Steve's sandbox

Author: Steve Evans

  • Struan Rutherford, Hong Kong – March 2015

    香港，澳门和北京

    二月后面，我去了香港来在英国领事馆贸易和投资部门工作。虽然实习很短，但是这样工作是非常好了解英国领事馆工作的机会因为我参加贸易和投资部门的研究。还有，我改善我英国公司在亚太区工作的认识。我的研究围绕东亚娱乐场发展的英国企业机会。

     

    而且，我去了澳门一天。虽然我只在澳门一天，但是我早上探险城市历史性的市中心，下午去路氹城，新兴赌博中心。市中心的风景非常漂亮。殖民时期的建筑，葡萄牙传统食品和太阳都混合来创造欧洲性的气氛。市中心跟路氹城对比因为路氹城的天际线被赌场的摩天大楼充满。我进去‘澳門威尼斯人度假村酒店’，在里面重新威尼斯运河的巨大赌场。天花板被照明来创造永久白天的错觉所以赌客不要回家。香港和澳门都非常激动城市，他们都有很独特东西文化的混合，我希望我未来能回去！

    夏天快快来到中国。两个星期前，北京的气温还零度左右，不过天气变化很快。很多人说北京实际上只有两个季节：夏天和冬天。由于现在天气不断至少十七度，我肯定同意。我认为两个星期后北京夏天来到。我大概愿望天气再冷所以我需要现在享受北京很短的‘春节’！

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    At the end of February, I went to Hong Kong to do some work in the Trade and Investment department of the British Consulate. Although my internship was short, it was a great opportunity to learn about the work of the British Consulate as I was able to assist with research being undertaken in my department. I also improved my understanding of the work of British firms in the Asia-Pacific region. My research revolved around opportunities for British companies in the development of resorts in East Asia.

    I also got the chance to visit Macau for a day. I was only in Macau for one day but I managed to spend the morning exploring the historic town centre and the afternoon in Cotai, the newly developed gambling strip. The town centre was beautiful. The colonial architecture, Portuguese traditional food and sunshine combined to create a European atmosphere. This contrasted strongly with Cotai, where towering casinos dominated the skyline. I explored the Venetian, a huge casino which has recreated the canals of Venice inside. The ceiling was illuminated to give the illusion of perpetual daytime so gamblers never want to return home. Both Hong Kong and Macau were hugely exciting cities with unique combinations of Eastern and Western cultures, I hope I am able to return in the future!

    Summer is quickly coming to China. Only two weeks ago, temperatures in Beijing were still hovering around zero but the weather is quickly changing. Many people have said that Beijing in reality only has two seasons: Summer and Winter. Due to the weather now consistently being at least 17 degrees, I definitely agree with this. I’m sure in two weeks it will be Summer and I’ll be wishing it was cold again so I’ll have to enjoy Beijing’s short ‘Spring’ now!

  • Imogen Page-Jarrett – Harbin Snow & Ice Festival, 2015

    哈尔滨冰雪节

    二月底我和莫宁同学去参观中国最北方黑龙江的哈尔滨冰雪节。一年一度的哈尔滨冰雪节持续一个月，大型冰雕、滑冰、冰上赛艇、狗拉雪橇、街边冰质酒吧以及冰灯等等比比皆是。冰雕里有彩灯，形成各种各样的模型。因为今年是羊年，一进冰雪大世界就能看到巨大雪做的羊雕。还有一个300米大冰滑梯，英国广播公司网站首页发布的。滑下来非常可怕，不能控制速度，到最后滑得越来越快！

    冰雪大世界置于穿过哈尔滨市大河的对面。除了冰雪大世界意外，冰冻的大河上也举办很多冰雪相关的活动。越野车啊、滑雪场啊、冰屋啊，甚至还有白狐狸啊都有。还可以做缆车，在天上穿过下面河上所有的活动。所有年龄的人搜在参加，都在冰上摔倒！

    哈尔滨城市发展较晚。1900年前主要还是一个小渔村。哈尔滨的发展归因于俄罗斯与欧洲大量的犹太人。犹太人因家乡的种族及宗教歧视而逃跑到靠近俄罗斯边缘的哈尔滨。现代哈尔滨的建筑大量是被犹太社会盖得。我和莫宁推荐去哈尔滨的游客去参观哈尔滨的教会堂，还得去中央街，两边都是俄罗斯式的建筑。我们在犹太教堂里参加了一场笑音乐会，演员都是哈尔滨本地音乐学校的学生，演的非常漂亮，环境很有历史感。我们还特别喜欢圣索菲亚大教堂，是拜占庭式建筑的典型代表。

