London

I am sitting in Audre's room in the Borough of Southwark in London. I love this city. I don't have time to write a complete post right now and won't until I get to Poland probably, but I had to say I love this diverse, fashionable, clean, historic, amazing, EXPENSIVE city.

My Visitor

Hellooooooo friends! Today is my last day of work before the Spring Festival! Everyone else is working until the 28th, but I took the next week off because Ayman will be here! I am so excited for that, I can't really write much because that would be boring for you all! He is coming on the 25th in the morning and I'm going to stay in GZ all weekend and then pick him up at the train station on Tuesday!!! sljkfafjsdlkfnalkfpe yayyy! On the 28th him and I are going to a huge company dinner at the only five star hotel we have around here to celebrate the Chinese New Year with people from my division. Supposedly there will be a raffle for about 3,000Yuan, which is a little over $500. Boy would I like to win that! I'm going to wear my lucky bracelets that night. hehehe. During this dinner, we also have performances and of course I have to dance in front of everyone in my company. Each division has to come up with a show. It's all for fun but I'll be the only foreigner there... actually no, because Ayman will be there!!! Still, embarrassing! I have to come up with a dance, which I already have a while ago, to that "Sorry, Sorry" song! Tonight I am supposed to teach it to everyone and practice some new Chinese song I will also have to learn. Don't worry, pictures will be posted to facebook.

I told myself I wouldn't really travel over the holidays, but since Ayman will be coming we are going to Hong Kong (yayyyyyy), Macau, Shenzhen, obviously we'll tour Guangzhou and then Hainan! [Side note: Hainan is the southernmost province in China and it is an island. Ayman and I will be going to the southernmost city and getting our tan on. The weather is supposed to be around 70 degrees F in February] I am pretty excited to go to Hainan because I haven't been and it's supposed to be like the Chinese Hawaii... which I don't believe, but nonetheless I have some great plans for us! We already booked our hostels, but we have yet to book train tickets. I hope the train to HK will not be sold out (there are like 15 in a day so I think we should be fine). We decided to take the train from GZ to Sanya (Hainan) because although it ends up being more expensive than a plane, we will not arrive at some weird middle of the night hour, and we won't have to pay for a hostel the night we would have arrived (if we took a plane). We're crossing our fingers that we can get a train (there are three from GZ so hopefully we can if worst come to worst, stand on one). I think if we were to stand though, him and I would just take a plane! It's going to be amazing because we haven't seen each other in over 10 months and we'll be in one of my favorite cities: Hong Kong, which is super romantic and so Ayman and I. We're both super into fashion, city trends, big cities, culture, going out. Perfecto! Hong Kong IS the place to be at our age. Actually, we will be in HK on the day of the Chinese New Year so I'm excited to see how people will be celebrating. The only bad thing about traveling during this time is: Prices, crowds, over-crowding. The hostels are much more expensive, tickets are much more difficult to get (as we saw with Ayman who stood in line for 4 hours only to get standing tickets) AND crowds will be disastrous in HK and Macau I think. I hope a lot of people will go back to their homes in small cities to be with their families so that we can travel in peace. Also, let's hope I get super tan in Hainan!!!

