Moving from England to China for a year - The Recap

It's astounding that a year ago or so I was sat in my bedroom in the UK writing blog posts, hoping that the following year I'd find a way to move to China for a year, and hoping upon hope that I'd find a way to make it through at least a month without running home to Europe, crying most probably. The only way that I got here I can describe as being through a moment of insanity, or lots of little moments of insanity. I applied to ten internships in China, each time that I gathered the courage to send off an application was, I believe, a little insanity moment without pondering too much what might come of it. In this way I learnt a useful lessons, often the best choices are the ones we don't think about too much. All I knew was that I wanted to visit China for a little bit, so I just had to hope that the rest would fall into place.

Afterwards I began reading stories about other expats moving to China for prolonged periods. I'd read through their success stories and the cynic in me would think, that's great for you, you must be that sort of person! Someone who is a natural world traveller and go-getter. I on the other hand, am not... I don't think...

I'd like to point out at this point that I do not consider myself:

• A seasoned traveller

• A natural linguist

• Particularly adventurous

Yet somehow, even I have had the most stupendous, wonderful, exhilarating year that I couldn't ever even imagine. Full of 'pinch me I must be dreaming' moments.
Throughout my stay in China I have filled up two A5 Spiral ring diaries, and hundreds of pages, writing at least a page for every single day I've been here, I didn't miss one! And I didn't tire on reflecting upon the magic of China!


So, can I summarise the year in a single blog post? Not even close, that will be made up of a lot of little posts in time to come, but what I really want to highlight on is how this adventure came to be, due to my slightly reckless, slightly immature, slightly naive approach to

Say 'Yes' and  figure it out afterwards

I'm so thankful, that way back in December 2013 I had a moment of madness to accept an internship in China, and I hope I'm brave enough to ride the waves of mad moments in the future, and I really really hope that you are too, because it makes for the
unregrettable and unforgettable!

My experience with a psychic

Seeing a psychic

I went on my first ever visit to a 'psychic' today. When I first booked the appointment back in August, the next available slot for me was December- I couldn't believe the long wait, whether she's true or a fake I thought she must be very busy and have lots of clients!

Many people around me are sceptics about this kind of thing, my friend also who went to visit her on a whim is now converted because she was able to be specific enough to pinpoint the title of the book she was reading at the time (and no it wasn't 50 shades...)

I decided 'Hey, maybe I could benefit from some spiritual guidance' and maybe I have benefited from this, or maybe I havent, but I'll give you a little taster into what was said in the reading.

Maybe this is the weirdest Outfit Of the Day ever, but this was the outfit that I deemed suitable to wear to a psychic reading. I tried to keep it very neautral, not too crazy or bright to give as little away as possible through what I'm wearing.

I walked into the very pretty dining room of the ladies house, she had a candle burning and incense too I think, aswell as lovely music but no crystal ball, which seems to be the #1 question that everyone asks me 'Did she have a crystal ball??'

The reading began with her asking me to close my eyes and imagine a light, the light I saw was like the light at the end of a tunnel that you see in films. Then she said the dreaded words 'clear your mind'

As soon as someone says to me clear my mind, my mind starts getting itself in a mess, furiously trying to clear itself. The conversation in my head went like this:

'okay, deeep breaths, and clear thoughts... think of nothingness...okay relax...clear mind...am I imaginging the right kind of light? Does the light need to be imagined around me or is it supposed to be in front of me? What if she can't get anything from me because my mind isn't clear? CLEAR MIND, COME ON MIND CLEAR YOURSELF OUT! Should I have opened my eyes already? Is she just staring at me waiting for me to open my eyes or do I wait for my eyes to open themselves? Oh my goodness, the reading will have to end right here because I can't clear my...'

"...now open your eyes when your ready"

And that was how my reading began.

Some key things that are kind of funny and that stick to me that she said were:

'you're not snacking, you need to snack more' which was very interesting as I've told a lot of people that are especially close to me that since I've moved away I've stopped snakcing I just eat three set meals a day.

Another funny thing was that she told me my great grandmother is glad that I have her rings and brooches even though she knows that they are not my style. That made me laugh because while true, I have them carefully stored away safely.

She also said that she can see a big 'do' in August, which is the month of my sisters wedding.

It was a 40 minute reading that included tarot cards aswell, and a lot of personal things, aswell as lots of vague things and random names that I've scribbled down but that don't make a lot of sense.

Everyone who I have told the nitty gritty and ins and outs of the reading to has asked me for her phone number, so what I said seems to have convinced them that she's pretty darn good.

My verdict is that she was too specific to be vague, but not specific enough to make me certain I'm convinced- I would certainly visit again in a year or two though!