Sunburn on the second Advent

Another two exciting weeks are coming to an end. What happened: Slowly but surely, Christmas spirit is also emerging here in faraway Shanghai. Despite absurd prices and definitely too high temperatures to get into a real Christmas market mood, we were at a 'traditional' Christmas market organized by a genuine Münchner. There was mulled wine, Nürnberger sausages, gingerbread, a little Christmas music, and many many Germans looking for a bit of home feeling. Nevertheless, I have to admit that I miss my flammbrot with Mama at the Münchener Freiheit market :)

In the following week, cinema, a girls' evening on my balcony, and Antonin's birthday were on the program. The evening at the cinema was more or less successful. We wanted to see 'Fantastic Beasts', but we saw 'forgot the name, something by W. Wenders' after about 20 minutes in the movie theater. Well, it can happen, the new W. Wenders movie wasn't bad either :)

The following evening was all about girl power and spaghetti carbonara. Carmen, Laurenne, Camille, Pauline, and Caro came to my balcony. Together, we indulged in a €10 Parmesan cheese and served a delicious carbonara sauce that we ate in the Eurasian style with chopsticks (due to a lack of kitchen utensils). We spent the evening with full stomachs and relaxed with red wine on the balcony.

In the meantime, work continued to go well. I now stroll into the office with a sense of routine, answer emails and inquiries, prepare events, and plan my lessons. We have lunch together with the team, exchange ideas, and gossip. After work, we usually go straight to the gym to get back in shape after three months of eating and drinking, and in the evening, we cook or have a beer with friends. Just a normal everyday life :)

On Friday night, another event organized by Stepping Stones was on the agenda. With a big dinner, speeches, a raffle, and many drinks, we thanked all the volunteers who were English teachers in various schools for Stepping Stones last semester. It was a successful evening where there was an opportunity to socialize outside of the schools and the office, make new contacts, and exchange ideas. At this point, I can't even count all the people I've met, but I think some of the contacts, especially from Australia, could still be useful....

The next evening, it was time for a long night again. Antonin invited us to his birthday. But of course, the eloquent gentleman from a good family in Paris had specific plans. The program consisted of pre-drinks at his place, departure at 11pm to KTV. I don't know if I've already told you about this very popular phenomenon in China. It's karaoke at a highly professional level. For a fixed price, you get a private room equipped with microphones, screens, and a wide selection of songs. You must bring your own drinks, food, and good mood. As tipsy as possible, you sing together until your voices give out new hits and old classics. In this case, there was an additional challenge. The theme was MTV Music, so at 11pm, three Britney Spears, two Eminems, an Amy Winehouse, a David Bowie, a Bruno Mars, and many other pop stars walked together to the KTV. It was a very funny experience and definitely a must-do here in China....

The following days were relaxed, especially because the energy had to be collected for Bilal's birthday on Thursday. For this special day, another must-do was on the agenda: Teppanyaki. A traditional Japanese affair, but also very popular in China. Like most things here, it involves a lot of eating and drinking. At the beginning, a fixed amount is paid, and then you get a private room with your own chef at a cooking island, a menu with delicious items such as sushi, fish, meat, and vegetables. EVERYTHING can be ordered as many times as you like and the chef prepares it for you live. There's also unlimited beer and wine. The whole spectacle lasts about four hours. So with the whole birthday gang of 15 people, we ate, drank, and danced in two clubs afterwards. It was very fun, very delicious, and very long :)

After this wonderful week, I went to Hong Kong on Saturday, where my two wonderful hosts, Fiametta and Isabell, were already waiting for me. In the afternoon, we went to Santacon. An annual event to honor dear Mr. St. Nicholas. Dressed in red and white, with the familiar hat, thousands of internationals gathered in Hong Kong's bar street to party hard on this Christian holiday. The weather was warm, the mood was cheerful, and I could hardly process that I was suddenly standing in shorts on the street with Fiametta after a 2-hour flight and already had the next beer in my hand......

A little tired but highly motivated by the sunshine, I got on a boat on Sunday morning that took me to Lantau Island. After an hour of sea breeze, I continued by bus to the Tian Tan Buddha. The Buddha Shakyamuni symbolizes the harmonious relationship between humans and nature and overlooks the entire island from a peak. Although the attraction attracts many tourists, I enjoyed the day in the mountains and let myself be carried away by temples and monasteries. In the evening, I had burgers with the girls and a home cinema in the mini apartment where I felt very comfortable, just like my first visit. Early in the morning, I took the subway to the last stop, then took a bus to Shark O'. After about 40 minutes, the bus driver let me off and I hiked up the Dragon's Back. It was warm, windy, the air was good, and I was full of peace and happiness. After about two hours, the hike ended in a small village at Big Wave Bay. Except for me and a few surfers, the beach was completely empty, and I enjoyed the tranquility, read my book, and wrote a little diary. Warmed up by the sun, I also took a swim. Keep in mind that it was December 11th and I was lying on the beach, cooling off from the sunshine in the water, unbelievable... Completely overwhelmed, I forgot, of course, that sun and fair skin usually don't go well together, and I returned to the city in the afternoon with a very red face. We made a few stops on the way home, and in the evening, the girls introduced me to Mr. Chao. A small street restaurant in the busy shopping street in Mongkok. A completely crazy typical Chinese person welcomes you and for just €8, you get All-You-Can-Eat and, of course, drinks :) a beautiful place to end a wonderful trip. Even after my first visit, I quickly fell in love with Hong Kong, but after the second trip, I didn't want to leave. The atmosphere, the weather, and the amazing surroundings make the city truly worth living in. Definitely a place where you could stay longer :) luckily, my two girls, Fiammi and Isabella, plan to stay there for a while, so there will still be a place to go...

Even though Shanghai greeted me with rain and cold, it was still nice to come home. My last week at Stepping Stones and with my class was approaching. Even though my time at the school seemed short, I had grown fond of the children and it was even more difficult to say goodbye on Wednesday. At the end of the class, I received 30 self-made paper boats with kind messages and wishes for Teacher Lena. A nice feeling!

The time at Stepping Stones was exactly what I was looking for. I experienced how a Chinese organization works, how Chinese colleagues tick, I looked at the work of an NGO from different areas, helped with events, and worked with children at the same time. I visited rundown, poor areas and schools in Shanghai, attended events at modern international top schools, had contact with NGOs from all over China, and met people from all over the world. My work reference is more than satisfactory, and if I ever want to return to Shanghai, my boss Corinne Hua, founder of the company, is more than willing to offer me a job. So the resume can definitely speak for itself:)

Now I'm looking forward to a week without work, without school, without plans, and to my upcoming visit on Friday!!

I'm sending you all big hugs and kisses