Well guys and gals, believe it or not, this time next week I will be leaving Shijiazhuang! Argh! Am I excited to go home? Yes. Am I sad to leave here? Yes. Am I ready? Erm, next question please... There is sooo much still to do!
In the last two weeks we've had four birthdays, the last of which was yesterday. Ten of us went boating on the lake before dinner. Whilst we were in the boats a HUGE storm hit - it was amazing! We had to hide under the shelter of an overhanging pagoda and wait (about 45 minutes!) for it to pass! The sky grew so dark it could have been the middle of the night, and the wind was so strong we had to use the posts to stop ourselves being blown away - the lightning was just spectacular! I've never seen a storm like it before: wooooooeeeeeeeee! Whilst admiring the view we smoked, drank beer and composed an 'on the lake in the storm on Corinne's birthday' poem, which will certainly make interesting reading!
Later this week we have a hen night and a wedding. We're going to a funky Tibetan restaurant for the hen night where they sing Tibetan songs to you at your table, make you drink three glasses of tasty alcohol from a curious metal jug, and then drape a pretty Tibetan scarf around your neck. The first time I went there I tried to give the scarf back and they were horrified - oopsie!
My birthday was also excellent, although it didn't involve any wind, rain, thunder or lightning! The day was filled with cards, gifts, birthday wishes and around eight rousing renditions of Happy Birthday to Bec! We went to a street restaurant for dinner (I love them!), followed by a bar, followed by a nightclub! Lots of friends came out and, thanks to my pal Matt being the most fantastic host, I got to sit back, consume alcohol and generally make merry! Kegs of beer were 20 RMB a go, and they paid 13 RMB a head for food - including a little extra to pay for the birthday lady (that's less than a pound!).
This is, I suspect, my last post, so I will drone a little longer, and then delight you with a selection of my fine photomagraphs (the most recent not taken with my camera which I sadly lost on my birthday! Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrggggggghhhhhh!).
I will never regret coming to China - it has turned out to be a mind expanding, life shaking experience in ways I couldn't possibly have anticipated. I have met a group of excellent friends spanning many ages and nationalities, and the words 'cultural differences' have revealed a whole new dimension to their definition! I have also rediscovered how fantabulous my family and friends at home are - thank you for your thoughtfulness, encouragement and persistence (I am truly shoddy at keeping in touch, I admit), especially at Christmas when I was ill, cold and homesick! I look forward to catching up in the land where grass is green and the temperature isn't creeping towards 40 degrees...
Bless you, bless you, bless you all!
The Bec
x
1 comment:
Your lucky to still be with us!
Standing under a big tower made of wood during a lightening storm is not the best of plans!
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