I AM A HERO!

Today was one of the days I’d most been looking forward to- the day of the Great Wall!

Driving up to the foothills of the mountain, the area was enveloped in a thick blanket of mist- giving the Wall a mysterious aura.. however, this was short-lived when we saw the hundreds of people making the climb! The journey up the wall was difficult- intense heat and humidity, hundreds of sweaty bodies jammed in together and a very steep ascent! But after nearly an hour of hard trudging, Luke, Katie, Braden and I reached the penultimate turret.. the end was in sight! Thoroughly exhausted, we decided to buy a Chinese peasant-style hat to help block the sun. And, after what felt like the longest 15 minutes of my life, we reached the top of the Great Wall! J J

Yaaay! We were now ‘true men’, heroes of China! Feeling some sense of misplaced patriotism, we burst into God save the Queen-proudly holding the Union Jack! :P  We began the climb back down still singing, but met various fellows along the way, on their own way to the top- we decided to accompany them to spur them on, so ended up actually making the journey to the top 3 times!

Later we visited the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium, this was far more impressive from the outside than what I’d pictured from the television. Inside was massive, with an amazing view of the pitch and sports facilities. I only have one word for what happened later- NBA! Hahaha :P

That evening was Anne-Marie’s birthday, so a little hotel room party was organised before we all headed out to experience Beijing night life. After mayhem with the taxis, most of us ended up at a small bar with a live Chinese band- we even had some of our own star fellows performing on stage with the talented Sierah and Zac! Then Toles took us to an international club that was brilliant- we literally took over the platform stage, dancing til the early hours..

Today has definitely been the best so far. We could directly compare old and modern China, with the ancient Great Wall and the state-of-the-art Olympics stadium and modern Beijing nightlife. Even though in the centre of Beijing we experience modern, fast China, today strongly emphasised that it is a country steeped in history and culture that far surpasses our own.

Today we were formally welcomed to China and began Mandarin lessons. Lunch was very tasty, a mixture of about 20 spicy Chinese dishes served on a large round table. Chopstick handling is improving!

Later on, we had a lecture on the Chinese economy, which I found really interesting (as a prospective Economics student) and having studied China as a Newly Industrialising Country in A-Level Geography. The most surprising thing I learnt was that only 12.7% of Chinese young people go on to Higher Education. Compare this with 63.6% in the UK, and 81.4% in America! It is very difficult to go to university as the entrance exams are very hard; teenagers regularly get up at 6am to start work and work until after midnight in order to study to pass the exams. In contrast with the work ethic of many of my class mates in the UK, I truly admire these Chinese students and believe that reversing this lethargic work ethic of UK students is fundamental to our progress as a nation.

This evening, we had our Welcome Ceremony at the British Embassy. This was a really exciting night. We met our corporate hosts for our time in Shanghai, and many other fascinating top business people. I was especially interested to learn about the Corporate Social Responsibility of a company called Lenovo (largest computer technology company in China), who support vast education projects all over the world. Jerome Ma (the Director of CSR) even offered me a job, a very good job! (perhaps I should have got this in writing!).

Lastly, I was given my Chinese name today! Kē Měi yú, which literally means ‘Beautiful Storm’ J  LOVE IT.

So here I am!.. Finally in Beijing after all these months of waiting, exams and anticipation!

First impression of China? WOW IT’S HOT! Even though we arrived after 11pm, as soon as we stepped off the plane the heat and humidity were intense- especially as we were in British weather clothes. Thank God our rooms have air-con!

We haven’t even been in China for 48 hours yet, but already I love the country!  The people here are so welcoming, and the Beijing Normal Uni staff are so enthusiastic and helpful. Even the normal people on the street are friendly, asking to have lots of photos with us foreigners—they seem to be especially curious about black people and those of us with blue eyes!

First day I woke starving and decided to hit the street food straight away. A few of us had a kind-of spicy chicken eggy-bread sandwich that was cooked in front of us from under the bridge stairs. Very tasty! Lunch later on was also courtesy of the street- Vivek’s vegetarian spicy soy noodles. Actually, ordering street food has been surprisingly difficult- you can’t just point at a menu or sign – instead we just say “yi noodles” a lot of times and end up with something eventually. But we think Shahbaz may have been the first Chinese fellow to eat rabbit unknowingly!

After lunch, we met some Beijing Normal University students. I was with a student called Mandy- she’d named herself after the Westlife song! It was fascinating to talk to someone my own age about everyday life in China, I was especially interested to hear that sexual discrimination is still abundant in China, with many high-middle status jobs (team leader, manager etc) being simply unachievable to women.

To sum up: First impressions of China- welcoming, exuberant and unpredictable!

Ciao amicos J

I’m sipping ice-cold lemonade in a small Sicilian cafe in Scopello to write my first blog. Today we’ve been exploring the Zingaro nature reserve, a mêlée of stunning cliff walks, white pebble beaches and interesting wildlife. Swimming in the sea is definitely a lot warmer than the Irish Sea back home!!

It’s my sixth day in Sicily, and a week after the GF pre-departure in London. Wow, what an action-packed few days! THANKYOU GLOBAL FELLOWSHIP TEAM for your all your hard work and super organisation! J  Saturday was dedicated to getting to know the other Fellows and getting a grip on the language and culture of our designated countries. A couple of hours of intensive mandarin practice later, I could proudly say ‘Wǒ jiào Coulthard Cat’ and nearly remember all the numbers from 1-100 J  Using chopsticks was surprisingly difficult! But I doubt many Chinese people are adept at using them to pick up smarties! The Turkish meal later on was delicious, and a good chance to mingle with all the fellows.

On Sunday we had media and communications work, with four brave fellows facing the intimidating press gaggle. We learnt how not to take videos, and most importantly, interview technique. That night my group ended up wandering down by the Thames, posing for lots of random group photos and spelling GLOBAL FELLOWSHIP with our bodies...

Monday morning we all headed off to our work placements, I was with Pearson. Not knowing much about the company beforehand, some quick research told me they were a publishing group in the UK. Actually, Pearson is a huge global company with a substantial presence in over 100 countries! They are the largest educational company in the world, owning the exam board Edexcel, the Financial Times and The Economist. Furthermore they have established many adult and children’s educational book series, such as Dorling Kindersley, Penguin and Puffin. They run literacy programmes on all the global continents, and see themselves as fuelling the knowledge economy. A term that I’d never come across before! This focus on knowledge means it has many Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives operating globally, an aspect I’m really keen to find out more about in Shanghai!

One of the things I’ve really picked up on from the weekend has been the diversity of the group. We all come from contrasting backgrounds, races and parts of the country. The fact that the GF is not just a 6-week adventure this summer has been truly emphasised over the weekend. Indeed, the GF Alumni exists to co-ordinate later fellow efforts. Between us we have future geographers, scientists, economists, doctors, CEOs and politicians. The GF experience is far from over come September, it is just the beginning!