Ni Hao!!!!! Well Firstly apologies for the delay, I know many have been waiting for this blog so here goes!
The Journey
First and foremost, i want to say how privledged I feel to have gained this oppurtunity, i have a fervent desire to gain the most from this experience and put all my new learning into practice when i return. With regard to the very long journey 2 days ago, im still suffering jet lag ! Fly emirates catered for all our needs, the food was very delightful and the flight it self was very smooth and the fact that it was a 2 part journey to Beijing allowed me to socialise with different fellows and allowed us to gain our first form of group cohesion. I think the highlight of the First plane journey to Dubai was when me and a *Fellow Fellow* (Ruth) had the honour of sharing our journey with a Hong Kong resident who decided to tell us his lifestory! He spoke punjabi which is my second language and we conversed fluently for about 30 seconds and then !..... We gained an insight to his life story and the purpose of his journey which i wont publically broadcast! :D
Our Refuel in Dubai was short and thank god for that, as we were quite literally fried like an egg as soon as we stepped out of the plane, and so much for *Worlds cheapest duty free*!! The prices were equivalent to that of the Uk if not more expensive. Fellow Cath seemed to work her charm and receive a free sample of perfume (very jealous):O Then it was off to Beijing! Once again the overall flight was amazing, although unlike the previous one this plane did not have the stars and dimmed light on the top of the plane, it was rather elegant!
We arrived at Beijing International at approximately 11:00pm local time and still the humidty was overwhelming, the airport it self was suprisingly quiet however the traffic outside was as expected, we met our representatives after we had been reacquainted with our luggage, they were friendly and all spoke very good English. I feared that i would not initially be able to overcome the language barrier, but this was solved as our assistants Juliette, Ariel and Toles (the spellings may be wrong!) were very warm and welcoming and conversed with us fluently, answering all our immediate questions. We took the shuttle to our Hotel - Liyun Apartotel, based at Beijing Normal University which is where we will be staying for our first two weeks in China. The hotel caters for many International students, we had the pleasure of meeting intoxicated American students as we walked in, it was hilarious! =) Then we all looked to our left and one word came to mind.. GLOBALISATION! There is a Mcdonalds based within the hotel and around 15 of us decided to take advantage instantly! I knowww we should have some sort of Chinese Cuisine for our first meal but we cant dissapoint our tastebuds with such an extreme jump so quickly rightt? Everyone was Extremely Jet lagged so we retired to the Chinese apparatus one is most recumbent upon, aka the Bed! So The journey Begins....
Day 2
It was still so surreal and to the present time I still do not believe for some reason that I am in China! Being very keen to keep my fitness levels high, i had promised my self that i would continue my fitness regime whilst in China. Having around 3 hours of sleep, myself and fellow Joe were out on a Run on the streets of Beijing! 7am sharp we were as energised as ever and went strolling at a medium pace on a main road in Beijing, the humidity was overwhelming and we quickly became dehydrated, we managed to complete our run nevertheless. We were told by our drunk american buddies not to run due to all the fumes but we came to the decision that, the quicker we acclimatise and adapt to the atmosphere ( which probably has a low concentration of Oxygen) the quicker our body can be efficient in gaseous exchange and of course we would be very quick when returning to the UK 8)!
So breakfast in China, well we decided to go against all stereotypes and advice many people had given us and had streetfood!!!!! Result: 1: Tastebuds were extremely pleased and 2: My wallet was very pleased, im not sure exactly what it was called, but it comprimised of 'eggy' bread, with some form of meat, chicken i think ( Ji Rou in chinese) and a sauce. Chinese chicken i've found is very tender in texture with comparison to english chicken and to be quite honest I think I prefer it! =) The cost was 3.5 RMB so what 35p for breakfast = wow! Having eaten, we registered at reception and received various cards, all serving different purposes such as a Room card, a Student card and with the help of our Main assitant Juliette I purchased a Sim card. The cost was 50RMB (Around £5) I also purchased an ethernet cable after having signed up for internet for 2 weeks which also cost 50 RMB.
Around 2:00pm local time, there was an introduction from various Global fellowship and Beijing Normal University reps in China and we were given an outline as to the activities we will be participating in over the next few weeks. We had the pleasure of meeting chinese students, some were fluent in english and this made me feel very privledged, just to know that many developing countries incorporate our language into their curriculum. On a more empathetic note, i think we take this aspect for granted and almost expect them to speak english, this allowed me to empathise with the students more and i would seek to use my experience to challenge prejudice through fostering understanding wherever i may encounter it and look to show people the benefits of empathy and cooperation across many social, religious and ethnic barriers. The highlight of the day was meeting two specific Chinese students, their english names being Wendy and Nicole. Nicole being the culmination name after a joyful banter. We instantly bonded with these two students, Ninieh 'nicole' specialises in many forms of dance so even though her english was limited as opposed to Wendy's, i was able to relate to her and we had found common ground as i also have a passion for dance. They would be our tour guides, but we did not know that we would form such a cohesive group! Our group consisted of 6, Wendy & Nicole and then the musketeers : Shahbaz, Sean, Asher and myself. Imtiyaz Later joined 8-).
The tour was incredible, as we had given ninieh an english name, we had given our friends the task of giving us a Chinese name. Mine is unfortunately still non existent.. however! Shahbaz is now officially Shao-Bai! I know, smooth of the tounge right? The tour of Beijing Normal university included various sports complexes, Sean decided to use his charm to gain access to a football, we had a friendly kick about with some random Chinese students, the onlookers for 10 minutes being our Chinese friends. Wendy and Nicole also took us to the Olympic swimming pool complex and numerous badminton courts. This time with the assistance of Wendy we gained access to some rackets! Myself and shahbaz ( *naughty boy shahbaz* as sean would say, claimed to be a badminton pro =)...) partook in a one on one, all at stake, competitive match against someone participating on a court. Okay im half telling the truth there, it was hardly competitive as we both were humiliated by a very quick player ha! The impact of the Beijing Olmpics is evident as sport has had a major increase in participation and everywhere you set your eyes it was full of pro active people!The tour also consisted of various Beijing Normal University buildings, ( Pictures will be up soon) i decided to try a few crazy poses which you shall see very soon. Another area worth mentioning was the library, i can honestly say that you will never see a library as big!
We had been walking for a pro longed period of time hence we were in need of food. Our friends were very kind and took us to the unversity canteen, the variety of food was amazing and i must say that my chopstick ability is ever improving, with regard to cost i was actually quite astonished, the dicotomoy of China is reflected through the variating prices. It was around 25 RMB to feed 6, thats £2.50 for 6 people! As opposed to Mcdonalds which is the same price but feeding only one individual. So we've made friends for life already, and gained an insight to chinese culture so instantly, its 01:37 and im exhausted! I hope ive given you something to ponder over and i Will post days 3 and 4 very soon, So Zai Jian for now! =)