Shanda Life

OK, so it's well and truly time to report to the masses how I am going in Jinan! I guess my first impressions and first few days were not that brilliant- perhaps I was suffering from new-place-homesickness, Mummy leaving me behind at a strange school, waa waa ;), but you should be relieved to hear that all that disappeared quite quickly and I am thoroughly enjoying the campus life here!
It's amazing the difference having friends in your life makes! ;)
So the major news: I have been contributing to the Chinese economy with a spending frenzy! I got a Laptop- so I can access the internet, watch pirates, arr me hearty!, and listen to music in my room! I also got a bike, so I can die in the Jinan streets, oh yeah, and so I get around the city..., A mobile phone- as my handset turned out to be locked to bloody optus..., a heap of books, dictionary, bowl, mugs, thermos, knife (to replace the one that got confiscated when I tried to take it on a flight..whoops ;) ),.....yeah that is Chinese life- buy buy buy!

My classes are quite good- I start at 8am every day, which is taking some getting used to, but the discovery of ground coffee in Jinan is making that easier! I'm in Upper Intermediate for everything...seems like I will never make it to Gaoji! (the advanced class)... but as long as I am learning stuff!
Most people live in the dormitories- of which there are three buildings, which house quite a lot of students. One building only has Koreans I think- there are hundreds here! I think I will be picking up a few Korean words along the way here and there! So there is a real dormitory lifestyle here- everyone knocking on people's doors, one you know some people, you meet more people, and now it's almost hard to find a moment alone!
My wai-guo (foreigner) friends meet for lunch everyday at 12, and dinner at 7. Dinner always ends up taking ages, but both meals are highlights of the day so far! Lunch is usually street food, and man it is soooo good, I will have to take a camera down that street some time to show you! A lot of the food is not what you typically imagine as Chinese food...Mmm, I am already adicted to these 'Jianbing'- a type of crepe made from millet,5grain,peanut flour or purple flour (don't ask me what it is!). They crack an egg on top, and then rollit up with this crunchy fried stuff, lettuce, chilli and beany sauce. Mmm, yumm- I have been eating it with lettuce even though this is probably not reccomended! The good ol' belly is holding up so far though!

There is a nightlife culture on the weekends...find me on facebook to see the pictures...This bar where lots of the Koreans and International students go where they play some good music- the Middle Eastern guys bring some music to play which beats Chinese pop! It's nice to have people- Asians, Middle Eastern, Europeans, Africans, and some Aussies too, all hanging out together! It really does cover every continent except perhaps South America- there is one Peruvian I know...but in general there are very few (North/South) Americans at all..Well there are some Canadians, but I've only met one American..which is surprising I think...given the place is crawling with Dutch people (All Leiden Uni) instead! (Pretty cool for me, maybe I will improve my Dutch by the end)

I have also found a Mahjong crowd, yay! Lenore, a girl from Canada, bought a set, but no one knew how to play..Now I have taught some people, and they like it, we can play more often!

So, to put it the Chinese way, my life here is pretty Rich with Many Colours (丰富多彩）。I miss my friends, but I am making some good friends here that make being away easier! Something I quite miss are my Saturday mornings in Croydon House, (or whatever house :)), having brunch and coffee, doing the Quiz and reading the paper... But I am already able to make a long list of the things I'll miss from here when I leave!