Quests

Do you know the feeling when you watch a cooking show and you just want to make that recipe as soon as possible? Do you also know the feeling of the fear that you may not be able to simply because you cannot for the life of you find the ingredients in the local large but very Chinese grocery store?

Well I do. But I went on a quest. Two in fact. The first, more importantly to me was to find a bike. not just any old bike, but a blue, foldable bike I can take on the subway. The second quest was to find the aforementioned ingredients.

Why do I need a bike? Well, I loved my other bike, classic style, so much so that I stupidly tried to take it with me to LA - and there you have it the reason I didn't get in to the US in October. But I begrudgingly gave it up for a pittance. My new place is only a 40 minute walk to work - so I wanted to buy a bike to get me there instead of the subway because that's just not as fun as weaving through crazy Chinese city traffic sans helmet.

And, why do I crave a meal that I can't have easily in China? Well, I grew up eating my nanna's curry. She is a magic food making Dutch Burgher from Sri Lanka. Eating curries like hers takes me back to a warm, safe, loving place and after watching an episode of Rick Stein in India, I just craved my nanna's curry all the more.

So I set out this morning to find the two.

The first, the bike, was miraculously bestowed upon me at the entrance to the South China Normal University. (I don't know yet why it's called normal but what happened to me certainly wasn't). I had looked up where to buy a bike and came across a site that advised me to visit the area around the university, about a 20 minute walk from my apartment. I knew some stores would not be open due to the Spring Festival, but I thought I might be able to find at least the location of the store. I approached the security guards of the University driveway and asked them in my currently (but hopefully not for long) very poor Mandarin where I might be able to purchase a danche.

They promptly answered me in over-the-Donita-speed-limit Mandarin and so I couldn't understand them at all. They seemed very keen to help me, but they pointed around the corner and I went that direction hoping to find a store full of wonderful, shiny new bikes. But I only led myself to a group of students arriving back from New Year holiday, so, with a puzzled face but without losing determination, I walked back thinking I would have to just go to the other place some metro stops away that the website had mentioned had a store for sure.

On my way back though, I bump into one of the security guards. I ask, 'Where?' again and he beacons me around the corner to some apartments. I am not so stupid to just follow along without my guard up, so I hesitate a lot along the way. Thankfully there are a lot of people around and he points to a ground floor apartment. I quickly get the gist of what he is doing - he wants to sell me his bike - that's what he was getting all excited about before. I checked it over and had a go, making sure the breaks and folding part worked. It even has a shock absorber in the seat - very fancy. It is a bit rusty, but I only need it to last a year. and of course the best part is that it's blue, almost the same exact blue as my last bike. $35 later, I have what I need and had set out to find.

I brought it home, cleaned it up and then set off on my second quest - to the Indian grocery store.

Unfortunately, that quest was not fruitful today because the address for the store was an old one. The spring rain happened to show itself and I was quite unprepared for it's strength. However, the lovely waitress of a cafe I stopped outside of to take refuse from the rain looked up the new address and another Indian store location. I decided to have lunch at the cafe. They made great bruschetta, but they could learn a thing or two from me about how to make pumpkin soup.

My curry will have to wait until another day.

Bargain

The shopping here is crazy. I'm not a shopper really, and here is not the place to start because I foresee it being a little too addictive.

There seems to be endless walkways of retail, and I wouldn't call it therapy, because my feet hurt afterward.

Tienhe Sports Stadium has an subterranean shopping mall that you would have to walk miles to cover, yet I still couldn't find a decent belt ;)

Alex informed me that if it has a price-tag I can't bargain, but it was a little too late because, according the the policeman that kindly helped carry mine to my building,  I had already paid too much for my peach tree. I didn't bargain hard enough.

Peach blossom trees and cumquat trees with fruit are used to decorate entrances or rooms and are used to hang the red enveloped from for gifts for New Year luck.

I bought mine for my Housewarming New Year Party. It's far too big and I don't really know whether I should keep it. I would need to give it to someone who will care for it because it has roots. I don't want to commit herbicide. You'll see it in my video (private link, please email or fb me if you want the link - will film it landscape next time too). 

According to reviews, the party was great. I just wanted a subdued party to show off my cute place and get to know a few of my workmates, so mission accomplished.

Thanks for all who came if you're reading this. The gatherings can only get better now!

