I have been back to China for almost a week now and have pretty much settled in. Thankfully, due to iron willpower, I managed to overcome my yet-lag quite quickly by trying my very hardest to adapt to the local time as soon as I arrived. I am now back to my usual 6am to 11pm days of work, reading, running and yoga.
I must admit though, my sentiments upon my return took a bit of a real roller-coaster ride. After having spend quite some time back in ‘pleasantville’ I was reluctant to embark on my journey back to the other side of the planet. As I arrived, the heat and humidity greeted my like a punch in the face and I was once again facing the prospect of very limited interaction with my surroundings. Driving through the streets of Ningbo however, heading towards the University, the familiarity of the roads, buildings and even the chaotic driving made me feel somewhat back on my big adventure …
I have moved since my return and am now overlooking a rather different view than before:
vs. 
Guess which I prefer? It’s particularly spectacular in the evenings when the sun goes down and, due to the dust and pollution in the air, the sky is drenched in a vibrant, dark orangey red. Unfortunately I got back from the office too late the other day to take a picture and post it here now, but I shall do as soon as I manage. Speaking of the office, it’s become my second home at the moment, as I am currently inundated in lecture preparation and dissertation marking.
I have also been rather busy and adventurous off campus. Had dinner in town, at the famous Ningbo fish restaurant Shipu, with a friend and one of the editors of the Telegraph, which was nice. Also had a little wander through some of the old parts of Ningbo which surround the old library on the weekend. Similar to my visits in Shanghai, I find this side of China far more interesting than the big concrete blocks which were built in the last 40 years.
So, as always, I shall be reporting on my impressions of, and adventures in ä¸å›½. On the weekend I’m off to Shanghai and then my next big trip is to Japan in 2 weeks time. Am missing out on the mid-autumn festival in China, however I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to get away from the traditional moon cake merry-go-round. During mid-autumn festival, moon cake gets passed around as a way of showing your appreciation and respect to your friends and family; I am told however, that no one actually really likes moon cake and so, instead of eating it, they are passed on from owner to owner until the festival week is over. Can’t wait!
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Is the title of this post supposed to have question marks where the who and the where is meant to be or is that a result of the local webmaster’s editing?