Today they'll tell me what it will happen to me! So I had some biscuits and water and called mister lazy cow. he doesn't answer. ok I wait...called him again "Lazy cow it's ellie! any news?" "Who? oh yeah, hi...yes you will be leaving tomorrow I'll call u later bye!". and he hung up. and now? I don't even know where I am or how to get to Beijing! and if I get I taxi, how do I come back if I don't know where I am? at that point, my friends, I started crying. oh yes I did. I felt so desperately lonely and abandoned that I just wanted to get the first taxi to the airport and go home. but again, I braced myself, sent everyone to P*** O*F had a shower and got ready. I go to the centre, whatever. At that point I hear a knock knock at the door and it was the reservation guy passing me his phone "Hallo?" "Hallo it's Lenny!" who? "The guy who took u to the hotel...listen, u will be leaving Beijing at 7 tonight, so I'll come to the hotel to pick u up at 12!". thanks god. so super happy...I went back to bed, while the neighbours started having fun again. At 12 KNOCK KNOCK and it was Lenny! no man looked so beautiful to me at that moment in time, he was God to me! someone to speak to! "WE r a bit early, we leave at 2. let's have a rest, meanwhile" and he jumped on my bed and fell asleep. WHAT???? what about some food. so I breathed deeply, sat on the bed and started reading. he woke up at 1.50 (how, I don't know...) and we got few buses to get to the office. buses in China r so funny...anyway...got to the office Lenny The Saviour decided that it was lunch time. so we went to a...mmmh...noodle place (that the nhs would have closed in 5 second) and I had a basin of noodles with vegetables and eggs for 30 pence. really guys...in Europe u would pay that a bomb. and it was good. and no diarrhea. yahii! Then we went to the bank and to the station...and Lenny The Magic Man waited with me (he even took me to a posh waiting room) and he took me to my very seat. a bed! yeah, in china u can have a bed. there are bunk beds...but not normal ones, ones with 3 beds. and guess which one was mine? u guessed it, the one on top. I banged my head so many times that i look like and octopus upside down. happy days.
Chinese eat all the time, the strangest things ever. i was hanging from my tower looking down at the stuff passing by on trolleys. I could recognize only peaches.
Around 1 o'clock I fell asleep and at 7.30am I was up again...they were eating, very noisily!!! slurping and burping a lot. happy people, the Chinese!!!! =D I had some biscuit and water and I tried the bathroom. open the door. close the door. I sat beside the window waiting for my station (and this time I know the name: Xiaogan! pronounced ZIAAAAoGA'). Get off after 14 hours and started walking up and down steps again, with the familiar feeling that nobody would be there! but this time I was wrong! a happy Chinese man (ages between 20 to 60) came smiling at me saying my name "Elinla" what? I'm sure it was me. He offered me some breakfast and when I asked for tea and cake he looked at me as if I was an green shiny octopus with silver hair asking for grated concrete on toast, as we use to eat on my planet. and he answered "Noodles?" so his friends (called The Driver) got me a pot of...rice floating in a kind of jelly with pieces of yellow and brown stuff. my stomach closed the door and went hiding behind my liver. but I couldn't throw up at his smiley face...so I dipped the spoon in it and ate. Gosh, how good it was! it tasted of grapefruit and something else, but it was great!!!! I had it all.
Then we jump on the car and NIU (the guy) said happily "Now 3 hours" how good! And I fell asleep.
We stopped somewhere for lunch and Niu was very happy coz that was his hometown and we were eating homemade food at his girlfriend house. great. Guys I ate like a pig, Chinese food never tasted so well!!!!! Fish, fish, strange potatoes, dunno what, soup...great great! I loved it. and they were looking at me happily smiling a lot. and I ate. smile smile, I eat!!! ;P
Back to the car we finally got to our destination were Sung, my co-teacher was waiting for me with a bunch of flowers. she's so cute (even if I have some problems in communicating with her....). they took me to my flat (immense, on 2 floors. all for me) and then shopping! but I couldn't find an adaptor. soon I'll be without laptop and mobile...poooooooooooooooooo. but I'll keep looking, this city of which I don't know the name is big, I will find it. if not I'll buy it on the internet.
Now I start being slightly more positive about china...let's c how it goes. Tomorrow I'm off and Tuesday is First Day.
