I can’t believe how fast time flies!
It’s already June and I’m starting to wonder what happened to April and May. Only two more months and my great china adventure will be over. And although I was bitching about china ever since my return from Vietnam, the more time I spend here, the more I know how much I will miss this place and the people I have met so far.

This realization came when I had to say goodbye to Yonca, who went back to Germany. She was one of the first people I met in Nanjing and has been a really great friend to me. The days before she left, I saw her room, so empty, her bags packed and ready to go. I also said goodbye to Helena, who will travel on her one for three weeks, before going back to the states. All those goodbye’s are making me realize how much one year abroad can do to a person. I’ve met so many people and each of them have left me with a new and different impression, have given me something to think about or have changed my opinions. Walking around in Nanjing, taking a bus and looking at the street life, it all makes me feel like I have been here forever. This has been my home for the last 9 months and it’s going to be hard to leave it.

So, what’s been going on in my life these past weeks?

I went to a karaoke bar for the first time here in China!  I think I have been putting this aside for as long as possible, but when in China…you must go to a KTV (aka karaokebar) at least once and then swear to never go again. It was quite the experience: I had been invited by one of my Chinese classmates. Her family invited us to dinner and KTV. We sang Chinese and western songs…well, actually I didn’t sing that much.  We got a private room, which kind of looked like a mini discotheque with mirrors on each side and dim lights. The waiters brought us a lot of beer (because, let’s be real, we all think we sing better after a few glasses of alcohol), popcorn, nuts and chips! At one point, the uncle of my classmate started dancing with me and by then I realized this was the time to go home 🙂

Last Thursday Pema and I were invited by Asaf and his Chinese friend Max to go rock climbing. We started our day early at 8AM, took a cab to Purple Mountain where we had to wait for about half an hour to get on the cable car. 9AM, no cable car. 9.20AM, a lady comes out of her chair and announces that the cable car is out of service. Shit…Our new Chinese friend Max suggested we walk all the way to the top. My chest started to pound. I was not prepared for this and neither was Pema. We started to walk, trying to keep up with Max, who said we could do the trail in about 30 minutes.
Very sweaty, face looking like a tomato, we reached our destination: a huge rock! The Chinese guys started to climb, tying ropes to the safety pins. They made it look so easy. Elegantly, they made their way up. I tried the first and easiest level, but I can imagine I didn’t do it that elegantly! 🙂  Pema also tried a more difficult level, but when I saw her and all the other PRO guys struggle, I decided to pass. Pema was great though!!

A few days after our rock climbing adventure, Max invited us to make Jiaozi (dumplings) with him. At first it was pretty difficult, getting the right amount of filling wrapped into the dough, but after a while, we got the hang of it! We made so many dumplings and on top of that, our Chinese friends had made some other dishes as well!

Last weekend my friends Janelle and Cynthia came to visit Nanjing! They have been studying in two smaller cities (Yangzhou and Suzhou) and were amazed at how many foreigners there are here. We introduced them to Ellen’s and Mazzo. These are the places where most foreigners hang out. Ellen’s, being this cosy bar with cheap food and drinks and Mazzo, a huge discotheque with extravagant interior. They loved it!

However, this night we decided to get some beers, snacks and music and meet everyone at Xuanwu Lake. The lake and surrounding park is accessible 24/7 and until midnight, the pagoda’s, temples and pathways are even lit! It turned out to be a really relaxing evening!

I’m off to Qingdao this weekend, so expect a blog on that somewhere next week!

Greets,

Maggie