Sanya #1


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Asia » China » Hainan » Sanya
October 20th 2012
Published: October 28th 2012
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So.... no facebook in China




Although there seem to be countless ways around this particular problem, a part of me appreciates it being blocked, as I don't feel the pressure to talk to everyone all the time... it also gives me a chance to really write a proper blog, and by proper I mean writing it when I’m actually in the country. And with all this new found time I'm writing about, I've yet to complete this post and I have already been in Sanya for 2 weeks. But, as I am in the midst of a typhoon, and I missed the beginning of the film that everyone is watching because I fell asleep, I've finally sat down to start writing... and boy is it windy outside.

The plane journey to Beijing was uneventful, the flight to Sanya was less so. There were 3 westerners on the entire plane and I was sat next to an overly friendly Chinese couple who were intent on making conversation. After about 10 minutes of gesturing and not understanding each other I gave them my passport to amuse them, it occupied them for about another 3 minutes and then we finally took off. There was turbulence, I was tired, severely dehydrated and had eaten nothing but plane food for over 24 hours. Suffice to say, it doesn't take a genius to work out what happened next, although I will say that I was embarrassed and the friendly couple didn't talk to me for the rest of the journey, except to ask me, about an hour after said incident, if they could take a picture with me.

Over the next few days I met many people. Belle, a Londoner, arrived a week before me and is the only other international student who doesn’t speak any Chinese. We bonded over the fact that we had no classes at an appropriate level and decided to go on strike together and teach ourselves. It worked to some extent and we should, by Monday have a full timetable. Teddy, from New Zealand, arrived a day after her and has been learning Chinese for nearly 2 years through evening classes and whatnot. Lola is a very tall and very lovely Russian who has been in Sanya for 4 months now and pretty much knows her way around, which is very handy when you want to go to the beach or the supermarket on the bus. Anna is Italian and has a degree in Mandarin, she has been teaching me some Italian and I think that I may have made more progress than I have in Chinese... but oh well.

My first day at uni was an induction day, which was unnecessarily long and particularly boring. The one saving grace of the whole day was the international students' welcome banquet, where I met my Chinese Buddy Alys, small, sweet and caring, she has been great so far and texts me all the time to see if I'm ok.

Thursday evening was a most bizarre event; Ted, Belle and I were sat on his bed watching a film when Lola knocked on the door. Someone had just asked her if she wanted to be a model for the photography students and did we want to come. Teddy, being Teddy decided that it would be great fun and we should all go along. Yeah. Cool. I did enjoy having my make up done, even though they spent over an hour making me look particularly horrifying. I was caked in white foundation, had far too much purple eye shadow and dark purple lips. A Goth’s wet dream. With my hair backcombed to the Xtreme I took my place in the spot light with reflector thingies and lights and cameras everywhere. I felt super self conscious and ridiculous, and then they asked me to dance. Safe to say, I will not do that again. I will just have to rely on my wit and charm to make me the centre of attention - my modelling skills just won’t hack it.

Just 4 days after our induction day we had an international students' meeting. There are only 14 of us on campus (student population 20,000), some Japanese, who speak no English, some Russians, an American and a Frenchman to name just a few. We are stared at wherever we go. It's like everything bad about being a celebrity, some people try and hide the fact that they are taking a picture of you, others are just obvious. Someone filmed Belle and me in the sea the other day, and people forever want pictures with you. It's a very strange place. The "meeting" basically turned us into propaganda; we had to walk around the campus smiling, talking and jumping gleefully in the air while they filmed us and took pictures. They took us into the library and made a group of students move and leave their books so they could take pictures of us pretending to work. I wish they had told us, I might have put some make up on! So anyone ever looking through the prospectus for Sanya University will probably see a couple of pictures of a very unimpressed cornish girl.

On Friday evening we went to Chinese Karaoke (K TV), which is probably the best thing about China so far. You get a private booth and can choose all the songs you want to sing with your friends, and get drunk and dance on the tables (although I'm not sure that the Chinese do that). Alys, my buddy and Radla, Anna's buddy organised it all... and although I probably should have had dinner beforehand, I had a great night. Ditto for Saturday night - dinner was also forgotten. I spent 100RMB (roughly a tenner) on 4 beers and 2 rum and cokes. Expensive night. We went to a beach party to celebrate Dai (An english teacher at the uni from Saltash) & Charlie's birthday.. It was great, the sea was warm and the company was first rate, although I did wake up with a swollen sprained ankle.

Here in Sanya, there seems to be a great collection of really cool people and already I feel part of the little gang we've got going on. In the next few days I'll post about what I've been up to this week, and then hopefully I'll be back on track. Just a little enticer; it involves lots of meat and typhoons.

xoxo Gossip Girl



Lari.... c'est bizarre ici, parce que la France me manque beaucoup, je pense que c'est le sentiment d'habiter en étranger... je pense souvent de ma vie là-bas, et j'espère que tu peux comprendre un peu de mon anglais car je veux bien partager cet expérience avec toi.

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