White Hot Chocolate with Wipped Cream and Raspberry sause

 

Its Tuesday.

Tuesday is a day thats starting with Chinese and ends with Christmas Choir. Between these two things are a lot of meetings. Ive told you before, right? Now Ive told you twice.

 

Its three days until December.

December is a Christmas month. 

I Love December.

 

Look what I got from my best friend Starbucks;

Its one of the Christmas News for this year. White Hot Chocolate with Wipped Cream and Raspberry sause. Heavenly delicious!

Thank You Starbucks!

 

And look what I got from Linneas mummy;

An Advents Calendar

Thank You Monica!



No Worries, Just More Life Experiences

We’ve just had our first lesson with the passionate history teacher Paul Lee. He teaches about the Chinese history from the Qing dynasty, around 1840. It’s so interesting! We had a lesson for nearly three hours and it felt like thirty minutes! There are so many crazy things that have happen in this country. Paul Lee told us about a kid that became the emperor of China when he was four years old. That emperor got killed when he was twenty years old and his three years old cousin became emperor instead. Further on this new emperor got poisoned to death by his stepmother when he was twenty years old. I don’t understand how you can allow a four year old be the ruler of a whole country with hundred millions of people? And the fact that this emperor literally can do whatever he wants doesn’t make this easier to understand. This was just hundred years ago! I hope to understand more next lesson.

When talking about strange things; there are many strange things about this week. Not just because I have had egg and stuff in my hair. I have black nail polish this week (Yes, sis I do, and I wrote it here just for you.) But that’s not all; I have been super-tired and felt asleep in my teacher’s sofa, in the backstage and on my bag in my room in the middle of the day. I have not been dancing at Dangsters at all. Ive been eating real Tacos (Thanks Karin!) I have not been drinking coffee in the morning. I have made my own Contemporary/Modern dance choreography for no reason to the song; You Found Me – The Fray. The strawberry- season just started here so there are strawberries everywhere. I have bought an old bike and done my best to make it as ugly as I could (so that none will steal it again). That’s a normal week in a normal Swedish girl´s life in China. To be continued. . .

And now you are all very curious about my home made hair mask. I’m gonna be honest, I’m not recommending you to have honey, raps oil and egg in your hair. Okay, you can have it if you want, it’s not bad… but it’s not extremely good either. I didn’t feel any difference at all. I just had to wash my pillow case some extra times and didn’t have any honey for my morning tea. But no worries, just more life experiences! Bye!

 

 

Little Chair, Little Chair, Lovely, Lovely Friend

I have honey, raps oil and egg in my hair. I’ve never had honey, raps oil and egg in my hair at the same time before. No, this is not a typical Chinese thing to do. My sweet roomy Linnea told me that it’s good to have these tree things in your hair, so I trusted her. It smells disgusting thou… I’m gonna to tell you if I recommend it or not tomorrow.

Anyway the reasons why I haven’t been writing to you for nearly a week is because of lack of Internet and lack of time. Sorry guys, but I’ve actually been very busy. December is getting closer and that means that we have thousand things to prepare for different big Christmas events. I know I’ve told you this before, but if you may have forgotten I’m telling you again. I was told yesterday that the Christmas Fair, where I’m going to sell Glögg and sing, is an event for more than thousand people! Thousand people are a lot of people. Awesome.

John was in charge of English Corner this Monday and made us all create songs. My group had to create a song about a chair. We made a wonderful song with moves from the Ganamstyle- dance and part of the melody from the Jingle Bell- song.

Here is the lyric;

Verse 1:

We are sitting on chairs.

You are sitting on a chair.

We are all sitting on chairs.

All of us on chairs.

When you feel tired you can rest on a chair.

Rap part/ Bridge:

A yellow chair, a big chair, a hard chair, a colorful chair, a soft chair there is so many kinds of chairs.

Refrain:

Little chair, little chair my lovely, lovely friend.

Little chair I hope our love will never, never end.

I’m not gonna show you the awful video from this little performance, so you better use your best  imagination skills to figure out what this looked like.

To prepare for this important month that is getting closer we have had some meetings like; Class meetings, Christmas meetings, Stage meetings, Christmas meetings, Advent meetings, Christmas Fair meetings, Christmas meetings and Gallery meetings. Most of these meetings took place on my Tuesday. The first Christmas Choir practice that I told you about, took place this Tuesday as well, and it was even better than I hoped for. Singing Christmas songs together with other people is one of my favorite things in the world. Believe it or not, but there were more boys than girls in this year’s Christmas Choir. I think that is a good thing.

