Partied then collected a TEFL certificate

On Thursday night we celebrated the end of our classes with a night out in Beijing.  We headed to Sanlitun which is the main expat bar area.  It's pretty much like going out in London except warmer, slightly cheaper and there are lots of rooftop bars.

Katy, Charlotte and Sarah.  Three tall blonde girls in China = lots of attention

Rik working the pole.

Friday we had our first proper lie-in which was glorious.  In the afternoon we went to the CEAIE headquarters for the Closing Ceremony.  Each of the Mandarin classes had prepared a song and a skit to perform at the ceremony.  The one benefit of being in the non-beginners class was that we got to sing a brilliant song called Xi Shua Shua as chosen by Steph.  Click the link, it's well worth a watch.

In the photo below you can see my class singing the song.  Yes, that's me pumping my hands into the air.  Good stuff.

Steph (in white at the front) leading what must have been quite an impressive rendition of Xi Shua Shua

Sarah also got in on the act.  Here's her class performing Tian Mi Mi:

A powerful and at times emotional performance.

We also received our TEFL certificates and so we are now officially ready to teach English in China.  Hooray.

After the ceremony we were treated to dinner and then a few of us headed to another of the bar areas in Beijing called Houhai.  Houhai is a large lake with hundreds of bars, restaurants and KTVs (karaoke) lining the water front.  It looks very pretty at night and, unlike at Sanlitun, there are many more Chinese people than Westerners.

Once back at the hotel it was time to finish packing and say some goodbyes.  Tomorrow we more to Tianjin!

Culture Shock:  Men in the street rolling up their t-shirts to just below their nipples to stay cool in the heat.  Apparently this is only something that peasants would do.
Drink cost:  £5 for a cocktail in Sanlitun.  Luckily Thursday night was "Ladies Night" which meant free drinks until 12am.
Dialogue used:  Women xiang qu Sanlitun. (We want to go to Sanlitun) 

A bit of culture, a bit of teaching.

Lots to catch up on . . .

Last Saturday (yes I'm really behind) we all went to the Great Wall which was incredible.  I can't wait to go back to have a proper look around so I'm glad we're not too far away from it.  Pics:

The Great Wall on a lovely sunny day

Random Chinese people taking a picture of Sarah, Simon and Katy.  No Chinese people have asked to take a picture of me yet.  They probably just think that I'm a monk.

In the afternoon we were treated to an acrobat show.  My personal favourites were the hat swapping / juggling / flipping men and the spherical cage of doom that at one point housed 5 motorbikes.  That was pretty intense.  Below are the performers standing in front of the cage.

The picture says it all.

 Monday to Thursday was split into Mandarin classes in the morning and teaching practice in the afternoon.  I volunteered myself for the non-beginners Mandarin class which was a bit of an error.  Some of the guys here can speak very good Mandarin and have studied it for a while.  I've had 8 classes.

I think most of us were quite nervous before our practice lessons as it was the first time that we would be leading a class by ourselves.  We needn't have worried though as the students were all incredibly well behaved and seemed to enjoy our lessons.  We even got some gifts from a couple of the students.  In the photo below are the students, their teacher (in green) and fellow ELAs Steph, Patrick, Sarah (duh), Jen and Gareth who are all also going to be based in Tianjin.

Intermediate 1 class in Beijing.

On Thursday afternoon we visited a Beijing Hutong.  A Hutong is an older part of town that has a whole load of interconnecting alleyways and roads which are perfect for tourists to get lost down.  Despite the old and slightly claustrophobic conditions, property in the Hutong we visited were valued at something ridiculous like £4,000 per square meter.  The gentleman we met below owned three properties in the area and was technically a millionnaire!?

Millionnaire martial arts instructor

Our transportation around the Hutong

Next up, a night out in Beijing and the closing ceremony.

Culture Shock:  Toilet paper goes in a bin, not the toilet.
Dinner cost:  £5 for a massive cut of lamb/mutton which you cook at your table.
Dialogue used:  Da jia hao!  Qing zuo.  (Hello everyone!  Please sit)

An intensive TEFL course

Wowsers, this week has been pretty busy.  We've had 6 hours of TEFL training from 9 - 5.15 everyday plus some homework to get on with too.  None of it has been particularly challenging, but there is a lot to take in and think about when planning lessons.  On Friday we had our exam so fingers crossed we pass.  Because if we don't, we're going home . . . Not really, I think we get an opportunity to retake. Lunch and evenings have been spent getting to know everyone in the group.  All the people who are going to Tianjin with us are lovely so that's a massive plus.  Everyone else has been great too.  It's nice to have so many of us here but it's going to be really weird when we all go our separate ways.  There really are very few Western faces around.

Chinese food innit.

Sleep was an issue over the first few nights.  I would lie awake until 3 or 4 am before nodding off.  That was pretty frustrating but the last couple of nights have been a lot better so hopefully I can just put it down to jetlag.

The Chinese love their food, but it is safe to say that my stomach doesn't.  I think it's going to take a bit of time to get used to it.  I'm ashamed to admit that I have already caved in and been to McDonalds AND Pizza Hut.  They were both relatively expensive but totally worth it. 

Jake @ Pizza Hut.

The weather has improved from the first few days.  The sun has been out and although it has been very hot, the humidity has definitely dropped.  The Chinese people hide from the sun as they prefer to have fair skin (which is why most make-up here contains whitener).  Obviously the Brits have all been out in the sun trying to get a tan.

Sarah on the road outside our hotel.  Buses, cars, bikes and people everywhere.

Another post to follow shortly covering our first night out and some touristy stuff!

Culture Shock:  Loud spitting on the street
Dinner cost:  £6 for a lasagne and two beers at Pizza Hut.
Dialogue used:  cesuo zai nar? (Where are the toilets?)

Flew to China

Yah so, we've arrived in Beijing!  I'm sitting in our hotel room here which is actually pretty luxurious.  Except that it doesn't have a window . . .

We will be in Beijing for two weeks before jumping on a bullet train down to Tianjin, our home for the next year.  Our timetable for the next fortnight is packed full of TEFL training, Mandarin classes and classroom practice.  I'm not too sure how ready I am for training from 9 to 5 but we also have some excursions planned in the evenings and at the weekend so that will give us something to look forward to.

So far we have ventured out into the local neighbourhood for a couple of meals.   Both experiences were a bit special but we ended up getting what we asked for (mainly by pointing at photos/dishes), eating some delicious food and paying very little money.  They won't even accept tipping! 

The locals all seem very nice and there hasn't been too much staring yet.  The language barrier is HUGE but hopefully it will get easier with time.  Weatherwise, it is quite humid and hot but it is not unbearable.  Supposedly there will be a few thunderstorms over the next couple of days.

I've met a few of the other ELAs but tonight we'll all be together for the first time so that should be fun.  We've also got an 'Opening Ceremony' so I'll let you know how that goes.

Travel time: 19 hours - London to Beijing
Dinner cost:  £2 inc beer
Dialogue used: qing geiwo sibei pijiu (four beers please)