DANGER

I'll begin this post with the danger aspect of China (and a little bit of trickery). Let me explain how I often get home from Guangzhou. I live about 40 minutes away by bus, but 30 minutes by car. If I stay in Guangzhou until Monday morning, I can take the bus, but if I leave Sunday night I always have to take a "taxi". By "taxi" I mean a car that is a total rip off (painted like a taxi) OR not even a real taxi, instead a person in their personal car driving people around to make money. As far as I know in the US, when we take a taxi it is always metered. Here, what I do is take the subway to a district in the south of Guangzhou to the bus station. At the bus station I choose NOT to take a bus because Sundays are so jam packet that I don't mind paying the 12 Yuan more to take a "taxi". So from this metro station, I have to bargain with "taxi drivers". If I were to get a taxi from here to where I live with three other people it would cost about 50 Yuan metered, so a little more than 10 Yuan each. Instead, what they do is charge you 80 for one person from the get-go, or 25 per person (sometimes 30 or 35). This is when I have to bargain because I know I can get home for 20 and that is the most fair price. So after bargaining or arguing someone usually comes up to me and says 20, and then I have to wait for this driver to find more people so he can make the most out of this trip (that is what they all do). This takes about 20 minutes since all the drivers at this stop are trying to con people into going with them. Last time I went home in a mini- mini van. Yesterday I told the people shouting at me coming out of the metro, "20 YUAN!" The first guy said no, 25 (all in Chinese or even worse Cantonese which I understand a little duh) and then I was walking away and some lady said "Girl, 20!!!" and some other stuff I didn't understand. I went to where her husband, I'm assuming, was waiting by his car with a walkie talkie as she got people to go with him. Anyway, I waited five minutes, got in the car and went home. I saw that one of the guys in the back gave the driver 25 and when I got to my stop another guy was also getting out and I handed the driver a 20 and so did he (he also went in the car the same time I did) and the driver looked at me and said "25". I started getting pissed because I was not in the mood to argue and deal with their tricky conning, so I just yelled and looked mad and got out of the car, while the guy in the back explained that the woman told us 20 each. Go fuck yourself you fucking shithole driver. I am so sick of certain Chinese people trying to con me out of my money. Everywhere I go I have to experience this. In the fruit market, in the vegetable market, getting a cab, getting dumplings... one day I would just like to go through the day without stares AND without getting hassled and with fair prices and without fucking "Hallooooos". UGH as you can see TEN months in China really hits a person hard. HAHAHHA. That is how drivers get you though, they tell you a price before, you agree then they ask for more. I noticed most Chinese people don't argue for some reason and just give the driver the amount he demands. But not me. My point is it is probably dangerous to get in with people like this because 1 they are not the safest drivers and 2 who knows where they'll take you 3 who knows what kind of weapons they have?

When I went shopping yesterday the line to get into the subway was HORRIBLE. They had the entrance barricaded and police watching and then letting in a crowd of people while the others had to wait in a huge crowd behind those few being let in (so the subway area wasn't too crowded). No way was I going back in with that group of people. So when I was finished shopping which totally wore me out because they all gave me high proces and it was Sunday night and I was NOT IN THE MOOD to bargain, I went back to the subway. The line was even longer, so I walked on the left side where people were coming out of the subway. The first person didn't stop me but a subway worker then wouldn't let me go through and LUCKILY he didn't speak English so I was raising my voice to him blah blah. Then I just stood there and yelled at him saying I would not get into that huge dangerous crowd. He then called the police man and my plan was to start crying because I KNOW that there is no way HE would speak English. So he just motioned for me to get in line and I said NO. I stood there with my arms crossed and the policeman whispered something to the subway worker and he left. So then I waited a minute and said "Ok I'm going" and walked away. That was my police encounter. Sometimes I really hate China (but sometimes there are days where I love it) I just sit on the subway though and most of the time think how these people are screwed. They know nothing better than crowds, Communism, low salaries... and I do feel bad, but this place is so incredibly shitty sometimes for the actual Chinese citizens. I mean look at all the work they do and the lack of rewards and money they get. And look at how they have to shop for their whole lives. And look at how they aspire to the West, but are so incredibly lacking. I really do feel bad for saying all this stuff but it makes me love the US, seriously. I am so happy I can shop in peace with only store attendants sometimes bothering me (not like China where they follow you around and suggest ugly stuff to buy). I am happy I can return items. I am happy I can go to the grocery store and not see DEAD dogs on the counter for sale. I am happy I have a car. I am just so happy to be a Western citizen, seriously. Thank you mom and dad :) Is that wrong for me to say? Being in China really DOES make you appreciate what you have. Then again, I will miss the $1.50 manicures, the $8 70-minute massages... I guess there's good AND bad.

