shanghai: back to the madness

So after a bumpy return back, I slowly got back into a routine taking some teaching jobs when I could. I got 2 new students, not sure if they are together or what, sometimes I think they are, cos there seems to be a child they both refer to as their's in work...the woman Zoe, loves travel and has some blue in her hair, allen often talks in Chinese so I learn lots of new things including slang.  Apparently you can go to Guam from china from 300 return, it's near the phillipines...sort of. And looks like paradise! though technically an American territory still (there was a war)

Amanda's has had to let me go, fair enough, her level didn't improve much, she has her prounouncation problems developed for a long time and that won't change, but il miss her. During the olympics 奥林匹克 she showed me the hilarious videos of the Chinese female swimmer, who was just so happy to have one, so genuine, and funny, slapping her swimsuit, squealing for joy, talking about her period, she a good natural honest happy role model for the Chinese. 

http://www.boredpanda.com/funny-geeky-china-swimmer-fu-yuanhui-rio-olympics/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGJOoJ22ADc


Their male swimmer on the other hand was fit, the Chinese women were telling the rest of us to BACK OFF haha. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3724760/Internet-goes-wild-handsome-Chinese-Olympic-swimmer-Ning-Zetao-incredible-physique.html

And the cute funny Chinese guy from lost in journey, had a big scandal as his wife cheated on him with his boss. He's popular because again nice friendly and comes from a meagre background. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_on_Journey
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2029489/chinese-actors-bitter-divorce-becomes-hottest-news-mainland


went to a indian print making day tester with an interior designer who designed cindy (my students) new office
was interesting learning about it. all in chinese too haha. he got me a candle?

Fei, Jimena and her Moroccan friend complete with guitar went to sunny beach in Shanghai one Friday, a man made beach, that of course you paid into but not a soul was around, overlooking the bund, we had canopy beds to chill in and there was a small paddling pool to dip your feet in. Jimena brought uno so I now know how to play. Then she went to Thailand for 10days missing a flight and loosing her phone But she had fun (and thats just how things go in Thailand - mi pen rai as they say) 
ไม่ต้องห่วงMị̀ t̂xng h̄̀wng. 

she brought me back a little key ring and patches 国旗标签 so just need USA and Macau atm. The temperature went back down for. The crazy 40' heatwave. So I  have become a charming brown, darker than most Chinese. Apparently some inject themselves in clinics with whitener, wtf?! A famous Chinese Victoria secret model recently did and she's as white as a page, Wtffff. The latest fad is also a v shape face, having moved on from a4腰 And iphone 腿. But apparently their are sunbeds. A glowing sunbed tan also shows money...but I don't see it catching on anytime soon.

Meet up with the n.i committee, Paul has grown out his hair and looks well, everyone seemed to have done a lot of nice holidaying over the summer. Dill was able to hook me up with some chongqing and chengdu locals for tips on food and places for the October holiday, the guys from last year will also come, Chen Jin lives in chongming now for work anyway 

Got a new roomate from Estonia, one of the Denmark exchange students, and we get in soooo well! A fellow blonde we chat a lot, me her and her Estonian friend Carmen will all go together for the holiday to travel. 

Fei (before he got his visa and left to study in the uk) karin simba and i all went to jinshan beach for the day one Saturday. A nice hot day, again man made and we paid in, this one had a sort of in,and 'sea' as it was right beside the sea. lots of Chinese at the beach, all the kids were  naked in the water pretty much, but having lived in china so long I'm not fazed. 

Started working as a dressing room/photoshoot assistant for modern lady, China's only weekly fashion 优家画报 it's ok nothing special. I help recieve and sort, return, dress the models on shoots, organise and steam. They would maybe offer me something permanent and full from Jan once the visa expires. They can all speak English but we use Chinese. Was Phil who helped me get it, from his recruiting job he met her and forwarded on the my email to the editor, Jerry, she was impressed and let me try it out. Sometimes foreign models, sometimes Chinese. Shot in the countryside of chongming island, hotel rooftops, in car mechanic studios and photography studios. It's interesting. I get paid a little too, and food and drinks. 

I had to pick up a 16year old polish model from the airport to her hotel and pick her up the next day. She was alone, and it's not the first foreign country she's been too. Wtf. I'd not let my kid do that! It's nice to see all the interesting designs and how things are run and put together, useful  for my own business someday!

