Day 20

29.04.18

WeRun Update: 11237 steps

You Know What Time It Is

So I’ve been meaning to buy some basketball shoes to be more legit on the bball courts here and I’ve had my eyes set on the Dame 4s (Damian Lillard’s most recent bball shoes). The biggest Adidas store in Nanjing had very limited stock so I thought I would try my luck in Shanghai, where I assumed would have more variety since it’s a much larger market. When I went to the big Adidas on East Nanjing Rd yesterday, I was disappointed to find that even they had no stock. Clinging on to the slim chance that I could find something, I went to Jingan District (the Toorak/Brighton of Shanghai where all the expats stay) this morning to try my luck. I was very happy to see that there were the shoes on the shelf AND in the colour that I wanted (grey the same as what Dame and Donovan Mitchell wore in the playoffs). That was half of the job done. My feet are bigger than 90% of the Chinese population so I’ve always had trouble finding my shoe size in China. Luckily, they had one left in my size. The cherry on top was that it was on sale and half price! Couldn’t believe my eyes. In China, they discount items by tagging how much you’d pay not how much you save. I was ready to pay full price (900RMB) for these shoes since it was already so hard to get them. This was already enough to make my day!

China-style Brunch

Went back to Winhouse Café, an American style brunch place in Jingan, which had good reviews on Dianping and I had been there before and enjoyed it. The way they cook brunch here is definitely a lot different to Australia, including the menu items, and I know people here in Shanghai are starting to get around the brunch culture as indicated by the constant queue for this place.  

Live broadcast is a big thing here

Walking around the park in Jingan and we saw a crowd standing behind some girl who was live broadcasting her Chinese dancing by placing her phone on a stick. What was interesting was that her audience wasn’t the crowd but the hundreds and thousands of followers tuned in to her live broadcast. She didn’t even turn around to acknowledge the crowd!

First experience of Taobao and Kuaidi (Express Delivery)

Two days ago, I ordered a gym mat and a foam roller to do some home exercises from Taobao. They came today, on the weekend. Talk about quick service. I was also able to check last night where exactly my items were – to the nearest kilometre. They were on a truck 485km away. Insane experience – would use again.

Sports night

I must admit, the Shanghai trip drained me coupled with this sticky, hot weather. Despite all that, Manchester United are up against Arsenal tonight and Cavs Pacers Game 7 is on straight after. At least, I won’t have to deal with laggy streams like I did in Australia. China has free live broadcasts of these two games on QQ Sports – premium quality too. How good is that!? 

Day 19

28.04.18 (Shanghai)

WeRun Update: 23348 steps

Off to Shanghai!
It's crazy how you take the high speed train for 1.5 hrs and end up in a completely different city, a completely new vibe. This is one great thing I love about China. The food is different, the people speak a different dialect. It's refreshing.

A one-way ticket from Nanjing to Shanghai is 135 RMB for the high-speed trains. The train system here is split into different types (speeds) of trains. G trains are the quickest, then it goes D (slightly slower) and K (very slow, old sleeper trains). Tickets get progressively cheaper.

Personally, I feel indifferent to going to Shanghai. I have been many times, and there really isn't much to do there if you're broke, since you break the bank every time you want to do something fun. Shanghai is the most Western (international) city in China - it's very flashy/extra on occasions (and I compare it to being the Sydney of China). You'll see much more wealth on the streets of Shanghai. There's more Westerners there and I feel like it's becoming less authentic, so I'm not really digging the vibe. Work-wise, it's where the opportunities are at - so there could be a move towards there in the future.

So the reason why I'm here is because I'm meeting my friend Vinci, who works in Hong Kong and has made the trip down for Electric Daisy Carnival held in Shanghai. It's pretty cool how we've managed to chill out in different parts of the world - first in Hong Kong, then Paris, then Melbourne and now Shanghai!

We go have some crab-meat Xiao Long Baos and crab meat Wontons just off East Nanjing Road, then we head to The Bund for the obligatory tourist photo. Since it's public holidays (5-1), The Bund is the most packed I've seen it. We end up sitting down on the floor and chatting for hours, looking across at the famous Lujiazui Skyline. Afterwards, I duck off to see another friend for dinner.

I meet up with Vinci and her friends afterwards at West Nanjing Rd, where there is the biggest Starbucks in the world - and it is truly the biggest. The clubs were screaming out to us after that, so we went to Myst where there were a few international DJs headlining that night. 300RMB for entry (no drinks included) - absolute madness. Four different Ferraris then pull up outside the club. That was the moment when I knew I had to get out. Ain't got no time to waste my money on this Shanghai lifestyle. I'm all about the free entry at Nanjing!

So Vinci, her friend Gina and I went to a Dianping recommended bar called Barbarossa, inside People's Square park surrounded by a lake. It was a really unique joint because it was tucked inside some park. Different vibe but I enjoyed it. We had some quiet drinks and shisha.

Shanghai has really cracked down on the no-smoking, which is just so different from Nanjing where I could smoke in the lift of a shopping center if I wanted to (and it has happened in the past). We couldn't smoke inside the bar. And I couldn't smoke in the hotel room as well (some law that's been passed only in Shanghai because they're more like the West now).