It’s time for jazz concert. I’m in charge of the sound. Yeah I’ve got some sound skills too.

See ya.

Starbucks Dance Dance Starbucks And Hamburgers

A Very Happy Sunday

Woke up between Linnea and John and began my morning with a cosy movie and extra salty porridge. Packed some dance clothes and some Chinese homework and went down town. Settled down at Starbucks and bought a fantastic Coffee Latte Grande served in a red mug with Christmas trees on. Met one of my favourite chines friends at Starbucks (its not common to "just meet someone you know" without an appointment in this town, but I did!). Had a long interesting conversation about how we treat and feel about old people in Sweden VS in China. I felt so important and international sitting there and discuss this important subject with a chines guy on an other side of earth . 

I think I actually got some Important-Life-Experience-Points! 

 Went to Dangsters for a Popping lesson at three. Realised that Ive become more skilled at popping my upper body, but have a really hard time popping my legs. I was very angry at my legs this lesson because they didnt move as I wanted them to. That might be the only bad this about this Sunday. . . !

 Met up the Latte- guy again for a great Jazz lesson and more Chinese studdies outside Starbucks. Its pretty useful beeing with a chinese person while trying to learn Chinese. And an other thing; Its not cold in the evening - I love that! 

Went home around eight and was served delicious hamburgers by Ellen and John. Thank You guys! Finnished my Sunday on a bed in front of an absolutelly too thrilling movie about kidnapped kids. ( I closed my eyes so often that I felt asleep after an half hour.) But it was nice anyway.

Woke up around three aclock in the night by John who was laughing while sleeping. Cute.

And now its Monday and John told me he woke up in the middle of the night while I was laughing while sleeping. Intressting. Anyway I just saw Step Up Revolution and Im in need of dancing now. 

Gotta check my dance scedule. 

Getting ready for a new week. 

Gonna begin with the Christmas Choir tomorrow. Exsiting!

I guess you already noticed

I´m trying to learn Popping from YouTube, I´m drinking coffee (fejk coffee. . . I'm not at Starbucks) and I´m eating delicious dumplings. We truly have the best dumplings in town 100 meters from our apartment. That's awesome!

Oh I just got the YouTube-video from our Flash Mob BTW. 

 Check it out!

FlashMob Oct 2012

I love my dance school. I Guess you already noticed. 

I'm going there tonight for MV Jazz and Girl style.

Something more I wanna say? Well, there is a lot to say. I just don't really know how to say it. I mean, I have thousands of feelings about living here in China. Its like nothing I ever experienced before. Not just because of the fact that I get too much attention over here. Did I tell you that I nearly caused a really bad traffic accident by just smiling to a truck driver? Well I did. Its also because of these huge culture differences between Sweden and China. There is so many thing that is hard for me to understand. Things that all the Chinese think is totally obvious. Like not having seat belts for example, or peeing on the sidewalks, or sleeping on the sidewalks, or eating bird seeds and green beans as snax instead of Twix and chips. An other thing; I'm kind of sick of being misunderstood. Especially when I'm proudly telling a Chinese sentence that Ive just learned to someone and they response by looking like a question mark. 

?

And what about my classmates? 

Ehm; John is sick, Johanna just cut her hair, Filip have bought three packages of  Moon cakes, Louise is sick, Ellen want to eat Sushi for lunch and Linnea prefer going to the market buying Brown Rise instead staying here and talking with me. 

I love them all anyway. I guess you already noticed.

My 5Y lunch. The most deliscious dumplings in town and Tea ofcourse.

 Chinese workers sleeping on the sidewalk.

 Supersweet Ellen eating her favourite lunch.

HEJDÅ

Here Is A bit of Everything

Hey People!

If you followed The News you know that China got a new leader. That leader made it harder for me to reach Internet. Not good. . . But anyway; I found some Internet now, so HERE WE GO!

If you guys have been following my blog since I started it, than you know that I have to sing a Chinese song in front of a quite big audience. Ive just got my Chinese song from two of my Chinese friends named Tommy and Peter (that's their English name... I have no idea how to spell their Chinese names.) So I'm doing my best to try to learn this super complicated lyrics. Its kind of hard to learn, but Tommy and Peter actually said that my pronunciation was perfect while I tried to sing it. Chinese have a lot of different tones in their language, which I think is really difficult, but you don't need this tones while singing. That's why I think its so much easier to sing. I think I'm gonna sing every time I wanna say something in Chinese. 
Smart Olivia!
. . .

Mum wanted me to take more pics.

I told her there is nothing to shoot.

Mum said; Take pics of everything!

I said; Okay.