    哈尔滨的好吃有西式俄罗斯的，还有东北的，韩国的。逛街时，总能看到人在吃著名的马迭尔冰棍儿，是哈尔滨中央大街特色冷饮，有奶油色，特好吃。很让我吃惊的是，在哈尔滨人喝热可口可乐！不可思议会好喝的！

    哈尔滨人因高身材、浪漫的性格而有名。据俗话，跟那边的男人交往非常有刺激，可是因为不靠谱，太浪漫的性质，而不应该嫁给那边的男人。

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    Harbin Snow and Ice Festival 20th March 2015

    At the end of February I went with my classmate Nina to the Snow and Ice Festival in Harbin, Heilongjiang.  Once a year the Harbin Snow and Ice Festival is held for one month. You can find large-scale sculptures, ice-skating, ice “rowing”, husky sleds, ice bars on the side of the streets and ice lanterns all about the place. Inside the ice sculptures are coloured lights, and the sculptures take on all kinds of forms. This year is the year of the goat, and thus as soon as you walk in the Ice and Snow World you can see a giant sculpture of a goat sitting there. There is also a 300 metre long ice slide, which made the front page of the BBC’s website. It was terrifying to ride, as you couldn’t control the speed and you just got faster and faster the further you went!

    The Ice and Snow World is situated on the other side of the large river running through Harbin. Aside from the Ice and Snow World, there are also lots of snow and ice related activities on the frozen river. There are snow buggies, ice skating rinks, igloos and even snow foxes. You can also take a cable car up into the sky to see the bustle down below. There are people of all ages participating and falling all over the place.

    Harbin’s development came comparatively late. Up until 1900 it was still a small fishing village. The reason for its development are the large number of Jews who came over from Europe and Russia. Facing discrimination at home, the Jewish people fled to Harbin, near the Russian border. A lot of modern Harbin’s architecture was built by the Jewish community. Me and Nina would recommend going to see the synagogues, and also to Zhongyang (Central) Street, which has Russian-style buildings on all sides. We also went to see a concert inside the main old synagogue. The performers were all studying at Harbin’s college of music, they performed quite beautifully, and the setting had a very historic feel to it. We also really enjoyed Saint Sofia Cathedral, which is a beacon for Byzantine architecture in the region.

    Harbin cuisine is comprised of Russian style, Dongbei Chinese and Korean style, principally. When walking along the street, you can always see someone eating the famous “Modern” ice-lolly, which is local to Zhongyang Street itself. It’s very creamy and delicious. What made me most surprised was that in Harbin they sell hot Coca Cola. I can’t believe that that would taste nice!

    The people of Harbin are well known for their tall stature and romantic natures. The saying goes that it’s very exciting to date a man from Harbin, but because they are unreliable and “too” romantic, one should not go so far as to settle down with one!

     

  • Emily Martin, Beijing. China – March 2015

    最近， 我有难得的好机会在小花寄养院做自愿工作。小花寄养院养父母买不起孩子的意愿费的有厉害病症小孩子。小花寄养院跟医院合伙以治疗疾病然后让小孩子回家，在社会融合。

    每个星期我帮助喂食在小花寄养院的婴儿以及跟比较大的孩子玩儿。虽然大部分的孩子有厉害损伤 – 最多的是心血管疾病 – 小花寄养院尽量合作让他们的生活快乐。小花寄养院非常干警，非常欢迎性，为了创造好像家庭的气氛，有几个一对夫妇住在小花寄养院充当父母。

    做自愿工作显然很好玩儿，也让我感觉我做一件好事，在寄养院也透露中国医疗保健的制度怎么样。可能表示中国社会的许多矛盾，中国医疗保健完全不跟我设想的相同。虽然百分之九十五的中国人有医保，大部分的医院设在私营，以前支付的模式。

    虽然近几年1990年代改革以后医疗保健水平逐年提高，面对医疗保健制度最厉害的问题还是农村和城市的差距。有的医院成为开拓性研究，以及许多在城市医院使用现代的技巧和设备。不过在贫穷的农村，医院厉害地落后发达国家的水平。并且，许多住在农村人买不起基本保健。

    这是小花寄养院正在试着缓解的问题。由于住在农村的孩子可不到或父母买不起即使基本保健手续，他们的前途茫茫的。虽然最近的改革帮助减少城市农村的医疗保健差距，解决问题的方法只是通过减少更大的城市农村的生活水平差距。

    不巧由于保护孩子的原因，我不能上传莫壮孩子的照片，但是在http://chunmiaolittleflower.org/ 发现更多信息和照片。

     

    The toddler play area at Chunmiao home

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:-

    Volunteering at Chunmiao Little Flower home

    Over the last few weeks, I’ve been lucky enough to have the chance to do some volunteering at Chunmiao little flower baby and children’s home. The home takes in severely disabled babies and children from all over China, whose parents can’t afford the healthcare costs of looking after them. Paired with a local hospital, the home gets them medical treatment and with the long term aim of sending them back home into the community.