Day 18

27.04.18

WeRun Update: 5111 steps

Mobike Update: 26 minutes

Arcano is the go
After my two hour TESOL lesson, I rode to my mate's bar Arcano to watch the Blues v Doggies game. Fortunately, his chef also rocked up, which meant that I could get my first parma in China. Boy, it did not disappoint. It really brought me back those homely feels, which I needed after two hours of teaching English to non-existent students. Parmas, footy, PS4 with FIFA/2K, electronic darts board, good atmosphere, great tunes. Rooftop bar about to open soon. This bar has and will continue to be a classic here in Nanjing.

Liu at the Miu 
So I'm back again at Miu, this time it's my friend's very first time clubbing. They loved it. The energy there was amazing yet again - everyone was just going off (the Chinese really know how to get LIT). Still not a fan of their dancing but the effort is there. Free entry and no dress code makes it even better. They have these Russian performers on every week and an African MC who speaks Chinese (and when I say he speaks Chinese, I mean he can countdown from 10 to 1 in Chinese). I'll give an analysis of the crowd when I become a veteran there.

Day 17

26.04.18

WeRun Update: 11696 steps 

MoBike Update: 50 minutes on the bike today

TESOL lesson (13 hrs left)
My teacher is a guy from Jordan who has lived in China for almost 20 years. He is a certified teacher of TESOL qualification. Much of it is common sense for a native English teacher but it's one of things where you need to tick the boxes to get the certification. He got me to practice teaching to empty seats and pretended to be a Chinese student himself. This will be interesting. 

Mobike Mikey
I've fallen in love with the bike sharing system here. So convenient. Before China, I hadn't been on a bike for a long time. Here, it's the norm. I biked from my place to the training school which is smack bang in the middle of town (15 minutes). Before, I had to walk 10 minutes just to get to the subway station. Now, I just find the nearest bike and bike into town along with half the population. There's something really satisfying about biking around this lively city - maybe it's the lack of road rules... I literally ride wherever and whenever I want - it's fantastic! Also, it's a great way to train the legs (not that I don't get enough already climbing up 7 flights of stairs to get to my apartment).

The amount of stares that I copped...
For going for a run around the block. As a Chinese person, you either go to the gym or the nearest track (at university). It's rare to find people running along the streets. I'm aiming to get a rhythm going here for daily exercise, to make up for the cigarettes, alcohol and poor quality PM2.5 air that I've been consuming. 

Day 16

25.04.18 - ANZAC Day - Lest We Forget

WeRun Update: 15116 steps

Landmine noodles and roast duck
Uncle Kenny took me to an authentic Nanjing noodle joint (which only opens from 6am to 2pm - you'll rarely see noodle joints close so early in China). The noodles we ate were called landmine noodles, where the noodles are covering the fillings that you choose to have in it - resembles what a landmine looks like (地雷面). The joint was packed and there was a queue - often a good sign that it's tasty. Another sign was when orders were being shouted across the room and you could see the chefs prepare 10 bowls of noodles at one time. There was an uncle who sat across from me, comes in, takes 4 cloves of garlic, peels them and then eats them. Then he buys a small bottle of baijiu and necks it as well. It was 12pm. I could not comprehend.

Vegetarian chicken 素鸡 (beancurd) is actually quite popular in China. I would always have it back at home but never knew what it was in English. I got that as one of my fillings along with a big piece of fatty pork belly. Kenny also bought me a roast duck - they do the roast duck differently in Nanjing as I had mine drenched in some special sauce (and not wrapped up like Beijing style and a different taste compared to Guangdong style).

A walk around the 'No Worries' Lake 莫愁湖
I decided to venture out into Uncle Kennys way towards another lake in Nanjing called Mochou Lake. Mochou means do not worry in Chinese. I was trying to follow the story in some of the artwork inside the lake. It says that she was a very beautiful woman, who was married and had a child but then her husband got taken away from her (or she was claimed by someone else when her city fell) and her longing for her husband made her weep tears, which turned into the lake.

Nice to meet you 很高兴遇见你 
That was the name of the restaurant which I met some new friends at, which was fitting for the occasion. My two new friends were both quite shy and there were periods where you'd have an awkward silence where none of them talked before I initiated with a new topic. We talked about mostly me because it seemed like I lived a more exciting life.

Shirley's this law student at Nanjing University (which means she is very very smart to even get in to the university). She is graduating in two months and has been offered a job at a law firm in Nanjing. She said that in order for her to be offered that job, she had to use connections, because having the skills and ability is sometimes not enough to get a job. Many students smarter than her didn't even get an interview with her company, whilst she got one without even meeting one of the criteria (which was to have some experience studying aboard).

Even though she graduates mid-year, her job requires her to work immediately upon graduating. There is a process where she is an intern for the first few months before being a full-time employee.
She isn't able to delay her start date because the firm can easily find someone else to replace her - she must take her opportunity or else regret it in the future. Unlike us, we can afford the luxury of taking time off to travel and still be in the running to get grad jobs 12 months after we graduate. Chinese students don't have this luxury because they would prefer the certainty now than have to deal with an uncertain future.

