HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!
We had a quiet (in that we didn't do anything) night. Well until about 11:50pm when the Chinese really started to get into the swing of the calendar New Year. The fireworks were REALLY LOUD (and I mean REALLY LOUD) and close. There was some kind of formal-ish celebration just across the road from us on the North campus and the fireworks were set off right over the square about 150-200 metres from our house. They lasted about 30-45 minutes and thankfully didn't seem to worry Penny too much. I guess she is getting used to fireworks as they are set off for every occasion over here. Wedding? Fireworks. Funeral? Fireworks. Birth? Fireworks. Passed your exams? How about some fireworks? Crossed the street? I know how about some fireworks? You get the idea (at least I hope you do, I can't really get it across any better without being explicit). The level of gunpowder in the area for Chinese New Year is a worrying thought.....
So we have our coffee machine and it is bliss. No more nescafe 43 bean mix with UHT milk. It is a Delonghi and is worth every cent (although it was fairly cheap actually). It makes really good coffee which is impossible to find here (there are Starbucks in China but not in Nanchang and I think their coffee is overpriced pigs swill anyway:p).
Mmmmm coffee arrrrgghhhlll......
We have also bought a lounge chair for our tortured posteriors and it too is bliss. Although a bit on the 70's James Bond prop side, which frighteningly enough is quite de riguer over here...It is quite large, and cream and orange...although not as bad as it sounds. It cost about 1400 RMB which equates to around $350 AUD. Cheap as chips...well expensive for chips but cheap for a lounge chair. Penny loves it and we have to drag her off of it to do anything.
Michelle lounges demonstratively.
Now we return to the ongoing saga of the weather in Nanchang. It is still cold which is no surprise. Apparently last week was the start of the coldest part of the year according to the lunar calendar and temperatures have dropped again. Today the high is 6 and the low is set for -1 (before wind chill). Hopefully we will get a little more snow to frolic in...or near.
Cold weather activities 101: Painting - to be enjoyed by all of the family.
We handed in our marks and all of this semesters work so we are officially on holidays today. I also managed to get an assignment done and e-mailed it in yesterday too so I have a day or two to relax before I start on the next assignment...damn this summer semester. A lot of the the other teachers are off travelling around over the holidays but we have decided to stay here and travel in the summer break. It means we have to save some cash for it as we dont get paid over summer.
We just got back from taking Penny into Gymboree in the city. It is so expensive!! For a 45 minute lesson it costs 175 RMB about $45 AUD which we are sure is more than in Australia. It would be good but it is a long way into town and back and we can't really afford it. So we went down and paid 10 RMB for the little playground a couple of floors down...
The two beautiful girls in the playground...Penny is a little distracted although Michelle is on form.
...doesn't sound so sweet to me anyway.
What's a visit to the playground without a chocolate sundae?
After the sundae we headed into Wan Shou Gong which is a bunch of alleys full of markets and shops in the centre of town. It is usually more crowded than this especially on the weekends. These people are all chowing down on some stinky toufu...and yes it smells like dirty socks. If you can get past the hardcore pungent nose of the beast it actually tastes OK. Marginally better than dirty socks. Unless you're into that of course.
Red is the dominant colour at the moment. This is not a surprise of course as we are in Red China. However as the Chinese New Year holidays approach the amount of red commodities seems to grow and grow.
恭喜发财！Gong xi fa cai - Wishing you a happy and prosperous new year!!