Life Lately || Buying a Bike and Getting a Job

Bit of an overdue post as it's all oldish news but there's been a few funny incidents since so thought I'd share them with you all.

My third week of lectures I finally gave in and bought a bike. I had been delaying this for several days now and all my fiends had got theirs so thought it was about time I got one. It takes 20 minutes just to get to my classes building...and I live on the same campus, so a bike is necessary.

Ever since I got it, my bike has been my saviour. I don't have to leave as early for class, I can cycle to the closest shopping mall in 20 minutes (rather than 40 minutes), and it saves me taking a taxi whenever I feel lazy and don't want to walk.

There have been a few funny incidents since getting my bike. The other day I got pulled over by the police for doing absolutely nothing wrong. When I saw a guy next to me giving him money I was getting slightly worried. After 10 minutes I just asked a different policemen if I could go and he didn't seem to care less what I did, so I went.
Other incidents that have happened are very common, such as crashing into other bikes or having to suddenly break because of people being in the way (always happens, there's so many damn people in China).
To be honest, being on 2 wheels in a city like Shanghai is the most unsafe way of transport but it is also the easiest to get around with.

The other good news is that I managed to get a teaching job. I teach a 6 six year old girl twice a week a few metro stops downtown. The family is so lovely and I feel very fortunate to have been given this contact so soon. I have now been teaching her for 3 weeks and, even though it can be challenging at times, it is such a good feeling knowing you are helping a child learn and improve on a difficult language. They always invite me to dinner and give me dinner in-between teaching and also invite me out to see and do things, such as Archery.
I am also going to start teaching her to swim better. They have an inside and outside pool in their compound which is very useful.

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Asia Travel Plans

I'm in Asia for a year, with some of the most beautiful countries surrounding me. It would be stupid not to go travelling wouldn't it?
I have always said that I want to go back to some of these countries which I went to nearly 10 years ago now. Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Bali, Malaysia; to name a few. When I went to these places at the age of 7, I wasn't old enough to appreciate the countries, and the beauty of their environments. Therefore, I want to properly travel and explore them this time, with a few extra countries included this time.

6 Must-Have APPs Whilst Living in China

I use the majority of these APPs on a day-to-day basis. Many of them are also needed for the Chinese as they are used for commercial uses as well as personal.

City Trip with the University

Remember those school trips you would go on in primary and secondary school and you would get all excited because you're going away from campus and exploring something new. Yeah, this is how I felt today. We were taking a free trip to multiple attractions in Shanghai, including Xintiandi, Yuyuan Gardens and a cruise across Huangpu river with dinner on top of that. Being spoilt or what? There were 3 routes to choose from as well but the other two I thought were too common and have already been to some of the places. Either way, all trips sounded amazing!

University Room Tour - China Edition

So I have been living in my dorm room for 4 weeks now and I think it's time to give a tour of my room. Don't get too excited as it isn't the most glamorous of rooms and I also haven't decorated much as it is still early days so in a few months it will definitely look prettier.

How to Overcome Homesickness

Whether you're on your year abroad, at university, or just moving out of your family home, there will always be times where you feel yourself missing home. Maybe not home, maybe just being with your family and friends, or not being in your home environment. All of these things build up to feeling homesick...and we all get it at some point.