December 4, 2006

• China Blog: Day 104
  

  20:46 Beijing Time
  

  
  

  Phrase Of The Day: WO DE SHANGDI, ZHE SHI HEN LUNG! (OH MY GOD IT’S COLD!!!)
  
  Okay, so technically I didn’t lie. I DID break the once-a-week posting cycle, just not in the way that I intended. I’ve just been so insanely busy with exams and stuff that I’ve barely had a moment to myself the past few weeks.

  I have plans for this blog. The end of this entry will be photo-heay, so enjoy! I’ve been up to, and seen, some really weird stuff of late, but I’m going to start with something kinda depressing. It’s something that caused me not to sleep last night, and needs to be gotten off my chest.

  Right now, it’s cold. Damn cold. -25 with wind chill. So damn cold that I’m finding excuses not to leave the apartment. Yet on Guilin Lu there’s a beggar. A kid, no more than 9 or 10, who has lost his left arm and sits out in the cold with nothing on but a coat covering half his body, showing off his injury. Bare-skinned, in -25.

  The kid never speaks, or even acknowledges anyone, but when I see him my heart breaks in two. So much so that yesterday (one of the coldest days yet) I went and bought the kid a woollen hat.

  I have no idea why this affects me, but it cuts right to the core. I just wish I could do more for him, other than giving him food and drink, but I daren’t even offer friendship because I’ll be leaving soon. I know he’s just one of hundreds, even thousands of beggars in this country, but I can’t help but feel kinda responsible and even a bit disgusted with myself when I see him there, freezing to death while I enjoy the trappings of luxury that I only enjoy because I was fortunate to be born in the West.

  Anyone who needs a lesson in humility, administered with all the subtlety of a baseball bat to the head, come and spend some time in China.

  Sad bit over.

  Like said, the last few weeks have been hell. For the past fortnight I’ve been in my draughty, unheated office for an average of 7 hours a DAY, as well as teaching. Goddamned Oral exams Still, it’s a chance to get the paperwork done! In fact, I’ve been so busy I’ve even got a cleaner to help me keep the apartment in shape.

  On the social life side of things, I’ve been manic too. Almost every night I’ve been doing something that isn’t sitting in my apartment, sleeping. In the past fortnight, I have:

  • Been avidly running my D&D campaign
  • Been on the organising commitee, and building the website for, a music festival
  • Performed as Granny Scrooge at the Shangri-La Christmas Party
  • Gone to bars and considerably limited my alcohol intake on several occasions,
  • Developed one of those “Life” thingies
  • Been buying Christmas Presents.

  It’s been a mad rush of things, and because it’s all on top of the exams, I’ve been running my little behind ragged. I’ve also booked my tickets for my five-day jaunt to Shanghai next week. I have NO idea how I’m going to fill five days so any suggestions would be welcome!

  A week ago, we had a flurry of snow- three inches deep, in places. It’s amazing that the snow can even make an industrial hole like Changchun seem beautiful (I believe I said the same about Sunderland). Along with the snow, we had more of that “big bodies of water freezing over” malarkey- now people are standing on the damn river! Rivers, I tell you! This place be crazy!

  In fact, to add to the below-zero shenanigans, I accidentally left Fiona’s the other day without drying my hair. Nothing unusual, until I realised that something was scratching my ear. I put my hand up to see what it was, and -lo and behold- I had icicles in my head. My freakin’ hair had FROZEN. Solid.

  It was cool.

  Literally.

  I had other stuff to write but I’m having a total brainfart so I’ll just get on with the pictures, shall I?

  

  Sausage On A Stick (With Spicy Stuff On It). Nutritional Value: Nil. Tastiness: Uber. Price? About 7.5 pence.

  

  Class 2.

  

  Class 1

  

  Changchun In The Snow

  

  What Do You Mean, “There’s A Budgie On My Head?”

  

  Fio getting measured for her chipau. (Fipau, maybe?)

  

  “Oi! You! Stop that racket!”

  

  “Siiiiiiiiiiilent Night…….Hoooooooly Night….”

  

  “And for my next number, a little something from “Lord Of The Dance…On Ice” (Yes, that IS a lake. And yes, I’m standing on it. And yes, I still think one should not stand on lakes.)

  Anyways, I’m done for now. Just wanted to let y’all know I am alive, so Merc can stop being all sad and stuff.

  Zai Jian, folkses!

  • 8:33 am
  • 6 Comments