Finding Ayi

So, its actually been two and a half months since I left Glasgow International Airport to embark on my year abroad in China, and I can’t believe I’m finding myself saying what everyone would tell me.. but time is passing faster than I thought and I’m actually starting to enjoy it!

While the reason that I’ve put off writing any sort of blog for so long is because my first month or so didn’t go too great, I’m feeling a rush of inspiration to look over my time and think of all the good moments – I won’t bother with all of the bad and ugly for the time being.

So after an amazing three months in Peru and Bolivia doing some volunteer work, but mainly fulfilling my dream of being a travelling bum, my fleeting trip home entailed two weeks of trying to organise visas, say hello to all the friends and family I’d missed for the last three months, get my head around trying to pack for a year in China, eat the food I’d been craving all summer, a 5 day break in Rome(!) and some very emotional goodbyes…

I honestly couldn’t wait for the flight just for some peace and quiet. Luckily, it was cancelled so I had the whole trip worrying if, that when I arrived four hours late, someone would still be waiting for me at Dalian airport to take me to wherever the hell I was supposed to be going. Thankfully, no problems! In fact there was a very nice Chinese student with a large piece of paper with my name on it (that’s the second time this year.. awesome!) not that I’m particularly hard to spot amongst my fellow flyers. I was also very happy to hear this student, who had named himself Scar (I still have no idea why), was a very apt English speaker and saved me the embarrassment of trying to remember anything from those few Chinese lectures that I actually attended over the last two years… (Oh I remember…! Wo shi aidingbao daxue xuesheng…Boo ya!)

Now, I’m happy to say that I’m really lucky to be staying where I am in Dalian, I’ve got a great Chinese Auntie, “Ayi”. Although I probably appreciate her more because I’ve already had two pretty rubbish places to stay!

First there was the shared “hotel” room, which although I had a lovely Korean room mate and Phil across the hall, I also had an 11pm curfew, a hardly existent kitchen and the prospect of living in a dank hotel for one year. Working out that for around the same amount of money I could stay with a host family in a real house, get two meals a day, and speak a ton of Chinese... I promptly moved out after one night. I think I lasted that host family about ten days. After a few weird incidents with my host mum telling me about the neighbours seeing me (again I kinda stick out) and not allowing me and my friend to sit on the couch in case somebody saw us… sitting… I was told by my teacher that I was getting thrown out! As it turns out my house was in an army run housing estate which didn’t allow foreigners, a small fact that must have slipped that woman I was meant to call my “China Mum”. Then, to make me feel even better, asked me what was taking me so long to get my act together and actually leave… Obviously moving out the next day wasn’t soon enough. I have to say I’ve never been so happy to get out of somewhere! After a quick viewing of my current Ayi’s house I knew that it was definitely worth a shot. I’m also pleased to say that despite “China mum’s” half hearted hints that I should come back to visit her and give her my clothes to wash, living on the other side of campus has kept me safely out of view.

Host family number 2: When I say family, really it’s just me and my lovely Ayi, although I see other random family members from time to it’s the two of us sharing a wee flat together. I think I can learn a lot from this woman, one thing I have already noticed in myself is my growing tolerance, never have I seen such an eater, sucking meat out of all sorts of animal parts, talking while slurping, burping, showing me what she’s got in her mouth, for someone who used to get irritated by the slightest sound of chewing I'm getting pretty used to it all. In fact I am impressed she can eat in such a way and not make a mess (after every meal there is always odd piles of foodstuffs between my plate and me) so time to practice slurping me soup.

One thing I am pretty gutted about, is that even though Dalian is on the coast and renowned for producing some delicious seafood delights, I’ve totally gone off fish. It may have been my spout of dodgy belly whilst having to witness Ayi suck the face and brain off a fish, bones and eyes crumbling into the spit bowl, or even that time she took me out to hotpot, and, one by one, massacred a bowl of live prawns by ripping them in half and sucking the flesh from their head then tail leaving the legs still flailing about on her plate, I thought the point of hotpot was to cook things… in the pot… that’s hot... Anyway, along with crab for breakfast and getting those eeny weeny little fish bones stuck in my throat, I’ve been convinced that my only option is to avoid any seafood delicacies as much as physically possible.

I think the thing that’s turned out to be one of the most important aspects of my stay is how comfortable I am here. Not only do I have something that actually resembles a mattress on my bed (most in China consist of mat not much thicker than my grammar textbook). Seriously, Ayi is friggin’ awesome! The house, although covered in lace, is also covered in stuffed toys! And although I find it a bit weird to be looking at some wide eyed mousey type Asian stuffed animal whilst sitting on the fluffy pink seat covered loo, I also find the big love heart pillow featuring a cat on a sun lounger on my bed, and the giant tiger on top of my wardrobe rather comforting. I’ll definitely never be alone in this house.

But honestly, its not JUST the stuffed toys, she’ll go to so much effort to find out what I like to eat, if I have a cold she’ll feed me in bed and get me hopped up on Chinese medicine before class, even when I come home at 3am, after drinking over half a bottle of bourbon (yes I know.. I should have been able to finish it) and quickly make friends with the toilet, she’ll bring me a cup of warm honey water to settle my stomache and ask if it was something I ate.. I love her! And I’m excited to be spending a year here, Ayi is definitely one of the best people in China.