Here is a bit of everything;

This is what we look like most of the time nowadays.
Hard studying Johanna and hard studying Ellen.

 This is what my notebook looks like most of the time nowadays.
Chinese characters. Chinese characters. Chinese characters.

 This is what my food looks like most of the time nowadays.
My new favourite; Carrot soup and valnutbread.

 This is what our choir looks like most of the time nowadays.
Preparing for Lucia celebration.

 This is what the exhibition at my work looks like nowadays.
A part of the beautiful exhibition TCG Nordica.

 This is what my way to school, and a policeman looks like nowadays.
On my way to the University together with Ellen and Linnea.

This is what a Chinese painting lesson looks like nowadays.
Painting stones and threes.

 This is also what some lessons look likes nowadays.
Energy is gone. Friday afternoon. An other Chinese lesson.

 This is what my best thing this week looked like.
I found a Starbucks.
Starbucks had Real, Heavenly Delicious Coffee, Christmas decorations and Christmas music.

I Love, I love, I LOVE!!

 This is what a normal line of people who wanna pass the street looks like nowadays.
On my way to Dangsters.

 This is what the reataurantpart of my work looks like nowadays.
TCG Nordica.

 This is what a presentation in Chinese History looks like nowadays.
I'm playing guitar and Filip is drawing while John presented the Jin Dynasty.

That's a bit of everything.

Going to lovely Starbucks again, and after that Popping lesson at Dangsters, and after that Mios 4year old Party, and after that (I hope for) Ellen's food, and after that Movie night.

Good Sunday.

And BTW. I heard that some people felt bad because they are following my blog without knowing me. Gosh; don't feel bad! I LOVE that You are following this blog! Please feel free to make comments, likes and to show my blog to everyone you know. Its a blog for everyone who's interested, not just for my family and closest friends. Otherwise I would make it private. Its not privet. Its for You. Just so you know.

Bye E V E R Y O N E

A part of this long story called; My Life

 

Hello Everyone its Thursday!

 

This is a day when I'm missing things. I miss things like these awkward "Girl talks" with my best girlfriends. I miss wrestling with my sis. I miss being welcomed home by my little dog. I miss teasing with my cousins. I miss these crazy summerdays at La Quercia and I miss daddy's coffee machine.

Or actually I don't MISS this things, because I don't feel bad about this feeling... I'm just so happy to have these things as a part of my life.

 

Thank´s God For These Gifts.

 

An other thing about today; I have muscle pain since my little visit at the gym this Monday. I have this kind of muscle pain that gives you pain while laughing, coughing, getting up from bed and walking on stairs. Ive never truly understood the mix between "take it easy" and "be at the gym". When Im at the gym its usualy more like; "Use your body until you cant use it anymore." I could literally not pick myself up from the last exercise machine. I don't think I need to go there again for at least a week. The massage yesterday didn't help at all, it was just veeery hurtful. I don't wanna complain thou, because in some way I like muscle pain. It just feels good to tell someone that Ive been exercise hard. And now You know. Feel free to feel sorry for me.

 

I had a Swedish lesson with some Chinese guys yesterday. Their so cute speaking Swedish! I noticed they are very good saying; Fisk och Potatis (that's "fish" and "potatoes" in Swedish) and they are very bad saying; Kött och Öl (that's "meat" and "bear" in Swedish). Did you know that Chinese pronounce; "O" like the Swedish "Å", "E" like the Swedish "Ö" and "U" like the Swedish "O"? That makes it a bit hard for us to learn each others language. Hard but fun!

 

 Swedish for Chinese.

Concentrated Chinese students.

 

Here you can see how fun m classes are.

Hehe.

 

 I teached my Chinese students how to order food in Sweden.

- Vad vill du äta?

 - Vad vill du dricka? 

Going to Nordica for Choir and to continue preparing for the Exhibition Opening tomorrow. Dangsters tonight.

. . .

 

Ciao Ragazzi! Avere una buona giornata!

/ Olivia

People will always be people

I’m starting to realize that I’m in China. I’ve been living here for more than two months, but it’s still confusing and a bit difficult to truly understand that I am living here. A year ago, if someone would tell me that I was going to live in China for one year, I would never believe him. Most of my friends back home thought that this China trip was some kind of joke until I started to pack my stuff and wished them a Merry Christmas in advanced. Everything felt very strange here in the beginning; the traffic, the way of eating, the food, the language, the characters, the people, the markets and the weather. But to be honest; this life doesn’t feel so wacky anymore. I’m actually a bit disappointed that China and the Chinese people are not as strange as I thought they would be. You know what? The Chinese people are exactly as Swedish people . . . but with a different growth. If I grew up in China I think that I would love to eat chicken feet and I think that I would think Europeans looked odd with our big noses and white skin. It just hit me that people will always be people no matter where you are. People want to have friends. People need to eat and sleep. People are scared to be scared. And people love to feel loved. This might seem very obvious to you. I thought it was obvious to me to, but OBVIOUSLY it wasn’t.

