Et voila guys. Je suis la, en China. It's been 2 full days now and I have no idea where to start. I'm whacked and wired - Have spent over 10 hours running around Beijing today, slightly jet lagged but desperate to catch up with you all, say hi and give you a quick peek of the so far.
Getting over here with 1 suitcase was a HUGE challenge, I had to pack and weigh, re-pack and re-weigh and on it went until I left for China with a rough idea of how much weight I was carrying - a few kilos over bien sûr. So, after experiencing the pain of leaving a million things at home, I then had to re-leave another 7 kilos worth at the airport (not leave - leave, they went back with my girl Holly - Phew).
I managed to squeeze in 10 pairs of shoes though and over 20 polishes. p.r.i.o.r.i.t.i.e.s.
I have NO idea on what China or Beijing is about at the minute, am completely confused and disorientated - not in a terrified way, just a little dazed. The weather is warm & muggy but the sky is grey, enough to throw any Brit off balance.
There are a few things that are really standing out for me so far:
1. Language
2. Fashion
3. Cuteness
I have been blown away by the language, firstly because I c.a.n n.o.t u.n.d.e.r.s.t.a.n.d A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G but also I'm fascinated by it. Intonations, word formations, it's alien and fab. I want to learn. Who'd have thought it?
Favorite words so far?
Budgey. I met this gorge little creature this morning who was being fed through the railing by a little girl, we got speaking to her dad, who explained that the name for a Budgey in Mandarin is: Hǔ pí yīngwǔ this translates directly to: Tiger Skin Parrot.
Měi shì kāfēi is the other - Mandarin for an Americano. American Style Coffee. 3 fab new words picked up all in the name of coffee.
The fash is amazing. I have seen a whole catwalk of elegant beauties, swanning around with perfect hair, great clothes and fabulous footwear, oh and umbrellas too.
The cute factor is reserved for the kids and dogs, causing me to almost collapse from cute-attacks at every corner. Children waddling around in adorable ensembles with faces to match and groomed pups everywhere. Poodles with pink ears and tails and bichon frises' sporting a range of hairstyles from the traditional to modern.
Food so far has been a pleasant surprise. Had a couple of delish, cheap meals yesterday. Today I went for a "western" pricy burger which was ok but I think I'll be sticking to Chinese food for now.
Apart from food, fash and the rest I've done a little exploring round district 798 (an art area) and looked around a couple of apartments via "The Beijinger" (similar to Craigslist).
Beijing Time: 2.30am
GMT: 19.30
I'll keep you posted. Night night xoxo
