A Very Scottish November
It’s crazy how fast the month has flew by. I’ve been really busy studying for exams and planning what I’ll be doing for Chinese New Year. At the beginning of the month, we all had to prepare for our Mid-term exams. This was like a test to see how well we were doing and the result is put towards our overall mark at the end of the year. I was happy when I found out I passed them all but now I need to prepare for my end of term exams which are on the 23rd and 24th of December.
During the month, I was so excited to receive a parcel from home. It was a stressful experience as it took a month to arrive but I was relieved when it got delivered. My mum sent me things like photos, fluffy socks for the winter and most importantly, Irn Bru. Putting up the photos of my family and friends somehow made my room feel more like home and in the future, if I feel homesick, I can look at them and smile at the memories I made back home. She also sent me some Christmas presents and cards for December which made me realise this would be my first Christmas away from my family. My roommate and I are planning on putting up Christmas decorations at the end of November to make us more excited for Christmas and take our minds off the upcoming exams.
All of the scholars went to a Scottish Ceilidh at the end of November which was held in the Peninsula Hotel. The hotel looked so amazing and stunning as there was a huge Christmas tree in the lobby as well as loads of fairly lights decorating the main entrance. We all danced to traditional Scottish dances such as The Gay Gordons, The Dashing White Sergeants and the Military Two Step. It was such an incredible night that we were all sad that it had come to an end but when we walked outside, we were shocked to see that it was snowing!
The following day, Amy, Henry and I spent the day in Beijing before we got the train home. We got the subway to high street which had lots of shops and was very busy（很忙) . We came across an international bookstore which we found very interesting as this isn’t very common in Tianjin. We all bought some books to read on the train back home and I was very happy to have bought mine for 48¥.
In China, a lot of people use their phones to pay for things rather than pay with cash. This is more convenient (方便) as people don’t need to carry cash around. The most popular apps that are used is WeChat and Alipay. They are useful as you can transfer money easily to friends and quickly scan and pay within a minute. We can also use Alipay to scan and use bikes which only costs 1¥ to use. I love the idea as we don’t have this at home and since moving to Tianjin, I prefer cycling than walking now. I love using the bikes as they are always close by to use and is so cheap to get you from point A to B.
Next month I’ll talk about how Christmas is celebrated in China and show you all how we celebrated Christmas as a group. Until next time!
Jody x
