J+7 Special day

Today was very special, after a big breakfast and 3hours of self-inflicted homework; we headed for Tang family's restaurant. The place was saturated! And it's only today I realized I only knew about 1/10th of the restaurant! When the front room is too full, people book into small individual rooms, with more privacy. My host father owns a huge infrastructure !
We had "egg dumplings"- different flavors appeared at every bite I took: ginger, coriander, spring onion, delicious and very lean pork, and the egg of course!
My family decided to take me to the country side so I could meet my mothers parents. On the way back, we got stuck in a massive traffic jam: Nanjing is going to host the teenager Olympics games in 2014 so they we digging up new underground lines, on the side of the small and very busy road...
Policemen kept yelling "don't move don't move" and my smoked window allowed me to take pictures without getting in trouble...
Tang papa announced we we late for dinner with his very important friend, in a 5 stars hotel... I was waring flip flips and wasn't dressed for the occasion!
It tourneys out to be the most interesting ceremony I have ever been to! We sat in a big and beautiful room, with luxurious food, wine, juice...
The manager of this big hotel was at the table, so was the deputy general manager, a famous economist and some directors of big hotels.
They were all extremely sociable, and gracefully offered me their business card: "if you need anything..." "I can offer you a very good life style..."
They all thought I looked like Diana!
During this meal, I have counted:
-we stood up 67 times, to toast (I didn't pick up the reason, but neither did my sister)! Chinese people love shouting, and razing their glass at every single occasion they get.
-Chinese men drink a LOT of white wine...
-they smoke a lot too!
(except from my father! I learned tonight by his friends that he has been smoking since he was a teenager, 3 months ago he told them I was coming to their family and announced he would stop smoking. He hasn't touched a cigarette since then.)

After 4hours of toasting, shouting, laughing, this loud group slowly started to head down to the reception. The manager gave us his card 3 times, they were all extremely cheerful...
I think I rarely ate as much in my life; I didn't feel good! (Beijing duck, shark soup, grilled fish, spicy garlic beef, tofu dumplings, mushrooms, noodles, coriander salty chicken fries... Watermelon... )
I told my sister I needed some exercise, we walked up the 19floors to the flat instead of taking the lift! As soon as we arrive home, Tang papa asks with a huge smile on his face: "I cook some dumplings for you!"
Oh my Gosh-

I must admit I am a little nervous, tomorrow is my first day at school, I have no idea what to expect!

J+6 Life in Nanjing city...

I am officially in love with Nanjing city...
It has just the right mix of everything! Not too many cars, I hardly feel the pollution, not too many motorcycles, a lot of bicycles, some great shops, some HUGE luxurious (and air conditioned) shopping malls, thousands of restaurants, food markets, a GIGANTESQUE library, very big supermarkets, a beautiful lake, a lot of trees, small and interesting back streets, a wonderful underground system...
I could continue for a long time! It's cosmopolitan, but still very authentic!
And I am blessed: my chinese family owns a flat as downtown as you can possibly get!
Not only do they live downtown, they also have a very good restaurant...
I eat there everyday.
The first cultural change that hits you when you are a foreigner here is the food:
It is extremely tasty. The meal starts, and a lot of different dishes are brought to the table, they keep coming for about an hour and you never know when it's going to end!
Chinese people are very generous with guests and show a lot of hospitality.
They keep filling my plate with vegetables, rice, fried and spicy chicken feet (yes, they eat them), pork belly, tofu, spicy potato, Beijing duck, dumplings, soup, grilled fish, coriander stir fry, ginger sauce....
There are implicit rules I discover every day, such as :
- you can not touch your chopsticks if the person providing the food has not started
- you must not hold your glass if you are not drinking, it's rude.
- you must not say "thank you" every time you are offered something, it makes them uncomfortable.

Here, we have a different breakfast every single day. So far, I have tried spicy beef noodles with corn, rice "purée" with fish and vinegar cucumber with egg...

My host parents are trying their best to make me taste everything.

We walked around the city today, and they bought me a bicycle so that I can cycle to school. It was very difficult finding one my size, it seemed to amuse all the salespeople in Carrefour.

J+4 almost there

After a LONG night in the express train, lying down with 50cm above my head, without changing cloves, we are slowly arriving in Nanjing.
I confess: I've been fantasizing about a good continental breakfast all night long, but was woken up by a very strong smell of mushroom, tofu and meat noodles... I've officially lost hope for a coffee!
But this is the Chinese way, so I'll get used to it. My conception of what is normal and what isn't has already started to change, it's just a beginning!
I was woken up this night by Chinese women shouting, I thought "what on earth is wrong with them?!" but in fact, I've noticed a lot of Chinese people shout, it's just their way of making sure they've been heard, because they are used to huge noisy and crowded places!

J+3 On my way to Nanjing!

After these wonderful days in Beijing, I am on my way to Nanjing!
The "express train" we are traveling on is jam packed, we like to do it the Chinese way...
The journey is about 9 hours, overnight.
I am slightly stressed and very exited about the arrival, I think my host family will pick me up at the station but no one hear has been able to confirm it to me! I have never felt as ready as today, it helped a lot meeting people who share the same dream, passion and interest about China!
I am working on my Chinese as hard as I can, and practice it at every single occasion I get.
Chinese people (it is well known) love to sing, and karaoke, it is their main way of socializing...when they are not working! But what their adore even more, is to listen to a foreigner signing a popular Chinese song, they go absolutely CRAZY, and if ever that song is the national anthem, well that foreigner is upgraded to a semi-god status!
I've decided to learn it myself, it's really something that brings everyone together here.

J+2 finally here!

I was finally able to find decent Internet connexion...
I had a wonderful and meditative flight.
Never, have 11 hours passed so fast.
I only have 7 minutes before an AFS volunteer to remind us the 22:30 deadline...
I climbed the Great Wall today, there is a Chinese saying that says: "He who has not been to the Great Wall is not a real man"
Oh we are all feeling REAL now! We walked about 3hours up and down unequal stair steps!
We are lucky to have wonderful food, the key is not to bother about what you are eating, just taste it... Then ask.
I have a night train tomorrow to Nanjing, and a meeting tomorrow after breakfast.
This is the longest I could handle in the current situation, a Chinese man is pointing me and saying:
"Miss, I strongly recommend you obey and go to your hotel room, now!"
I know what Chinese people mean by strongly, I better go, the smile won't work for long.

J-3: Confusion

Energy	Culture choc...	Fun	Nostalgia	Meteo here
A little bit nervous...	Still not	Certainly looking forward to it!	Not applicable	Hot hot hot in Paris!

This might seem awkward but at the moment, I'm incapable of writing anything structured.
I'm thinking and feeling too many things at the same time, my mind is a blank...
I'm constantly swinging between excitement and sadness.
On the one hand, I'm impatient to begin my Chinese adventure, but on the other hand there are just too many wonderful people and things here I wish I could bring with me... starting with my Christian Louboutins... joke.
I seem to get frustrated very easily and am a bit on a short fuse.
Nervs...