Living the High Life

Twenty-seven storeys high that is.

So I found an apartment. It was not the best price I could get, but it was the best apartment for the better price I was shown.

If you’ve ever done intensive apartment hunting to a tight deadline, you’ll understand that it can be a lot of hard work. Thankfully my teaching company provides its employees with an agent to take away a lot of the stress of having to deal with sorting through the chaff. Despite this though, when you’re looking for a place in a foreign country, it is tiring. After 4 hours of pounding the pavement and being squished in the subway, I was very happy to see the insides of my eyelids, even it it was on a bed too hard.

Guangzhou is huge. But it’s also very dense. Therefore the apartments are very high. The highest apartment we viewed other then the one I chose was on the 22th floor, in a 50 story building. So, elevators are fast here; I found I needed to chew gum while I was checking the apartments out.

The studio apartments are very basic, some of them don’t even have a cook-top installed. But they all have a microwave, refrigerator, and washing machine. My place seemed to have it all. Especially compared to the hassle a lot of other teachers went through. It already had internet access, cable TV, with at least one English channel, an Ikea sofa bed and, most importantly a good kitchen with a gas stove!!!! (and you know how much I loved my stove in Melbourne)

My Home Away from My Home Away from Home

Friday 6 February 2015

My bed is too hard at the hotel, but luckily I had better rest. It seems the drivers were kind enough to obey the rule of not honking horns in the central area last night.

International Medical Centre:

The trip via taxi was similar to that on the way from the airport - a roller coaster ride of close calls and honking. I have decided I will not drive here, but it’s great being on the other side of the road, preparing me for the US.

The Medical Check was very interesting, yet not as crazy as I was warned - “Mouse Maze” - by the other new teachers at the hotel. It was a bit of a scavenger hunt going from one room to another, but to me it was all part of the fun experience of China.

I had not seen fish this shape before - they look like oranges! -Medical Centre Lobby

Apartment hunting:

Stay Tuned - happening in a few hours.

(Don't swing on your chair, it's too much) Paperwork

Thursday 5 February 2015

Did you know that Guangzhou was once called Canton? If you did, why didn’t you tell me?!! Then I wouldn’t have been so struck by how large it is. It’s a city of over eight million people and my first glance from the highway certainly showed it. The imposing skyline was made a sight for my sore, flight-weary eyes with the flashing sequences of colourful neon lights.

As in Peru, the Chinese also honk their car horns as a form of communication on the roads. My windows are not double glazed at the hotel, and I suspect the apartments won’t be either, so the noise of the traffic was somewhat disruptive of my first night’s sleep.

I had researched the company I am working for extensively before I applied for the job. From the reviews and other articles I knew it was going to be a great Language school to work for. However, they still impressed me more on the first day. Not only did they have orientation staff that surpassed expectation with knowledge and friendliness but by also providing yoga lessons for, at least, the Head Office staff. After opening my bank account, we happened to walk into the office as the class was just starting. My visa officer needed to make a few calls so invited me to go join the group. Boy, did I need it! I didn’t even know how much I did until I felt the lovely burn of the warrior pose and the relaxation or my muscles after each release.

So, after signing all the contracts again in multiple copies it was time for lunch!

View from Head Office

The Longest Layover

Wednesday 4 February 2015

The line for the bus to the airport from Southern Cross started moving so my housemate and I shared a nice, fitting, brief hug. Waving good-bye to her on the bus I became unforeseeably emotional. Fighting back tears was unnecessary so I just thought of how lucky I was to have such a wonderful friend to miss.

I also thought that my unusual emotional state was a good omen for this trip because the last few times I went overseas and felt overwhelming emotions, such as feeling I'd forgotten something, it turned out ok. (For those playing at home, no I did't feel that way for my October flight :S).

I should have expected that might cry because when I woke up my heart started beating loud enough to wake my housemate just for the thought that I had a plane to catch, something I had not experienced in any way for all my previous trips overseas.

When it stared raining more heavily as the bus pulled out, my heart swelled for Melbourne and it’s crazy weather. It was almost like it was saying it would miss me too, but it was time for me to go.

The flight was pleasant enough, but I got my first taste of travel sickness this time. It was probably too hot for my on the at plane. Luckily, being a later flight, I went directly to my hotel and after freshening up got straight into bed.

View from Hotel