    I spend time each week helping to feed and look after the resident babies, and play with the older children. While most of the children are very severely disabled, most commonly with cardiovascular problems, Chunmiao home tries to make their lives as good as possible. The home itself is incredibly clean and welcoming, and there are live-in couples who act as adopted parents to the children to create a family atmosphere.

    While volunteering is obviously very enjoyable and rewarding, it also reveals a lot about the healthcare system in China. Perhaps representative of the many contradictions of Chinese society, healthcare provision is not at all what I expected for such a nominally socialist country. While 95% of the Chinese population have health insurance, most hospitals and clinics are run on a private, upfront-payment model.

    While standards have improved drastically in recent years since reforms in the 1990s, the main problem facing the system is the rural-urban disparity. Some hospitals in Beijing have become pioneering research centres, and many urban hospitals use modern techniques and equipment. On the other hand, hospitals in poor rural areas lag far behind the standard set by the developed world, and many people in the countryside cannot afford even basic healthcare provision.

    This is the problem that Chunmiao home is attempting to alleviate. Many rural children with long term health problems have bleak futures as even the most basic lifesaving medical procedures that they need aren’t available where they live or are prohibitively expensive for their parents. While recent reforms are attempting to bridge the rural-urban healthcare disparity, the problem will only be solved once the wider rural-urban wealth divide is narrowed.

    Unfortunately I can’t upload photos of the children themselves for child protection reasons, but visit the home’s website at http://chunmiaolittleflower.org/ for more information and photos.

     

  • Phoebe Ellis, Germany – March 2015

    Meine Ankunft in Jena

    Hallo! Ich heiße Phoebe Ellis und ich bin eine Studentin auf Sheffield Hallam Universität. Als Teil meines Kurs werde ich für 18 Monaten in Deutschland zu wohnen. Für sechs Monaten werde ich auf der Univerität Jena studieren und dann möchte ich ein Praktikum auch in Deutschand machen.

    Ich bin am letzten Donnerstag in Jena angekommen. Das war meine erste Zeit in Jena und soweit denke ich, dass es einen sehr schönen Stadt ist. Jena liegt im Mitteosten von Deutschland in Thüringen. Jena war auch ein Teil der ehemaligen Deutschen demokratischen Republik.

    Meine Reise nach Jena war ziemlich einfach, flog ich nach Berlin und dann mit dem Zug nach Jena gefahren. Ich bin dann mit dem S-Bahn nach meine Wohnung gefahren. Es war ein sehr langes Tag und es wurde so nett ins Bett zu gegangen. Meine Wohnung ist prima und ich habe viele Fotos aus mein Heimat und Verzierungen aufgehängt. Es fühlt jetzt ein bisschen wie zu Hause.

    Ich habe hier für fast eine Woche und es ist sehr ruhig. Ich habe nicht zu viele Leute kennen gelernt. Meine Mitbewohnerin ist sehr freundlich, aber macht sie ihre Master-Studium und sie hat viele Hausaufgaben und deshalb habe ich nicht ihr viel gesehen. Als ich auf der Uni anfange, hoffe ich viele neue Leute kennen zu lernen, aber ich kann mich nicht an der Uni bis Ende März immatrikulieren- Schade!

    Gestern bin ich in der Stadt gefahren, um mit der Bürgerservice zu anmelden und ein deutsches Girokonto zu eröffnen. Beide war erfolgreich! Ich habe gedacht, dass es schwierig mit die Sprache werden könnte, aber nein! Ich muss jetzt eine deutsche Handynummer bekommen. Am Morgen plane ich nach Weimar zu besuchen. Es sieht sehr schön und ist nur dreißig Minuten weg mit dem Zug.

     

    Market Square

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    Arriving in Jena

    Hello my name is Phoebe Ellis and I am a student at Sheffield Hallam University. As a part of my degree I must live in Germany for 18 months. I will study at the University of Jena for 6 months and then I would like to do an internship also in Germany.

    I arrived last Thursday in Jena.

    This was my first time in the city and so far I think it looks like a very beautiful city!

    Jena is located in the middle eastern part of Germany in the state of Thuringia. Jena was also a part of the former German Democratic Republic.

    My journey to Jena was quite straight-forward, I flew to Berlin and then got the train to Jena. Once I had arrived in Jena I then had to get the tram up to my accommodation. It was a very long day and it was so nice to finally go to bed! My flat is lovely and I have put up lots of photos from home and little decorations. It feels a little like home now!