Last night, Shirley wanted to go clubbing because she has never been to a club before (very normal here in China). She has the impression that clubs are 'messy, rowdy and loud' which discouraged her from going previously. But she feels that when she starts work, she'll have no time to try new things because of the long hours she expects to do. It really made me feel privileged to be in such a position that I am in now because Chinese graduates get it really rough. Long hours and overtime, no time to relax and enjoy life - it really can be a struggle for them and most of them accept it as it is.

The other friend is Jack, who studies Communication at Nanjing Technical University. He's your typical Chinese guy - friendly but shy. Into football and basketball. Never been to a club too.

I took both of them to Bassment and we played some pool, tried some Aussie beers (Coopers and Crown Lager) and listened to a live band. It was nice - I felt like a uni student again.

As I said before, I felt really lucky to have so many experiences in my life - these university students clearly have an appetite to try new things but are sometimes constrained by their surroundings and culture - I will take them to MIU on Friday because they ought to see for themselves what a Chinese club is really like, regardless of the negative stories they've heard.

Experience with your own eyes.

Day 15

24.04.18

WeRun Update: 11366 steps (finally hit 10k)

First run
Went for my first run today at 8am. Ran along the busy main road. Copped a lot of stares because no one really runs on the main street. Felt good though. 

The Post
I'm a big fan of Tom Hanks so I watched his most recent film - The Post. It's about the happenings when some journalist leaks top secret, classified documents about how the American government lied to the public about progress in the Vietnam War. I found it to be an interesting insight into the press and how it operates and how it's shaped by the politicians and relationships. It's also based on a true story, so I learnt something new about American political history. Great acting by Hanksy and Merryl Streep who plays the heiress of the Washington Post. 

Update on Work
So I will be getting a TESOL certification so that I'll be a certified English teacher in the future. It cost me around 6800RMB for 15 lessons and 1200RMB for the certification itself. It's pretty steep but I guess it needed to be done. I start my first class on Thursday,

Footy on a weekday
What better way to finish off the day by watching some Anzac Day footy - Richmond v Melbourne. My mate Liam chucked on the footy as his bar and we ordered some pizza to go with it. The pizza was not bad (I had low expectations) and apparently one of the better pizzas in town (Uncles Pizza)

Day 14

23.04.18

WeRun update: 3854 steps (deplorable effort but it was raining all day)

Kindle update: 53% into 12 Rules for Life - the rule I read today was 'Do what is meaningful, not what is expedient', and the message was that we should try to make the world a little bit better, and should make sacrifices to delay gratification to live a better life as opposed to searching for short term pleasures.

Not much to report on for yesterday...

• Meditation exercises
• Did some reading
• My uncle came around to deliver a bedside desk and nice ashtray 
• Tried to stream the film 'The Post' but internet is too slow for 720p streaming 

Day 13

22.04.18

WeRun Update: 16257 steps (proud of this effort)

Just a lunch with an old friend... 
So I met up with an uncle I met in Melbourne who works in Nanjing in the export business. He's an absolute cracker of a bloke and I remember giving him his English name Ken when I met him at some dinner that I went to with my parents. Anyway, Ken brings along a 2007 bottle of Shiraz from Barossa Valley because he remembers that I had a drink at that dinner 6 months ago. It's 11.30am and I've been drinking for the last 2 days. So I decide to show him my respect and accept the drinks (after all he did ask me to come out). I didn't realise that we'd be finishing the whole bottle between the two of us, which wasn't ideal since I had to be somewhere a bit later (sober). But my thought process was: it's these little things that can go a long way to develop the guanxi in this new city. Anyway, we had a great chat over some Hong Kong cuisine and fine Australian wine - Ken, being the great bloke that he is, says that we should meet up more often and hopefully just eat (and not drink more wine). He also knows some guys pretty high up so I think it could be a relationship worth investing in for the future ;)

A unique Chinese Super League experience - crazy what connections can do!
When my friend asked me to come to watch the soccer, I thought it'd just be your usual game-day, go to the gates, buy your tickets and watch the game type of experience. Little did I realise that I was going to get the whole VIP package. So my friend is close with the wife of the captain of Jiangsu Suning soccer team and they were playing a home game against Shanghai Shenhua at the Olympic Stadium. We didn't have to pay for our tickets, we just got walked through which was dope!

Some things that I discovered:

• Chinese soccer fans are louder than I expected, they really get up and about. Chants and drums and screaming throughout the whole match
• The Mexican Wave is alive here! And people turned on the torches on their phones for a bit, which was cool!
• People were smoking inside the stadium - at least I was not surprised by this
• The quality of soccer is better than the A-League
• Apparently, there are league policies around international players - you can get fined for having more than the quota in your squad, you also have to meet a requirement to include Chinese youth players in the squad if you have international players. 

The score ended up 5-1 to Jiangsu Suning, an amazing result for the crowd and also the most goals I've witnessed in a live match - always love a goalfest. After the game, my friend told me that the captain would personally come out to get a photo with us. There were heaps of fans waiting outside the VIP area to see the players. Some even recognised their wives and wanted photos with them too. That's next level! Anyway, so the captain comes out, and there's a whole crowd wanting his autograph and I'm just getting this undeserving VIP treatment just to get a photo with some dude who I didn't know 2 hours ago. This was truly a unique experience that many fans would die for so I am grateful that my friend could sort this out for me! 

