How do you say SMIZE in chinese?

I am a terrible blogger. Mostly due to the terrible internet but also might have something to do with my computer being a bit rubbish and me just being a bit rubbish... but here we go! So i've been here for nearly a month now and everything is still pretty mental. This is what i've learnt so far:

• China is awesome, and the people are lovely and very eager and impressed when you speak chinese.
• There is no such thing as healthy food in China.
• They LOVE setting bars on fire- basically there is a little channel going around the entire bar and they pour lighter fluid into it and then set it on fire. It's pretty mental.
• Whiskey and Ice Tea is a very very popular drink.
• You pick up much more of a language when you are taught in that language- manchester take note!
• The people of harbin make excellent bread. And street food is better and cheaper than anything you will ever eat- the affectionately named pitta pitta being the best example- thick pitta bread with tasty tasty beef and hot salad inside.
• America's Next Top Model is the best program in the world
• The moths here are disgusting and need to all be killed.

It's all been very very hectic! Classes are going well, the teachers are very nice and everyone says nihao to you when you walk into class, which is lovely! Getting up at 6:30 every morning is a bit of a drag but finishing at 12 means endless hours of sleeping and socialising and eating and exploring(which so far we've been a bit crap at... i blame the weather). Here's a little look see at what we've been doing/mainly the food we've been eating:

This is where i live! The campus is so beautiful, full of tree lined streets and lakes and a lovely big statue of Mao...

We actually did go sightseeing a bit. An impromptu "I AM UNCULTURED" trip to Jing'an temple was a massive letdown- The buddhist temple itself outdates the entire city and is a beautiful ancient wonder... which has been built around with wonders including a massive shopping centre and a burger king, and also renovated to a less than authentic standard. Basically it's pretty big and garish and out of place and the queues to get into it are STILL massive, so we just sat outside it, smoked a cigarette, said it was really weird and then went to get noodles...

The second "I AM UNCULTURED" trip was prompted by a lovely visit from our friend Kate from Nanjing(this also prompted a crazy crazy night out which will be documented later). It was the mid autumn festival this week meaning everywhere was busy busy busy but we found a glorious bit of inner city tranquility in people's park. Fountains and grass galore, it's pretty crazy that shanghai is so loud and busy but as soon as you put a bit of nature down it is so lovely and peaceful. We sat in the park for a while, ate some oranges, had our pictures taken by lots of chinese people and looked at the magnificent structure that is the Shanghai museum- it's based on an ancient bronze cooking vessel and is pretty cool. Again, the masses of people everywhere stopped us from going in but a visit is definitely in order soon. Our trip concluded (after a nice expensive frappecino and a trip to an international bookshop) at the Bund, which is a street of colonial style building on the banks of the Huangpu River. Better appreciated during the day, we actually went for the AMAZING view of the Pudong skyline across the river which is lit up at night. It was so incredible, true big city life, and everyone had a bit of a "oh my god i can't believe this is where i live ahhhhhh amazing!" moment.

This will soon be edited and pictured but now i must sleeps. Gonatt. xx

!NIHAO ZHONGGUO!

I live in China now! First few days have been interesting to say the least, lots of being sweaty and tired and frustrated, realising we can't actually speak chinese very well thus can't easily get around/make friends/eat... but when was anything ever easy! However, i'm also in one of the most amazing cities in the world, meeting people from all over the world, being constantly amazed/amused by everything, drinking 20p beer, smoking £1 a packet marlborough, going out for meals which cost £1 a head, eating lots of delicious food (including big macs delivered straight to your door....) and enjoying OPEN BARS! Here's some snaps of the first few experiences, more to come when i learn some camera courtesy...

the executive suite just off Nanjing Lu (main shopping street in Shanghai) we stayed in on the first night, dressing up and heading to the 65th floor of the royal meridian for cocktails followed our arrival, and then days and days of jetlag!

my palace of a bedroom! made for two people so has double everything, including a nice big wardrobe for the 48 kilos of clothes i bought out with me and a spare bed where i can just leave stuff....

 probably one of the best views from a bedroom window of all time, the masses and masses of trees are all on my university campus, and so is the big lake running down the middle! It's like a little natural paradise in the middle of the mental city so is brilliant

look at these tourists! pippa and me wanted to take a lovely tourist shot of use getting on the Maglev but doug not only refused to point, but also stood in front of the sign and ruined the picture

apparently the maglev is the fastest train in the world, it was so fast i couldn't take a decent picture of the speedometer but it was AMAZING, like being on a rollercoaster!

the money is really fun, although very dangerous because you constantly have loads of notes in your possession so think you're super rich and just buy lots of bottle of pop and packets of crisps!

the engrish/chinglish is incredible. here is an excellent example on the big metal doors of the metro which i am certain would do more than let on....

these are the kind of night i like, and also an excellent attitude for a club to have! sorry for the blur, the open bar was to blame.

More to come soon, with more/better quality photographs!

xxxx