Ok...I go to have a shower now.
I'll update u soon!
Good afternoon my friends, good afternoon from happy and humid China!
I don't even know precisely where I am, but it doesn't matter. Let's start from the beginning.
Thursday morning I left Milan full of hope reading to embark on a forever - hours flight to Beijing. To the credit of British Airways, the food was pretty good. Even the movie choice. But the flight was long, looooong, LOOOOONG! And I just can't sleep on airplanes...so you can imagine!
I got to Beijing at 5.45 am and I had to pass 3 controls...health, flu, passport. Then my luggage, and I run out looking for a sign with my name written on it...that OBVIOUSLY wasn't there. so I sat and waited for a while...probably traffic...waited another bit and the strange feeling that they forgot me was growing bigger and bigger.
So I decided that I had to make a move. With my massive luggage I started moving from an info desk to another, trying to find a way to get to the internet. Guys, you can't imagine how hard it was...Chinese people speak a version of English that I haven't updated yet, and it get really frustrating after a while. But I managed it. The phone staff (yes, they have phone staff....) helped me out in logging in with my laptop and I finally found the number I had to call. Super happy, I open skype and called. and skype doesn't work. what a surprise. So I swear very loudly, write down the number, switch off the laptop, pack everything and go back to the phone staff. I bought a sim card and called the guy "Hey it's me, I' in Beijing airport" "Oh are u? good, get the shuttle bus to sdfgsejchigh" to... WHERE???? so...the lazy cow didn't pick me up and I had to struggle with tickets buses with destination unknown and so on...and Chinese people do not raise a finger to help a poor lady with a massive luggage struggling up the stairs. happy days!
I got to the coach station of bdfgheiufhwiudh and called the guy again "Ah ok get a taxi! pass me the taxi driver so I can explain him where to take u!" WHAT?! you lazy f****r!!!
So I got on the taxi and arrived there...at that point I was unbelievably tired, not having slept for around 15 hours. and they made me wait...and wait...and it came out that, because of the anniversary of the republic, entrance is restricted to foreigners...so, no more Zhengzhou. cool. while waiting, I met a couple of Australians that had already been there for a week waiting to be assigned to a place. GOOD. what about me, not even native speaker...midday was approaching and I was falling asleep everywhere, my head as big as a balloon and my eyes as heavy as stones. get me a room!!!
So the strange man - lazy cow told me that he finally found a place for me in the city of jhfghv province of jgbhjbghv. What? I don't know, doesn't matter...I just said yes yes and finally they took me to the hotel.
Now...consider that Beijing is big (the size of Belgium) and they put me in a hotel on the border with Holland. I asked the guy "Where I am????" "oh...beijing...suburbs..." ok "Don't worry have a rest!" ah ok...Now, it's difficult to describe where I was...take Fez and Xochimilco and put them together...and here we are! I was in a motel where the staff obviously spoke only Chinese...in a suburb where they only spoke Chinese. I sat on my bed and I felt so badly lonely that I wanted to cry. But I braced myself and I said "Cheer up and sleep". And I slept a good 5 hours and then I went out for a walk. Not bad, not considering the people constantly shouting or staring at me. I felt like a green alien with silver hair. I tried to approach a couple of diners, but the look in their eyes just pushed me away. so i just bought some biscuits and water and I went back to the motel eating that and watching Chinese cartoon...till I fell asleep listening to the neighbours shagging vigorously. how cute.