Humid Nanjing
Absolutely disgusting weather and not even the worst of it. Hot. Humid. Sticky. Patches of rain. A nightmare to pick what to wear. Sticking with the shorts for now. 

Day 12

21.04.18

WeChat Run: 7981 steps

A taste of home
Very happy to find out that a friend of a friend runs a bar, about a 5 minute walk from my place, that shows the footy on the weekends. Today, we watched it in Tap Planet, one of the many bars in the Chic Hills complex. It had a selection of about 40 different craft beers on tap, which in my personal opinion is definitely overdoing it. Met a few Aussie blokes who had also been in China for many years and was good to hear the familiar accent again.

Isle of Dog
I'm a 5 minute walk to another complex called Litchi Plaza, which has a few nice restaurants and a few movie theatres. Isle of Dog just came out in cinemas yesterday in China and I saw the trailer for it before and wanted to watch it. Never seen this before but inside the cinemas, there are mini couches at the very back row (doesn't have the arm rest in the middle - perfect for couples). I enjoyed the movie - the animation was very well done and very detailed. Sometimes you couldn't understand what was said because it was all in Japanese, but I think it adds to the effect of the movie being something fresh and different and/or sometimes you don't need to understand what's being said to understand what is happening.

Bar within a bar
So I've come across this a bit here but there seems to be a theme of having a bar within a larger bar ie. the owner rents out a section or floor of the bar, to another bar. My mate runs a bar called Arcano (imports Aussie wines and beers such as VB and Crown Lagers) which is the second floor of a popular bar called Loop. After the movie, my mate and I had a drink there and I must say, I have been very impressed with the Nanjing nightlife and the selection of nice bars around town.

Day 11

20.04.18

WeRun Update: 6420 steps (I kid you not. and it was on 4.20)

Kindle Update: 42% into 12 Rules for life

Fridge finally stocked up with the essentials.
Went to the Chinese walmart equivalent (金润发) near mine. Mizone waters, Yakults, Yoghurts (need that calcium fix) and Vitasoy drinks.

Note to self: Never hang out clothes outside the balcony
Self-explanatory, when I came back home, my clothes were missing...

Nanjing nightlife:
Had my first taste of the nightlife here in Nanjing and I must say it's not bad! A friend took me around town to some of the hotspots.

Bassment:
Really enjoyed this underground bar, tucked away near Shanghai Road. Main section had a stage with a band playing. Some classics were sung - Creep by Radiohead, Yellow by Coldplay. The room next to it was a techno room (wasn't lit at that time but can definitely see it being live on other occasions). Will go again.

MIU:

• Checked out the hottest club in Nanjing, 5 minute walk from mine. Drinks ridiculously expensive inside (60RMB for a beer). The dancefloor is filled with standing tables - so you don't really get a sense that there's a dancefloor. 
• There's a big platform behind the tables where everyone stands and dances. It seemed so packed there - with no room to move - so you can't really dance unless you just throw your hands up. It's actually quite awkward because some people are just standing there and not dancing and just playing on their phones. 
• Music was a bit cooked: bit of EDM, bit of trap and dubstep (not really the music you can go off to)
• Lots of spraying and confetti 
• I saw more Off-White and Supreme at MIU than any other club I've been to (hype city)
• In order to maximise your time there, you really need to buy a table - there's very limited space for people to stand. 
• Good thing is there is no cover charge - you can come and go as you please and there's no dress code so you'll see people wearing trackies, hoodies, streetwear. Barely anyone dresses up. 

Here are some initial observations about bars and clubs in general:
- Chinese people love playing the dice game
- Tables occupy 90% of the space of a bar or a club
- Snacks are essential when drinking (you can order wontons and proper dishes at the bars and clubs! Crazy!!!)
- Heaps of people will just be on the couches on their WeChats (perfectly normal here in China)
- You use your QR code to pay for drinks now
- Flaunt the wealth, it's all about face here.

Day 10

19.04.18

WeRun update: 9303 steps

Kindle update: Onto the 4th rule whatever percentage that is

My 60-year old landlord follows the NBA!
The uncle came over to collect a few things and saw that I was watching the NBA playoffs and asked if he could watch the final two minutes with me. He had great knowledge of the players, I was so impressed. Mad respect!

Mr. Liu on hold...
Running into a few complications regarding my teaching gig - they want me to get TESOL certification. They're worried that Chinese students won't see me as a teacher since I'm so young and also look Chinese (won't take me seriously) - apparently a common issue for ABCs like myself trying to find teaching gigs. Anyway, this certification is like 120 hrs of learning and costs a bit, which is a bit of a hassle. As for now, I'm discussing what my role as a management analyst (for an English language school...) will entail.

If you wear shorts and sneakers and a cap, you are a foreigner.
So I asked my mate about Chinese guys not wearing shorts and he's like you only wear shorts if you're going for a run or exercising. There's no concept of wearing shorts in a casual fashion!

