Pages

Search This Blog

Thursday, September 29, 2016

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.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

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.


Thursday, September 22, 2016

Crazy Cheap in China

People who have never been to China do not realise how incredibly cheap it is. With the exception of accommodation and flights to China, once you are here then you can live quite easily on a small budget. By small, I mean about £200 a month, for a student though. I am living on campus so my dorms are extremely cheap, they go down to £4 a day, that's about £84 a month, which is the equivalent to what I roughly pay a week for university accommodation in England!


Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Fake Markets and Shanghai Ocean Aquarium


This week was the holiday of the Mid-Autumn festival which meant we had Thursday and Friday off.

Sunday, September 18, 2016

My Perfect Rainy Day

There’s been a few rainy days this week so I thought I would write about what my typical rainy day consists of. 



Tuesday, September 13, 2016

40 Minutes Late to our Reservation

After a good three days being bed bound after a horrible illness I caught, I was eager to get out into the fresh (well Shanghai fresh) air and get a nice dinner along the Bund. Me and two friends booked a reservation at a restaurant called Lost Heaven. If you ever get to China, you need to visit this restaurant, the food is so nice.
Obviously Aneta, my flatmate, was running slightly late (she always is), which made us late for our reservation. When I say "slightly late", we were 40 minutes late... We got the metro to East Nanjing Road and then walked from there to the restaurant as it is nearly impossible to catch a taxi around that area on a Saturday night. So after a good 20 minute walk in about 27 degrees we made it to the restaurant. We went from a clean team to sweaty Betty's...lovely. The walk was worth it for the views I guess.


Sunday, September 04, 2016

Top Tips to Help you Prepare for your Year Abroad

It is very nerve-racking taking a step into the big wide world by yourself and moving away from your family and friends. Well, this is what I'm doing this year and I can tell you it has not been easy to get to this stage. I arrived in China on 27th August and I could not be happier that I am now here, after all the hectic organising over the last few months. There is still a lot to sort out over here as China is very complicated with visas etc, but I can finally relax after registering and officially becoming a student at Fudan University.


Saturday, September 03, 2016

LIVING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD!


GOOOOD MORNING! Guess who finally got internet after a good few days? It was quite nice to have a break from it all but glad to be back in the social-networking world. Been in China 1 week now and I am actually loving it. That sounds surprising but it is for me as I had a vision of the first week feeling homesick, confused and a bit under the weather about the whole "moving abroad" process...I'm the complete opposite though. I have met so many friendly faces (including my crazy flatmate Aneta who I've already planned to travel with), walked around campus a fair amount and settled in to my new home on campus. 

My dorm is average, bit on the small side but I won’t be spending much time in it anyway…all you need is a bed and desk right? Having a balcony is a definite bonus! Did I mention that I’m on the 5th floor and the Chinese like us to struggle and don’t have lifts in many small buildings. Apparently buildings 8 floors and below are listed as “small buildings”, which if you see Shanghai you would agree. One thing I know by the end of this year is I’ll be mega fit, climbing 10 flights of stairs at least 4 times a day…
We ventured off to Lauren’s flat, as she’s living off Campus, and ended up getting caught in the rain storm which we were not expecting. No umbrellas or waterproofs on us; we got soaked through! 


The views from the buildings on campus are pretty insane. We are pretty close to the Bund which is where all the beautiful skyscrapers are, including the second tallest building in the world, the Shanghai Tower.


I went out on Wednesday night with all my friends after seeing my friends in Shanghai, the Percivals, after 4 years, who treated me to a lovely dinner and birthday presents. 
We went to a club called Fusion where my friends surprised me with a birthday cake and endless alcohol, I was not complaining. 


Yesterday was the first proper day where I was able to get out of campus and properly explore around the area and get the metro to other places. Obviously I chose to go to Nanjing East Road (南京东路) which is where the Bund is situated. Just opposite of the metro station is the 4 Floor Forever 21, how could I not take a trip into there? 
I found a cafe for lunch and got a sandwich and juice. Just my luck, I managed to spill all the juice over me half way through my lunch. Even worse, this juice was thick and lumpy so the aftermath was not good. I went back into Forever 21, bought an outfit and changed into it right away. 
I made my way over to The Bund which was packed with locals and a few foreigners and admired the beautiful view. Sadly, the pictures are not the best as I only had my phone with me and it was starting to get dark so it looks dull. 



I also made it to one of the upper market malls, where I definitely did not fit in as I looked like a tramp with a dress and trainers on, no make up, and sweaty hair...not the best look I must admit. 



I am glad to have settled in though. I didn't have time to get over jet lag as I had to be up early everyday. I am so tired still but fighting my way through it! 

 

 Are you following me on Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin' Pinterest ?

NEW FOREST ADVENTURES

Ever think of going out for the day, having a lovely walk or drive through a forest surrounded by wildlife and nature? New Forest is the perfect place for this.



Me and my sister, Lauren, wanted to take a trip together before going our separate ways once again. New Forest seemed the perfect option as it's not too far away, about an hour and a half, and there is plenty to do; pubs, little villages, walking, exploring...


After getting lost and going round circles for quite a while, we managed to park up and venture down to the river. We walked all along the river and eventually found that we would have to cross it at some stage. Lauren attempted to cross numerous times but ended up nearly falling in. 


Eventually we found one place which seemed the most practical and reasonable way; basically a way which would less likely make us fall in. Clearly, I misjudged it as I was very close to falling in. And no, I was not wearing the most practical shoes for this..


We did, eventually, have to walk across the river which was extremely cold but also refreshing as it was very hot on this day.

This was also a good chance to take out my camera and get some nice shots of the landscapes and wildlife. I didn't get the best of shots as the horses can be quite unpredictable so I did not want to be going too near them, especially if they were in a big group.


I love seeing all the horses running wild, across this beautiful part of England. The whole day was just so relaxing and fun to explore around without having to care about time or money.


Have you been to the New Forest before? 

 

 Are you following me on Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin' Pinterest ?
Copyright @ A FabABulous Life. Blog Design by KotrynaBassDesign