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Published: February 1st 2008
New Year dinner
Selena, Tracy, Christine, Jennie and IHey!
Christmas turned out to be quite original 😊 yet very nice! Had classes as usual on the 24th and 25th, celebrating with cheesecake and Santa hats in the classroom! Christmas eve I joined Carmen and her family to a Christmas party nearby Guangzhou; Christmas day I cooked Swedish Christmas dinner for Jennie and me. New Years eve was also great! Met up with Chinese friends for dinner, then heading to Carmen and Clinton's for a big New Years Party, meeting people I hadn't seen for a long time.
University finished the week after New Years. Amazing to have it done with and having passed the exams! After classes and exams were over, my China rollercoaster went downhill for a bit... Finishing one thing continuing another, missing home! My first year in China was great, with only a few moments of missing home. Now it feels like a countdown in a way. I'm looking forward to the spring here - to studying and working parallell plus learning better spoken Chinese and spending time with the lovely people I've met here - but I'm also looking forward to going back home next summer!
During January, Jennie and I have
Sandra and I
At Carmen and Clinton's New Year Party been working together even more than before, and it's really nice. Every Monday and Wednesday morning we have breakfast together in the office, then studying an hour Chinese and an hour Swedish! With the Chinese New Year coming up very soon, the past weeks have been busy - visiting factories for quality checks, arranging to ship out our current productions before the holidays, wrapping up last year and planning for the next.
I've also had visitors! Last Sunday I was there once again... in the airport arrival hall, waiting excitedly! Observing people, wondering what on earth would bring them to Guangzhou, hehe. Thinking about the lovely people who have visited me! Finally spotting my target... my step dad Pentti and his wife Margareta, plus my dad Ingemar. My dad being very surprised to see me at the airport, as I never picked him up before. And not this time either.. he just happened to be on the same flight as my other guests, hehe. Very bad daughter!!
Ingemar went to a factory visit with Jennie. I took Pentti and Margareta to the hotel next to my apartment, then to Sunday morning tea - hence a table full of
dumplings, vegetables, noodles and spring rolls as well as traditionally served tea, in tiny cups. During the week, when not working, I've joined Pentti and Margareta around GZ - shopping, eating, talking, relaxing. It's been wonderful to have them here!! And a little sad when they left to go back home last night.
The only negative thing during their visit, was the crappy weather. It is said to be the coldest winter in China in 50 years! In Guangzhou the temperatures right now are the same as in Gothenburg, it's just that the places here have no indoor heating 😞 2 thick quilts and 2 small heaters are currently rescuing me from being constantly cold 😊 But what about all those people, with no heater and only thin blankets??
The Spring festival in China is for many people the only time of the year when they can go back to their home towns and families. But because of snow storms and bad weather in Hunan and other regions, many trains have been unable to reach Guangzhou and 800 000 people are now stuck in Guangzhou train station, some stranded for a week already.
Thursday next week is
the first day of the Chinese New Year, the year of the rat. The evening before, New Years Eve, I will join Jennie's family and relatives for dinner at her grandmother's. And in a bit over a week from now Vanessa is arriving, staying for 10 days!! In the end of February I'll be going home, for almost two weeks! 😊
Hoping you're well and looking forward to hopefully seeing you soon!
Big hugs and lots of love,
Emma
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Annika
non-member comment
Oh my good!! My darling has turned RED!!! Vilken pingla!! det blev verkligen jättebra, du är finfin i lugg!! annars lika roligt att läsa om ditt liv som vanligt. förgyller den gråa vardagen. o grå kan man verkligen kalla den nu! storm, snöblandat och jämngråa moln... o för en gång skull kanske inte du har det annorlunda, skulle vara det snöblandade i så fall... hoppas köldknäppen släpper snart. du får leta upp några badhus så du kan basta lite! eller det kanske inte finns i ching-chongland?? vad roligt med så mycket härliga besök. hinner du överhuvudtaget jobba?? =) o snart får ju jag celebert besök! jag räknar dagarna nu tills jag får kvällsdejt med dig! puss puss puss