A regular at the bball courts
I've been going almost every day to shoot some hoops and meet new people there - they close the courts at 10pm at night so you'll get a lot of older guys coming to play after work. It's quite a social environment and it gives me better insight into what Chinese people are like. There's a company who operates a few sporting facilities for public use - it's a pretty cool concept but works only when there's enough demand (when the whole nation loves basketball, it helps).

Day 9

18.04.18

WeRun Update: 8578 steps

Kindle Update: 26% into 12 Rules for Life
Bought a new book: Never Eat Alone by Keith Farazzi

A walk around Nanjing University
To fill up my spare time, I want to really get to know my surroundings. My place is sandwiched between the two biggest universities in Nanjing (Nanjing University and Southeast University). So I decided to check out Nanjing University (Gulou Campus). It's a massive campus in the middle of the city. I noticed a lot of non-university students were there, especially oldies and adults going for their daily stroll or bike ride. You won't see much of that in Australia. 

Chinese guys don't wear shorts. 
It was 26 degrees today and I rarely saw anyone wearing shorts. There was a PE class on the main oval of Nanjing University. The class full of boys were wearing pants while playing soccer.

Food delivery is an essential part of daily life in China.
If you don't get 外卖 (wai mai) then you are not Chinese. 
I ordered my first delivery (partly because I was lazy but mainly because I wanted to try out the delivery system here. I must say it is very good. Each store has it's own discounts (折扣) to lure the many lazy consumers here in China. 
I shall not fall into the trap of doing this often. The food didn't taste as good!

Ballin' every day.
The courts were open til 10pm today and the weather was perfect to play some outdoor ball. I played with a clan of 30-40 year olds who looked like they come here often. It's a form of exercise for these gents as they are getting older and their bellies get bigger. Cigarettes after a game is a must. 

Chinese vocab of the day
学徒 apprentice - talking to a friend about hair salons and going for the cheapest one when getting a hair cut
推销 promote sales / peddling - this is what happens when you go for the cheapest one, they just non-stop try to promotion other stuff

Day 8

17/04/10

WeRun update: 7794 steps (a disappointing result)

Kindle update: 22% in to 12 Rules For Life

Putting Nanjing on the map
I live right next to Zifeng Tower, which is the 10th tallest building in the world at 450m tall.

Lunchtime classic
For 15RMB (3AUD), you can choose 1 meat dish and 2 vegetable dishes. It's served in a tray and they give you complimentary soup on the side. Quick, easy, efficient.

Bike-sharing

• Everyone on the streets is bike sharing - it is crazy! The market is dominated by a few big companies: Mobike, Ofo, Hellobike to name a few. 
• I decided to try it for the first time today. The process is simple. You download a bike-sharing app, pay a deposit (299RMB for Mobike), find a bike (your app will tell you where the nearest one is), scan the QR code on the bike and voila! The bike unlocks itself and you can ride it. 
• It was so useful as it cut a 20 minute walk to a 5 minute ride. It cost me 1RMB (20 cents) for the trip. You can buy monthly passes for 20RMB, which is definitely worth it if you use it every day. 
• The only downside is that I'm still not used to being on the right side of the road and the lack of road rules here. 

How to have dinner with some OG uncles:
Drink alcohol (baijiu or beer)
Chain smoke ciggies

One piece of advice I received from my aunty's sister's husband:
Uncle:     Have you adjusted to life here?
Me:         What I realised is that getting things done over here can be complicated...
Uncle:     If you just have ability, you won't get anywhere. If you have social connections, you can                      get things done. If you have both, you're laughing son!

A Nanjing classic
My friend recommended me the film "Flowers of War" as everyone speaks in Nanjing accent there - it's a story about a very dark time in Nanjing's history during the Japanese invasion. I thought it was moving at times but at other times, it tries too hard to be a East-meets-West type of film.

Chinese words of the day:
融入 - to assimilate / integrate (talking about how I have settled in)
干道 - main road
政府机关 - institution/organisation (driving past an area where all the government institutions were)
老干部 - veterans (driving past an area where all the veterans live)
盖浇饭 - meat, veggie rice combo (mentioned earlier in the post)

Day 7

16.04.18

WeRun Update: 17338 steps

Kindle Update: 13% into "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos" - Jordan Peterson
I read a lot now since there is a lot of spare time.

Celebration for reaching Day 7
Next milestone is 14.

Hi, I'll be your teacher for the semester.

• I was asked to do a 30 minute trial lesson to some HR people at the language school I'm working at. About gender equality. For intermediate learners. I started off with an icebreaker - everyone introduce yourself and say three things about you. Chinese people like structure - if you give them a structure/rule, they will follow it. My 'students' were shy, they don't really talk unless asked. They are afraid to make mistakes, which leads to silence. 
• We talked about stereotypes and discrimination. One of my students said discrimination is good because it's effective. I don't think this topic really hits home in China, a lot of things are 'accepted' - such as a woman is supposed to take care of the family and children, women are bad at driving. These statements were all coming from my female students too. 
• The constructive feedback was that I spent too much time on introductions - apparently my students change every lesson and if there are a lot of students in the one class, it can waste time
• Otherwise, they enjoyed the lesson and teaching style. I really hope I can help my students get their confidence up and not be afraid to speak up - that's the most important thing I have learnt from learning languages.