Met up with Phil for a coffee, or in my case Thai melon juice 哈密瓜果汁. Met with moli before she moves to Hangzhou for uni for a drink at Shanghai brewery, was good seeing her. She says I can stay anytime.She spent her summer at home in Brazil, but after 2 weeks got a little bored haha. But her beach pictures were amazing!

Met up with cookie who helped me get my laptop fixed as it wasn't connecting to the Internet, cost like 600 to fix and sometimes it's still a bit touch and go. We had lunch another day and went to Starbucks is at his work. He moved to a new place new his which has a huge tv screen/protector, ktv anyone? His place is across the pudong  river, but is really nice, he always eats veggie with me which is sweet. 

Applied for some jobs, and one I applied for as an internship called me for an interview, most likely cos I'm british and they are going to do a collection for primark. Called accessory designz. They gave me a project which killed me to do, they guy said it was 70% there (American) but if I worked for them they could give me a visa and train me a bit, and I could also work in the primary project and travel the uk. 12,000 months. 10-15 paid holidays. But no more classes. But it's right beside uni so can maybe squeeze in something. Will start after the holiday. Excited and nervous. Lol. First real job!! Would also do merchandising, will get online classes for Photoshop, illustrator and I design hopefully,,,, let's see. 2 months start is probation period then after hopefully work visa.

Back to classes, in a5. Mainly Koreans, over 2/3 Korean. Just 5 nine Koreans including myself, 4 mothers, and some students from my last class. I really like the classes, teachers are really good, friendly and open, the videos lessons and new words are not only interesting but useful! Will be sad to leave

my new roomie after a successful night at zapatas

the early mornings took their toll quickly

Morning (an adult student) wrote me a piece for the newsletter which I had to translate. Took a while but good practise. I don't think he will have more classes but il ask again after the holidays maybe. He's such a sweetie, sent me a box of moon cakes from the French bakery and an expensive bottle of Scottish whiskey from Scotland, how sweet. 

For the actual holiday (moon cake festival) cookie n I were meant to go to Xiamen for a couple days, but we didn't in the end, we cancelled it due to the typhoon from Taiwan. A plane crashed in Xiamen and lots of property destroyed. Glad I don't live south! So we made a last minute plan to go to putuoshan, slept a lot on the bus which was needed!. The place charges for everything, bus, ferry, island entrance, expensive but basic hotel, But it's a nice island, chilled, not too many there because of the bad weather. We had a really nice vegetarian dinner, tried and discovered that I without a doubt hate 苦瓜 bitter melon? We climbed a small mountain area, visited the temple and found the beach. One side is pristine, only monks are allowed entrance. 

the green stuff is kugua 苦瓜

普陀山岛

We went to the other side, the rain wasn't too heavy nor cold and splashed our feet in the waves. Watched some movies that night, including the hilarious stephen crow movie 'Kung fu hustle' The next day the rain ceased thank goodness! We visited a temple area, known as the bamboo forest but no bamboo was seen. However it was high up and the views over looking the sea onto the other islands was beautiful, after this we went to the golden Buddha/boddhivista 菩萨 (again $$) we headed back to the ferry area finding a private spot on spot rocks jutting into the sea, peaceful, calm, the weather cooling 凉快 it was sad to get the ferry and the bus back. 

菩萨

I chatted away for ages, explaining European names, and teaching him my name (he still can't pronounce it right bless) His dog is like a small lazy unhealthy pig, never been a huge fan of that type, pug like dogs...he held a sort of bday complete with cake for him....as you do. His paintings are breathtaking, he's very talented,  though he works full time as a gym instructor.

Karin my roomie, spent a night in a+e as she sliced/stabbed her leg cutting watermelon, she's my carmen miranda, always eating fruit. She loves unicorns too lolol

befriended a Korean guy who was new to DHU and Shanghai though could speak great Chinese and English, invited him to dashui lake with the rest of us on Friday. Far to get there and nothing special...but we went as a big group, simba with his new dreadlock parrot hair?  Daniel simba carmen karin n their Danish uni friends - ieva, taago, Carmen etc. Was chill. The train bk was nice, chilled. 

beautiful daughter and mother moment on the metro

 I got tickets to a wtcc race from the Danish guy in my class, as it was simbas bday on the Saturday I said karin n I got him a ticket so he'd have something to do the next day. A group was meant to go but the majority bailed last minute. 
I reworked classes to gave the afternoon for the races free even if it took 1.5 hours to get there from the twins, and met Simba karin and Daniel there,  it wasn't the best but we all picked a favourite car to win (loosing badly haha) a Sunday day and a fun way to spend an afternoon