So next item on the agenda is bundled up babies. To stay warm, people dress their babies in LAYERS AND LAYERS AND LAYERS (and keep in mind some of these clothes still have that poop hole). I see adorable little babies that look so huge because they have on like a billion sweaters. Chinese people really need to kick it into this CENTURY with the heating situation. Still the babies are adorable and look so fat and cute.

Anyway, three more weeks until Chinese New Year, which is their biggest holiday! VACATION time!

10 months in ZhongGuo

I must say the feeling I am experiencing is weird. I have been in China for ten months already and I am starting to wonder about the culture shock when I go back to the US. I have decided that I won't tell anyone the exact day of when I will be back in the US because I want to surprise my best friend so that she pees her pants! Hehehhe wifey are you ready? I will say that the plan is like this: I will leave China a little after my year deadline hits and will go to London to visit Audre for a week or so (I miss her already). After London I am planning on flying to Poland to see my family and I'll stay there at least until Easter. After that I will go to Russia for a bit to visit friends in St.Petersburg and Moscow and then I will head home about this time (except I have to get a Russian visa, so hopefully that works out). I am not sure if I can make any stops in New York or LA before Chicago, but I'll try to see some friends. I've looked up tickets already and they are pretty pricey... but I still want to go. While I'm in Poland I plan on visiting family and friends and of course getting my Polish (EUROPEAN UNION) passport re-newed!!! YES! And then I will officially be able to easily do my Master's in Europe if I so choose AND travel without the hassle of being American... and of course I'd be able to visit countries Americans are advised not to visit, because of my wonderful Polish passport... that's what I'm telling myself at least. It's good to not be American in some places (China is not one of them) so I will HOPEFULLY have the best of both world's soon.

I would like to announce that I have started learning Chinese already, if you count once a week for about an hour learning... I REALLY need to pick up the pace here.

I went to Hong Kong for Christmas with Monika and we went out with Doug (the guy from the train the other time I went to HK) which was awesome... end of story will not say more just in case family is reading this. It was a great night overall and Kenneth also joined us. Great to know vodka redbull is still my drink of choice and really gets my energy pumping!!! When I woke up in the morning I was also very happy to find that I had taken off my makeup and taken out my contacts... that's a first after a night out like THAT! I was really sad that this was a Christmas I didn't get to spend with my family :( It didn't really feel like Christmas. On Christmas day we went to Hong Kong Disneyland which was pretty fun, except I expected it to be bigger and we didn't even get pictures with any of the princesses or Mickey and Minnie. What a shame! They didn't walk around the park like I'm assuming they do in Florida or California. That night was so cold so we decided NOT to go out but walk around the city instead. The next day we also did some sight-seeing because this was Monika's first time in Hong Kong. She said it's her favorite city after some city in Spain and after London... Cool! Oh, I would also like to say I have a Hong Kong phone number which is pretty amazing for me, because it's like I'm a semi-resident of Hong Kong AND of China. Monika and I took the train from HK to Shenzhen this time and then bought more expensive tickets to go back to GZ from Shenzhen so we could come home half an hour faster... Well interestingly enough we missed our train because Monika's PHONE CLOCK was off my 20 minutes. I was panicking a little inside (granted this isn't like missing your train in Shanghai and almost not having a train home when your sister has a flight to catch :/ ) but we just sat on the next train and no one even checked our tickets once we got on (and we showed the tickets we had to two people who worked at the station and they just told us to keep going. They didn't even BOTHER to tell us our train had left. Chinese face). Then I had to stay in GZ that night and went home in the morning!