Yum, yum

• My lunch today was dope. I spoke about the Internet famous stores - I went to one of those street stores selling pancakes (with an egg cracked inside) with some soy paste and topped with spam and tenderloin. It was delicious. 
• Finally, checked out the carts down from my apartment block. They spread out all these different dishes and you just pick and choose what to put in to either a fried rice or fried noodles. It's very authentic China style but a lot of people don't eat it because they don't know where the oil is from. It could be gutter oil!

A day of checking out things that I wanted to check out. 

• So when you look out from my kitchen, you can see basketball courts. But they're within the walls of Southeast University (东南大学) so I couldn't be bothered. When I walked through the school, there was a whole field of basketball courts, maybe 6-8 full courts spread across and anyone can just walk up to people who are playing and join in. You don't even need a ball. 
• So I ended up playing with these lads who were chefs/waiters/something in 饮食 (food and drink) business. They must have been on a break because they were talking about taking a shower and going back to work. I was grateful that they let me play with them and it was good listening to all the banter, which I could relate to with my mates back at home.

Ma-la-tang (麻辣烫) 

One of my favourite Chinese meals. It's like you have a basket and pick your own vegetables and meats and noodles and then they cook it in some spicy broth. I checked out a joint near my place through Dianping app. It looked very scat, but at least the veggies looked fresh. I've also noticed that this place and other places, have started handing out chopsticks and serviettes that have been packaged instead of pre-washed ones - which is more hygienic and a big THUMBS UP for cleanliness in scat Chinese restaurants. 

Couldn't have planned it any better...

My place is next to this nice, modern, decked out complex of Western restaurants, flashy cafes and home to a LINE Friends Cafe and Store. The park itself is very lit up and I saw lots of couples walking inside. It's also home to the famous MIU club (supposedly the big club in Nanjing) and I'm a 10 minute walk away. 

Day 6

15/04/18

Blazers lost
It started off a great morning, sun was out, NBA playoffs beginning. Shit internet speeds at my place forced me to pay $5AUD (27RMB) for an iced lemon tea at the two-storey Starbucks at Catherine Park, 100m away from mine (not too bad after all). I wore my jersey. We played terrible. We'll bounce back next game.  

You da real MVP
Thanks to the aunty who gave me free soup along with my soup dumplings. Really appreciated this small gesture even though the soup tasted like seaweed and egg in hot water. 

Australian flags mean it's authentic
There's this store in Deji Shopping Centre that sells premium brand beef/steaks. They put Australian flags on the beef to make it seem more attractive. My friend paid $20 for like a small steak, which they cut up into bite size pieces and then add lettuce on the side. I found this both ridiculous but fascinating at the same time. 

Ready, Player One
Watched it at Deji Plaza IMAX. It was an interesting plot with a lot of references to pop culture. I saw it as an critique on how technology is transforming our lives and how, ultimately, we still need that human, face-to-face interaction. PM for more insightful commentary.

Internet-famous shops
A friend took me to one of those '网红店’ (translated to Internet Famous Restaurant), which is basically when some unknown shop gets mad exposure on the Internet and everyone goes there to check it out. This was just some small street cart selling fried noodles and rice - just shows the influence of the internet here.

Not bad for Chinese standards
Continuing on with the Western theme today, my friend Dolly took me to an American grill called Tribecca (张府园). It actually wasn't too bad. There was like a steak for 888 RMB on there (so Chinese). When I searched the reviews and top menu recommendations on Dianping (the Chinese Zomato), one of the top recommendations was Tiger Beer (which had 30 people give a thumbs up). Mate, you can literally get Tiger beer anywhere ?????? Also, shoutout to Dolly because we always have good conversations about life, keep grinding!

Chinese vocabulary of the day
榜样 (bang yang) - role model 
裹挟 (guo xie) - coerce people - we were talking about Chinese parents trying to coerce their kids at every stages of the kid's life - can also be used to talk about anyone on their higher ground trying to tell you what to do (sweep you along)

Day 5

14.04.18

Back in Melbourne?
Experiencing all four seasons in the time I've been here. 

Getting used to eating out by myself.
All three meals today. 

Finally have internet.
Took less than 24 hrs to from signing the contract to getting it installed. Loving the efficiency here in China.

WeChat does it again.
The Order to Receive process for my dinner was all done through WeChat. Scan QR code for the menu. Pay. Eat. Simple. Efficient. China.

Balling with the locals.
Rainy day but still managed to get a few hours of shooting hoops in. I love using the 'Can't speak Chinese' card - keeps them interested. 

It's a grind.
I've gained an appreciation for those who sacrifice it all to live in a completely foreign country. Lucky I can speak a bit of Mandarin to get myself by but imagine if you couldn't even speak the language. It's a different ball game when you move for work. Meeting people is a lot harder. If you came here to study, you could make friends at your university, in your dorms or with social clubs and activities. It's much tougher when you're here for work. Things are not as easy. I find it more challenging to put myself in social situations. 