In the morning I got up full of hope. Today they'll tell me what it will happen to me! So I had some biscuits and water and called mister lazy cow. he doesn't answer. ok I wait...called him again "Lazy cow it's ellie! any news?" "Who? oh yeah, hi...yes you will be leaving tomorrow I'll call u later bye!". and he hung up. and now? I don't even know where I am or how to get to Beijing! and if I get I taxi, how do I come back if I don't know where I am? at that point, my friends, I started crying. oh yes I did. I felt so desperately lonely and abandoned that I just wanted to get the first taxi to the airport and go home. but again, I braced myself, sent everyone to P*** O*F had a shower and got ready. I go to the centre, whatever. At that point I hear a knock knock at the door and it was the reservation guy passing me his phone "Hallo?" "Hallo it's Lenny!" who? "The guy who took u to the hotel...listen, u will be leaving Beijing at 7 tonight, so I'll come to the hotel to pick u up at 12!". thanks god. so super happy...I went back to bed, while the neighbours started having fun again. At 12 KNOCK KNOCK and it was Lenny! no man looked so beautiful to me at that moment in time, he was God to me! someone to speak to! "WE r a bit early, we leave at 2. let's have a rest, meanwhile" and he jumped on my bed and fell asleep. WHAT???? what about some food. so I breathed deeply, sat on the bed and started reading. he woke up at 1.50 (how, I don't know...) and we got few buses to get to the office. buses in China r so funny...anyway...got to the office Lenny The Saviour decided that it was lunch time. so we went to a...mmmh...noodle place (that the nhs would have closed in 5 second) and I had a basin of noodles with vegetables and eggs for 30 pence. really guys...in Europe u would pay that a bomb. and it was good. and no diarrhea. yahii! Then we went to the bank and to the station...and Lenny The Magic Man waited with me (he even took me to a posh waiting room) and he took me to my very seat. a bed! yeah, in china u can have a bed. there are bunk beds...but not normal ones, ones with 3 beds. and guess which one was mine? u guessed it, the one on top. I banged my head so many times that i look like and octopus upside down. happy days.
Chinese eat all the time, the strangest things ever. i was hanging from my tower looking down at the stuff passing by on trolleys. I could recognize only peaches.
Around 1 o'clock I fell asleep and at 7.30am I was up again...they were eating, very noisily!!! slurping and burping a lot. happy people, the Chinese!!!! =D I had some biscuit and water and I tried the bathroom. open the door. close the door. I sat beside the window waiting for my station (and this time I know the name: Xiaogan! pronounced ZIAAAAoGA'). Get off after 14 hours and started walking up and down steps again, with the familiar feeling that nobody would be there! but this time I was wrong! a happy Chinese man (ages between 20 to 60) came smiling at me saying my name "Elinla" what? I'm sure it was me. He offered me some breakfast and when I asked for tea and cake he looked at me as if I was an green shiny octopus with silver hair asking for grated concrete on toast, as we use to eat on my planet. and he answered "Noodles?" so his friends (called The Driver) got me a pot of...rice floating in a kind of jelly with pieces of yellow and brown stuff. my stomach closed the door and went hiding behind my liver. but I couldn't throw up at his smiley face...so I dipped the spoon in it and ate. Gosh, how good it was! it tasted of grapefruit and something else, but it was great!!!! I had it all.
Then we jump on the car and NIU (the guy) said happily "Now 3 hours" how good! And I fell asleep.
We stopped somewhere for lunch and Niu was very happy coz that was his hometown and we were eating homemade food at his girlfriend house. great. Guys I ate like a pig, Chinese food never tasted so well!!!!! Fish, fish, strange potatoes, dunno what, soup...great great! I loved it. and they were looking at me happily smiling a lot. and I ate. smile smile, I eat!!! ;P
Back to the car we finally got to our destination were Sung, my co-teacher was waiting for me with a bunch of flowers. she's so cute (even if I have some problems in communicating with her....). they took me to my flat (immense, on 2 floors. all for me) and then shopping! but I couldn't find an adaptor. soon I'll be without laptop and mobile...poooooooooooooooooo. but I'll keep looking, this city of which I don't know the name is big, I will find it. if not I'll buy it on the internet.
Now I start being slightly more positive about china...let's c how it goes. Tomorrow I'm off and Tuesday is First Day.
Ok...I go to have a shower now.
I'll update u soon!
Hallo
Hi there everybody!
Why am I starting a blog? No idea...probably bored coz of the rain or because of my backache. Probably coz I don't talk much and I prefere writing to share my thoughts...
Here's about my travels around the world, past, present and future. Oh yeah I'm a serious traveller, you will see! And I had awsome and awful adventures...
Let's get started then! ^.^
Why am I starting a blog? No idea...probably bored coz of the rain or because of my backache. Probably coz I don't talk much and I prefere writing to share my thoughts...
Here's about my travels around the world, past, present and future. Oh yeah I'm a serious traveller, you will see! And I had awsome and awful adventures...
Let's get started then! ^.^
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)