Last week was my birthday, yayyy and I'm now 24. I feel like when I say that it seems old, but I feel young at heart... it's so weird to be almost 25. Shit. For my birthday I was supposed to go to Beijing to visit Ayman but last minute we had a change of plans, so I stayed with friends in Guangzhou. I bought a new dress for New Year's in Hong Kong and Monika and I got our hair done, which turned out awesome and we went out with the British boys and girls and had a blast! I mean New Years in China is definitely different than New Years in the US (no fireworks as far as I saw) but now I'll just have to party twice as hard when I go back home. I have a feeling my first month back in the US will be crazy. I'll be traveling from city to city seeing people and celebrating just being back to civilization and with people I love. Allie asked me if I'm worried about the culture shock... and I am a little. I'm mostly worried about getting fat since I am eating pretty regularly and healthily here... and once I go to the US everyone will be feeding me spicy cheetos. I think my stomach will explode! Anyway HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (I'm celebrating again this weekend with friends who were out of town for New Years) and also... CONGRATULATIONS to the bestest friend a girl could ask for on her engagement. I can't wait until the wedding and I am sooooo excited for you two!

Now, let's continue on to the freezing weather here. It's not too cold here but I can't even judge and compare it anymore because this is so different than the Chicago winters I'm used to. I just checked the weather and it's 44 degrees out right now. Well, like I mentioned in my previous post... THERE IS NO HEATING ANYWHERE! Serena bought TWO heaters for her apartment because she has no heating and I have my wall airconditioner always turned on (thank God this one has a heating function) to 30 degrees Celsius which is the highest it will go. It doesn't help that my shower fluctuates from scalding hot to freezing so I have to stand in the cold sometimes while waiting for the water to turn cold and my bathroom is ALWAYS cold. Not only that, but my sink has FREEZING water only... so it's horrible when I have to brush my teeth in the morning and wash my face with freezing water. Brrrrrr. Even now my fingers are barely working because it's so cold at work... :( I asked some people yesterday how the heck they stay warm and I got some ideas. My friend Simi told me that Chinese people believe most heat is lost through your feet, so before you go to sleep you can soak your feet in very hot water and it'll warm up your body. They also told me to add blankets to my bed. I have noticed people at work bringing some ice pack looking things and holding them in their hands all day. I guess the point is to put boiling water in the pack then hold your hands on it all day so it keeps them warm. I feel like in the US I would look like such an idiot now. I am wearing black boots, black pants, a green 3/4 sleeve shirt, my PINK Bears sweatshirt, my green Northface fleece, AND a gray hat that also has a scarf attached with little ears and buttons for the eyes. I can't even look cute to work because IT'S TOO COLD TO WEAR ANYTHING CUTE!!! Ugh this weather and non-heating is really starting to get to me. I guess I'm just used to proper heating so this is killing meeeeeee. Oh yea, and Jessica told me she sleeps with her little warm water case, so THAT keeps her warm. Note to myself- buy one! I know when your stomach hurts, it's good to put a warm towel on it (my grandma did that for me when I was younger in Poland), so I'm going to buy this pack here and then make use of it in the US. On that note, I am getting a little worried with what I'm going to do with all my stuff when I go back. I think I will have to ship and give away a lot of stuff. Too bad! Southern China really needs to invest some money into heating buildings and houses because ll this energy saving IS NOT working... for me at least.

Before the New Year's vacation we got two cakes for my birthday at work and they were delicious! Too bad I didn't have my camera because they were so pretty too. One of my coworkers gave me a sporty purse from some famous Chinese company and another one of my Chinese friends gave me a thermos matching hers which is cute! Yesterday, my old supervisor who went to another department gave me two Chinese bracelets as a birthday present. One is red and has a silver rabbit attached to it. I know that this bracelet is supposed to give you good luck and protect you from evil spirits. The rabbit is on there because this upcoming year (Chinese New Year has not occurred yet. It'll be on February third) will be the year of the rabbit, and this will remind me when I got the bracelet. I might have mentioned this before but since I was born in 1987 I am technically supposed to be a rabbit also, but since my birthday is at the end of the year in the solar calendar, I am actually a tiger and not a rabbit (the tiger year is the year before the rabbit year). I hope this bracelet does bring me good luck this year though! A ton of Chinese people wear these bracelets on their ankles and wrists. I also got a black beaded bracelet with a brown glass bead in the middle with a white squiggle, which is also supposedly tradition Chinese. I love gifts like this! Ok, my hands are freezing now so time to end this post.