Been topping the WeChat Run leaderboard 
Need to hit 10000 steps a day.

Chinese phrase of the day
Can't think of any today. 

Day 4

13.04.18

Breakfast decisions:

Decisions about food in China always trouble me. My thought process when trying to find breakfast: 

This looks nice but

• It's way too scat
• It's suspiciously too clean 
• It's too empty 

Ended up not eating for 20 minutes.

Toilet update: Flush is now working

How to sign up to a broadband bundle in China  

• Go to a business hall of one of the major telco providers 
• Choose your speed (20/50/100mbps or 'zhao' and package (usually discounts if your mobile service is with the same provider)
• My package was 20GB national data + unlimited WiFi at home for 128RMB (extra 40RMB per month for broadband)
• Most broadband plans are 'unlimited' since the Chinese love to consume
• Since I live in an old building, there is only Fibre to the Building. I don't live in a 光区 (area with optic fibre) - preparing myself for slow speeds
• Sign contract, buy a modem, arrange a time with the technician to install and then you're sweet!

My boy Dame D.O.L.L.A lit in China

One of my favourite players in the NBA is the posterboy for Adidas Basketball in China, the worker in the Cenbest Store was wearing the Dame 4 shoes - had to get his WeChat just because of that, had a solid chat about the D.O.L.L.A

Finally own a tee with Chinese writing on it

Went inside Cenbest (large department store in NJ) and bought an Adidas t-shirt (199 RMB) which has writing that plays on the Chinese idiom (好好学习天天向上 - study hard and work diligently) 好好学习，天天打球 （study hard and play basketball daily). Lame but authentic!

Call me Mr. Liu

Giving a demo lesson for intermediate students (30 minutes) in front of the HR team

Topic: Man vs woman - this should be interesting

Skewers are the go...

If you walk around XinJieKou train station (which has 24 exits - the Melbourne Central of Nanjing), you'll find people holding mini buckets with skewers inside them. They are a popular dish for those who are time-poor to sit down for lunch or those who want a quick snack. Chuanchuan originates from Sichuan (probably) and you'll find different kinds of meats and vegetables on the stick (seaweed, lotus roots, spam) - it's already been dipped in chilli oil

Making the most of your gym membership

My fat cousin spent 1800RMB on a 6 month gym membership which he only went a total of 5 times... talk about bang for your buck

How to be authentic?

Becoming full Chinese means drinking a lot of green tea

Chinese vocabulary/phrase of the day

实惠 - favourable/ value - need to use this to find the best deals  

营业厅 - a business hall - this is where internet and mobile stuff is done 

届时 - when the time comes, at the appointed time

Day 3

12.04.18

Ticking the boxes - Physical examination at Nanjing International Health Centre

• Before you can start work in China, you have to pass a physical check up (Cost: 444RMB)
• I spent about an hour there today going through the tests: 
• B Ultrasound 
• Blood test
• Sight and Ear Nose and Throat (basically getting you to read numbers and say aahhh)
• Blood pressure and general measurements
• X-Ray 
• General cardio check (this is where they put some wires on you)

All about the business

Found basketball courts a short walk away from my place but also found out that it costs 20 RMB just to play there. Next time I find some free basketball courts, I'ma set up a shop there and charge 15RMB

A little ceebs...

The ONLY issue I have with 一点点 (translation: a little), which is my favourite brand for bubble tea is that they don't accept WeChat Pay (which is ridiculous in China because even your local fruit store will accept WeChat pay)

Mobile plans in China 

I went to the local China Mobile (中国移动）dealer to reactivate a SIM card today. Here are some things I've learnt about mobile plans: 

• To set up a mobile plan as a foreigner, you must go to a special store that can accept passports as ID, otherwise you can only use your residency card. You can't just rock up to any dealer store to set one up if you're 老外.
• Some packages include national data allowances and provincial data allowances - and national data gets used up first. 
• I'm on a 100RMB data package (paying way too much) - 5GB national use, 5GB Jiangsu use
• If you have no call allowance, you won't be able to access data (even if it hasn't run out yet) - this happened to me today.
• You have to pay before you use - no concept of postpaid here...

Favourite noodles 

皮肚腰花面 - Nanjing specialty pork skin, pork kidney noodles 

There's a local joint that I've been going to for years near Xinmofan Road station - great vibes, always busy

Dilemma in the can

I'm still unable to flush the toilet so I've been filling buckets of water and pouring it down...

