I'm moving from England to China

Way back when in 2010 when my hair looked like this



and I was still at school, I went on a ten day trip to China with my mum and sister to visit my brother.
During my short stay China had made a serious impression on me and I wanted to get back as soon as I could, to work, to study I didn't care! I briefly looked into studying at a University in Hong Kong when deciding on universities aged 18, but didn't pursue it beyond looking at their website, I suppose I got daunted by the thought of moving out for the first time without the thought of moving to an entirely foreign country!

So despite this, I couldn't shake the feeling that I wanted to get back and an opportunity arose when my current University offers an integrated placement year into the degree, where I could essentially do anything that I wanted, as long as it was a form of skilled, challenging work!
In November 2013 an opening came about that I fell for, and by January my job for 12 months in China had been confirmed!

I have a one way flight booked and a visa tucked neatly into my passport, I begin work in July and arrive in China a few days before to settle in.

I may be sounding all casual and blah-say about this whole thing when writing it down, but since December I've spent many nights wide awake staring at the ceiling, so fizzy with excitement that I cannot sleep. I thought that I would feel a lot of fear and anxiety by now, but that hasn't set in yet, perhaps it doesn't feel real, perhaps I'll collapse under those feelings a week, or night before I leave, or when I start having to say goodbye gradually to friends and family.

What does all this mean for my blog and YouTube?

Well, I hear that there are some pretty strict rules on accessing all that out there, it extends to Facebook, Spotify, Netflix, so I have no idea what my life will consist of in my spare time? Perhaps I'll go outside? Get some hobbies? Who knows?
For now I have around a month to prepare before I get out there, in the mean time I will be filming videos like a crazy person to pre schedule to upload, preparing blog posts, in between packing and spending as much time in the real world, being able to savour using English and have other people understand me!

I've also heard mutterings of being able to 'get around' such restrictions, I'm hoping frantically that they will materialise into something without like, breaking the law!

House Hunting- Round #1

Today is maybe the first day where I felt like an adult!

Today we, as a group went house hunting for a place to make our home in the second year of university!

We found some really fun places, and some grat ideas to give it our homely touches, it makes me super excited for next year even though we have so much of this year (academic year) left!

Here'a a little sneak peek at a few of the rooms in the various places we were looking at...

They're not especially glamorous of fabulous (it's student housing after all..)
But I'm looking foward to more space, luxury and lovely-ness!

 

Dumpling Delight!

Dumplings are a huge indulgent food that my nan makes, I love love love them, being away from home and all I decided to recreate that comfort food and it was a surprising success and super duper easy
The recipe itself is called a lamb cobbler, but essentially it's a case of making a spaghetti bolognase sauce, if you don't know where to start with that my recipe here will help you out
http://alexiaesque.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/got-15-minutes.html

Then, take a mug of self raising flower and half a mug of water and add the water slowly to the flour until its a kind of gloopy but wet texture, but dry enough to hold it's own shape.

Spread the bolognase type mixture into a baking dish and pull off lumps of dough and roll into balls, this recipe makes about 6 dumplings in total. Lightly coat the dumplings with egg, or much less waste use milk so that they go a pretty golden colour, and put them in the oven at 200 degrees celicus for 25 mins- 30 mins
and then you get lovely fluffy dumplings!

I'm pretty certain this is the simplest way to make dumplings, if you want to get fancy you can add herbs and spice and all things nice!

Got 15 minutes?

This is how to make some finger-licking (although you don't eat this with your fingers) spaghetti bolognase, this is how it goes down...

-Heat some oil (I prefer rape seed) in a large saucepan and fry 1 onion and 2 garlic cloves for a minute.

Add half a packet of mince meat (250g) or a vegetarian meat substitute and cook it up until it's not a gross pink colour anymore

Then mix in a tin of chopped tomatoes (400g) and 5 mushrooms sliced up- Stir it all up and bring it to the boil so it's bubbling then just keep it on a low heat for ten minutes

While that's heating, boil a pan of water for your pasta and once it's boiling drop the pasta in

Add some herbs if you want to the bolognase and skip out the salt, just add pepper.

Drain the pasta and put it on the plate, add the bolognase and serve!

This makes enough for about 2 people, or you can keep half and save it to eat for lunch the next day
Hooray for cheap student cooking!

22nd of Spetember treating me kindly!

On the 22nd of September last year (before I'd even begun my blog) I passed my driving test, I've been fully licensed for a year woo!

This time last year I didn't know...

Where I was studying

Who I'd be studying with

What I'd be studying

Where I'd be living

and now today, on this very same day the following year is my official 'moving in' day

Nothing could describe the anticipation and excitement bubbling in my belly but the feeling of being a 'child' having to be left in my old bedroom as I move onto the first stage of being an 'adult'. At that point I still didn't feel like a 'proper' adult as I'm moving into what feels like boarding school for grown ups, a land between childhood and adulthood, where the university still watches over you, and you live in a kind of gated community but you have the first taste of no parental rules, full responsibilty for every last chore and no one giving you consequences or punishments for not handing in work on time

This is the view from my room out my window! I'm several stories high, and the UFO shaped thing in the clouds is only a reflection on the window of my ceiling light!

Who left the rubbish in the hallway?

You would be forgiven for thinking that 5 black sacks, 1 box of fragiles, 1 hot pink suitcase and one giant blue laundrette bag are all set to go out the rubbish but no... this is infact my most essential items from the past 18 years packed up into bags, cases and boxes and if any of that went out the rubbish I sure would notice!

　

My room here at my family home still looks just like my room, it's only until you open the wardrobe and cupboards that you see that the cupboards are a little bare

I can't believe that the next time that I see my things it will be in my new room, in a new flat with new roomates!

Starter pack for university

Today I've started packing for my departure on the weekend, it's very daunting even though I moved house just a year ago to pack up all the things that I need but still leaving behind the things that I don't 'need' since my dorm room will be a little matchbox size!

Today I was presented with great kindness by my mum my 'university starter pack' she had to go for things that were not perishable, so think tin cans, dry packets and long life foods, here's what I got:

2 packets of corn thins (rice cakes but made of corn)
2 cartons of soya milk
1 bar of lindtt extra creamy milk chocoalte
2 jars of Lloyds grossman pasta sauce in my favourite flavour (chargilled veg)
1 tin of sweetcorn
1 tin of chopped tomatos
1 packet of antibacterial wipes
2 kelloggs variety cereal packs
4 toilet rolls
1 bag of pasta
1 bag of gnocci
1 carton of cranberry juice
2 750ml bottles of water
1 bottle of rapeseed oil
1 hello kitty selction box
1 box of Weetabix
1 jar of smooth peanut butter
2 original source shower gels (1 mint, 1 choc mint)
2 tubes of toothpaste
4 baked beans snap pots
1 box of brunch bars
3 tins of tuna
1 bottle of shampoo
2 jars of green pesto
1 bottle of 'sleep relaxtion' spray from Avon
1 Hello Kitty shopping tote to carry my food shopping back!
1 'Student Nosh' cookbook

I can squeeze it alll just about in my suitcase!
You can rely on mums to set you up above and beyond what you need to make sure you can look after yourself!