Have been studying Chinese and eating salted almonds the whole morning. I’m going to the gym with Linnea now. I need to exercise all my Popping- muscles. Have a great day people!

Lot of Love/

Olivia

People

People

 People

People

 People

 People

 

 

[All credit to Filip for the beautiful pictures that I stole]

 

Hurray Its Finally Sunday

 

Its finally Sunday. Sunday is our free day. I like Sundays.

 

I'm trying to figure out what I have been doing this week? I cant remember more than what I did yesterday. Yesterday started with breakfast at 8.30. I'm not eating yogurt and bananas for breakfast anymore. I'm eating porridge with milk. Its so nice to change breakfast some times.  Its like starting a new era of your life changing to a new breakfast. And new eras are good. I truly recommend it!  After breakfast, and a big cup of coffee, I took the 62-bus to TCG Nordica where we spend our morning taking down the exhibition. I ate noooodles with scrambled egg for lunch. Surprised? We got a little break after lunch where John and I played piano and sang Christmas songs. I told ya its allowed in November! And November it is. Gosh, Christmas songs makes me so happy!

 

Our Saturday afternoon lesson is a lesson called Reflection and Portfolio. That's a lesson where we are sharing our feelings and our experience from the past week. We are sharing our favourite pic from the week, our best moment of the week and our worst moment of the week. This lesson we also sat in a circle and got forced to say something we appreciated about each other. Everyone felt really uncomfortable about this in the beginning, since we were not allowed to say easy things like; "You are kind", "I like your hair" or "You are a good photographer". But it ended up being a wonderful lesson. It felt so good to say all these things that I'm grateful for about my classmates. I really do love them, so now I hope that they truly understand that. And I had a hard time not to cry when they said all these beautiful things they appreciated about me. Thank you Cornelia for this lesson. <3

 

After this uplifting lesson I went to Dangsters for a Popping Workshop from a French guy named Titi. It was a great lesson, even thou I noticed that I have so much more to learn before I can be a good popping dancer and the fact that the lesson was in French translated to Chinese. Finished the lesson with a Free Style Battle. Got home around 21.30. Felt asleep directly.

 

And now its finally Sunday. Sunday is our free day. I like Sundays.

 

 Studdying with Linnea at Prague Cafe

 Hot Chocolate

 

Sunday Scedule:

Eat an apple.

Go to Walmart with Linnea and buy things like; oatmeal, raisins and nailpolishremover.

Study Chinese words like; "I want to learn Arabic." and "Are you going to the postoffice?"

Eat dumplings.

Write about the Jin Dynasty.

Have a poppinglesson at Dangsters.

Eat food that Ellen have cooked. Have been longing for her food the whole week.

Have a (projector-) Movie Night an Johns room. 

 

 

Its Allowed To Have Some Christmas Feelings Today

 

Sitting in my classroom writing this post. I'm sitting here because I thought that I might do more important things if I was sitting in an important room. I was wrong about that. I don't know if there actually is a lot of things happening in my life right now, or if it just feels like there is a lot of things going on, because there is a lot of things going on in my head? Anyway, I feel a bit stressed. I don't like this feeling. I'm tired too. Tiredness and stress isn't a good combination.

 

This week has included a lot of studies. A lot of Chinese for example. I have a really hard time trying to learn how to pronounce the Chinese words . . .  and the Chinese characters is not very simple either. I also had a presentation about the Jin Dynasty this morning, and I gotta prepare for my next Dynasty presentation already. I was on a little tea ceremony yesterday BTW. That was nice. Oh! AND All of our Christmas concerts, the New year performance, Advent celebrations and Lucia celebration is approaching too. I cant believe its already November! November means that its allowed to play Christmas songs and to feel Christmas feelings. Is there a better feeling than the Christmas feeling? No its not. There is not so much Christmas feeling in my little city thou. I haven't seen a single little Santa here.

 

Ill teach the Chinese people to celebrate Christmas. But not today. I have thousand other things to do. Like going to my dance school to dance MV Jazz and take a big Coffee Latte on Starbucks.

 

Ill be honest with you, I'm not a happy girl today. But I don't care. Life goes on, and I know it will be better after Ive been visiting Starbucks, danced like a real woman and finished my Chinese homework.

 

So thumbs up!