Haircuts in China

• Who said customer service doesn't exist in China? Sometimes, it's actually too much. If you want to experience amazing and sometimes over the top customer service, go to a hair salon.
• Someone will open the door for you. You're greeted at the door. Someone comes to put your things in the locker. Another person takes you to wash your hair. You're taken to the seat, they'll give you some water/tea. 
• You choose who will cut your hair. Cost depends on level of experience for the hair stylist.
• Being the cheapo and not really seeing the value in paying an extra 50 or 100 even for a better stylist, I go for the 30RMB haircut. 
• Some young skinny dude comes over and asks me what I want - I just want my hair to be fixed and not look messy. 
• He keeps encouraging me to get a certain look and pushes me to go for it AND I keep getting baited. The exact thing happened to me last time. The hair stylist will offer great suggestions for how your hair would look and then push you to get it - if you don't want it, you will be saying NO constantly until you're ready to pay (very aggressive on that front)
• As soon as I agreed on getting a perm, I was brought a fruit platter (they reserve them for when you spend more). 
• All the people in the hair salon actually have weird haircuts and they're usually 'sha ma te'
• 杀马特 (Chinese subculture of young urban migrants, usually of low education, with exaggerated hairstyles, heavy make-up, flamboyant costumes, piercings etc. a play on 'smart')

Chinese phrases of the day

南京天气很变态 - Nanjing's weather is really abnormal (though the word is usually used as perverted)

*Nanjing weather has gone from 29 sunny and hot to 17 rainy all day within the three days I've been here.

Day 2

11.04.18

Negotiating contracts

• Landlord comes back today offering 2750/mth (knowing that nothing has been signed yet) and copped a massive rant from my aunty who basically said he wasn't a man for going back on what he promised. 
• When the contract is signed, the first payment is 4 months rent (1 month as deposit, 3 months paid in advance), they call this 押一付三
• The agent fee is usually one month's rent (this is split between landlord and tenant, and it might not be equal depending on negotiations)
• The contract is usually for 12 months, but the good thing about going through an agent is that if you decide to leave halfway, they can find other tenants to fill that void to keep the landlord happy.

Registration of Accommodation

To apply for a residency permit, you have to register your accommodation within 24 hrs of landing in China. Usually, this doesn't matter if you're just travelling, but since i'm working here, I need it. 

I didn't realise they were so strict on it - so when I went to the cop shop after 48 hrs, they referred me to the Security Centre far away from the city to get it...

Then the guy told me that I could just scan some QR code and do it on WeChat for next time ... Lesson: EVERYTHING in China can be done on WeChat.

Got screamed at for being dumb at the local supermarket

I was trying to find a toilet cleaner so I asked the lady at the supermarket. She directed me to the aisle but I literally didn't know what it was. I asked her again and she gave me the "你怎么会找不到呢，这里全都是！！！"

What's the point of having a signature?

So I was setting up a bank account and it took longer than expected because there was something wrong with my signature. Cool signatures are not accepted in China. Signatures in China is just printing your name. And by convention, it's Surname before First Name. 

Finally have WeChat Pay and Alipay 

I've locked up my wallet as it has no use. Do they have Gucci branded online wallets?

How Chinese is this?

The parking officer is supposed to tell you not to park in the reserved bays. Instead, he'll charge you 10RMB to park there and pocket the money himself. 

Chinese Phrase of the day

When my aunty tried reasoning with the landlord after he went back on his offer: 男子汉大丈夫 (are you a man?)

Day 1

10.04.18

How to rent a place in China

• Go through an agent (lianjia 链家 or 5i5j 我爱我家 are two of the biggest agencies in the market)
• The place I'm staying at was advertised at 3000RMB/mth. You always bargain the price. TIP: Always ask "how low can you go?" 
• Bargained until 2680/month (Why 80? it sounds better than 2700 - Rationale: this is the language of the business world, it sounds better!)
• Landlord says: I won't be changing the offer, you have my word!
• By the way, rent in China never includes electricity, gas or water 
• It's a 40 sq m one bedroom apartment with a balcony, in quite an old area - location is very convenient for transport and living in general, the only downside is that I have to walk up 7 flights of stairs to get there since there are no lifts in these types of buildings
• The landlord doesn't even live there, he was allocated the property by his work (this is very common in China - back in the day, the State used to own all properties but since economic reform starting in the 80s, employees of State owned enterprises were allocated properties in their name)

Mahjong Den

• Experienced a Mahjong hall/den for the first time - smoky atmosphere from all the ciggies with a scent of jasmine tea as all the uncles and aunties prepare themselves for a long night playing this beautiful game
• There are 100/200/300RMB games. The stakes are agreed upon by all the players at the start of the round
• The pace of the games are incredible - there are some old timers here who don't even need to look at their cards to know how to play them
• There is a points system - how many coins are won depends on the points of each winning hand. There are three different coloured coins:
• Yellow coins are worth 1
• Green coins are worth 10
• Red coins are worth 50
• When the game is over, the purses come out, stacks of 100RMB bills are revealed - it's time to pay up and buy in to the next round 
• The house takes a cut - usually around 30-40% which they will only take half of it - the other half is handed out as 'reward cards' to incentivise players to keep playing
• The games runs all day, with a cook preparing lunch and dinner for those who stick around

Dinner with my uncles old army mates 

• Chinese OGs love to pull up their shirts to reveal their bellies (it's like a competition of who has the biggest belly!)
• The youngest of the OGs was cheersing everyone - this is an unwritten rule in China
• So the uncles wanted me to taste China's little lobsters. Chinese people are proud of their small lobsters (and keep saying it's different from the big lobsters you have in Australia). The only meat is in the tail.

Speed limits in China

• I learnt that as long as you're under 10%-20% over the speed limit, you're good to go...