Day 119: Exams are over!

Okay, so people keep asking me how exams were, and the word I use most often to describe them is "funny." How can exams be funny? I don't hear you ask. Well, it's like this:

Monday morning we had our exam for our all-round Chinese class (which focuses mostly on grammar). Last week, she told us specifically what the questions would be on, to the point of saying, "Paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 of this text will be in the exam." So it was really quite simple. The questions were also really quite easy. Fill in the blank in this sentence, using one of the words in brackets: I would love to go, [BLANK] I can't afford it (but, and, therefore, yesterday). I mean really. And the CHEATING that was going on was unbelievable. I mean to the point that both Nikki and I at one point had to put our head on the desks to keep from laughing too much. A girl sitting near Nikki kept looking at Nikki's answers. In spite of the fact that Nikki and this girl were doing different papers. People were texting each other answers, shouting across the room in Russian to get answers, passing notes, talking etc. It was mental. One girl had her textbook and notes under her desk. And what did the teachers do? Oh yes, nothing. I was too stunned to do anything other than laugh. Best bit - I had finished, and my teacher took my paper, looked through it, gave it back and asked if I wanted to check it again. I said no, I have already checked it, as it's unfair if I get told there are errors and given the chance to correct them, it was my decision to hand my paper in early. She looked at me and asked me if I wanted to check again. I said no again. She asked me again. I said no again. She said, "Right, okay, you can go home then."

Next up was listening, so we went to the listening room, sat down spaced out (this is just my class mind, the Kazakhs sat playing music loudly, sitting next to each other and talking about us in Russian. Then the teachers got there, and we sat around for a while. Then they handed out the topics for the oral exam. My first one was something about which I could deinitely not have spoken. But we're allowed to switch once, and the second one wasn't great, although I could have spoken about it. But we were all sat in a big group discussing the upcoming exam (which seemed to be encouraged almost), and discussing what our topics were, so I switched with Tobin as he didn't like his, so mine was "What do you normally do on Sundays? Decribe step by step your day." The exams started. During the exams, other teachers would go over and interrupt, the Kazakhs were still playing music and talking seriously loudly, and during my exam, the teacher got up and left when I was mid-sentence, without excusing herself or telling whoever needed her that it had to wait two minutes (as I wasn' even going to talk that long). But whatever.

Then it was listening, which was a joke. We answered a lot of the questions before they were read out - it was all stuff we'd heard before, or common sense. For example, "Which is not true: The north is cold, the south is hot, the north-east is hot." Hmm, let's see. The north-east, sharing a border with Siberia, is probably not that warm. Again, there was rampant cheating, to the extent that once the exam was over, one girl had three other people's papers around her, comparing answers and writing in her answers. This was pointed out to a teacher who said, "You shouldn't do that" then let her finish copying. But it was quite nice when people shouted answers, as they were getting them wrong, and it made me feel much better :)

We were finished for the day, so we all headed home, to get ready for a big event that I will tell you more about in the next post.

Then yesterday we had our reading exam. As a test, Nikki kept her textbook on her table to see if the teacher would say anything. She didn't. But the book got in Nikki's way, so she got rid of it anyway. This paper was even easier, and there's one section I swear the majority of readers of this could get pass-marks in. It was supposed to be work out the meaning of the character from the radical. But it was actually, write which of these pictures is part of the character. And I trust most of you could find the 心 in 想 or 木 in 机. I mean really, we're intermediate now. Again, cheating, people coming in late, people we're allowed to leave to go to the toilet etc. A joke.

But hey, I'm confident I got over 90 overall, which converts to a 76.5+ in Newcastle, which replaces a 56 from second year, which would make my average to 76.4, up from 73, which is nice. And means that in 4th year, if I get 67 or more, I get a first for my degree :D Of course, it's possible I get higher next semester here, or in fact got higher than 90. And of course, my average will be 67 in my 4th year, so I think a 1st is definitely achievable :D Especially as I'm sure I'm dropping French now - while I would like to keep it on, it's just too much work. If I can keep my Spanish at a 70 (or higher), Chinese at an 87 (or higher), it means my other three modules need to average 51. Woohoo!

And while we're on the topic, modules I'm thinking of taking next year:

Level C Chinese
Screen Translation: Language, Culture and Subtitling (Chinese)
Level D Spanish
Either Inter-American Relations since the Spanish-American War or Culturas de la Juventad en Latinamerica, Espana y Portugal (Youth cultures in Latin America, Spain and Portugal)
then either Syntax and History of Spanish or Recent Spanish and Mexican Cinema

But of course, I don't have the list of modules available next year, they may add some, or stop some. So we'll see. That's just provisional thoughts.

The sign says "祝大家圣诞快乐" (Merry Christmas)

***LATER THAT DAY***

URUMQI - Police have confirmed reports that the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Mr S. Man (1 day old) are being regarded as suspicious, and are currently searching for the main suspect. His imaged was captured by local CCTV, and police are asking anyone with any information to contact their local police station immediately.

Day 113: Christmas Plans

So, our plans for Christmas are now sorted, and here's the deal:

December 20th, fly to Nanjing, spend a day there.
December 21st, train/bus to Hefei, spend a day there.
December 22nd, train/bus to Suzhou, spend a day there.
December 24th, head for Shanghai, which means the previous bits will be done slightly slower.
December 25th, eat western food in Shanghai.
December 26th, hang out in Shanghai.
December 27th, head to Hangzhou
December 28th, go to Huangshan for the day (Huangshan is one of the five most famous mountains in China, although they say this one is the most of the most.)
December 30th, fly back to Urumqi from Hangzhou, meaning Hangzhou can be done slower, or we can stgay an extra day in Shanghai.

You might get postcards, if I remember.

Day 105: Boredom

Slightly old, I just realise I forgot to actually post this:


我是中国苹果 (I am a Chinese apple)

I bangededed my head (with an arrow pointing to a huge bruise on the left)

你好！我是一个苹果！(Hi! I'm an apple!)

Day 102: Christmas is coming

As Christmas is coming rapidly, we decided we would taken on a little art project. Here is the result:

Nikki's

Catherine's

Mine

Catherine's one, Nikki and I worked on together, although to be fair, Nikki did more of it than I did. Nikki's one I worked on, Catherine helped me at the very end with decorating the boxes. My one, Nikki did alone. It was very exciting to get to open an advent calendar, I have to say. I haven't yet eaten the contents, but that will happen in about 5 minutes I reckon.

We also have a selection of Christmas cards on our fridge too, to try and make it feel a bit more Christmassy.


And Catherine also bought this:

It sings the tune of I Saw Three Ships, but the words are...not. I'm not entirely sure what it is saying to be honest.