    I have been in Jena for almost a week now and it is very quiet. I have not met that many people. My flatmate is very friendly but she is doing a masters degree and is very busy with lots of homework, therefore I’ve not seen her much. When I start at the university I hope to meet lots of new people, but I cannot enrol until the end of March- shame!

    Yesterday I went into the city in order to register my new address at the citizenship office and also to open a German bank account. Both were surprisingly successful! I thought that perhaps it could be difficult with the language barrier. I must now also get a German telephone number. Tomorrow I plan to visit Weimar; it looks very pretty and is only 30 minutes away by train.

  • Samuel Franklin, March 2015

    Following the start of lectures last month, I have had a relatively calm few weeks, but I did record a rap album.

  • Samuel Franklin, March 2015

    Tutoring

    Since last November, I have been tutoring a 13 year old boy English. We meet each time at a café just five minutes’ walk from my room, where we talk for two hours.

    At first, I wasn’t sure if this would be a good use of my time, but on reflection I am pleased to have had this opportunity.

    Not only because we get on very well, but also as we realised we have a lot of common interests, including chess and maths puzzles. Through our exchanges, I have also gained a number of insights into the thoughts and ideals of the younger generation in China. For example, like a lot of boys his age, Mike’s dream is to go to America to work for a tech company, like Google or Microsoft.

  • Samuel Franklin, March 2015

    What’s in a name?

    I’m certainly no expert on the influence of names on one’s life, but I still maintain a genuine interest in unusual names. I can remember very clearly, in our second Chinese lesson at university, my class received our Chinese names. I was relatively content with ‘Fan Shanming. At a recent chess tournament I played in, all the players had their own name cards out, so I was presented with an ideal opportunity to discover which chess players had the most creative parents. The parents of Xiaohu (‘little tiger’), Wan Yunguo (‘ten thousand cloud kingdom’) and Yuxiang (‘scent of rain/ petrichor’) were all suitable candidates. I also admired the ambition of Jianqiao’s (‘Cambridge’) parents. English people are not always aware of the origins of some Chinese names.

     

  • Trip to Weimar – Phoebe Ellis, March 2015

    Gestern habe ich Weimar zu besuchen beschlossen.

    Weimar ist nur zwanzig Minutes weg mit dem Zug von Jena und es ist eine kleine Stadt berühmt für die beliebteste Dichtern Goethe und Schiller. Beide Goethe und Schiller haben, während ihrer Lebens, in Weimar gewohnt. Also habe ich die Stadt besucht, um mehr über die Geschichte zu lernen. Es war sehr kulturell und auch ein sehr schönes Tag. Ich bin auch in dem Park spazieren und genoß ein Schokoladeneis!

    Weimar Town Hall

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    Yesterday I decided to visit Weimar.

    Weimar is only 20 minutes away by train from Jena and is a small town well-known for the popular poets Goethe and Schiller. During their lives, both Goethe and Schiller lived, at some point, in Weimar. Therefore I visited the town in order to learn a little more about the history. It was a very cultural day, and also beautiful weather! I also went for a walk in the park and enjoyed a chocolate ice-cream!

  • ¡La primavera llega en Barcelona! Spring arrives in Barcelona! – Sian Summerton, March 2015

    ¡Febrero y marzo han sido meses ocupados! El trabajo continúa ser estimulante y desafiante todos los días y ahora progresivamente gano más confianza usar mi español en un ambiente de trabajo profesional.

    He descubierto que mi capacidad y velocidad de traducción han mejorado rápidamente como me he vuelto mucho más familiarizada con el vocabulario pertinente. Aparte de esto, me siento mucho más segura en relación con la comunicación con los clientes y la gestión de pedidos grandes, que fueron un poco intimidatorias al principio, ¡sin duda! Encuentro que mis días son muy variados, con una serie de tareas diferentes, ¡así que siempre me mantengo alerta!

    En febrero, se me pedía si escribiera un artículo sobre la historia de whisky escocés para el sitio web de la empresa para la que trabajo actualmente. El artículo fue aceptado y se publicó en la página web y las redes sociales en español, inglés, francés y alemán.

    También soy muy afortunada de sentirme ahora como en casa en Barcelona. Los fines de semana, enseño inglés a los hijos de una familia española y maravillosa que me ha apoyado mucho durante mi tiempo aquí. ¡Disfruto muchísimo de enseñar y la oportunidad de revivir alguna de mi literatura favorita de infancia!

    Aparte del trabajo, he tenido la suerte de visitar los hermosos y distintivos Parc Güell y la Sagrada Familia, ambas obras de arte increíbles por Gaudí, un arquitecto catalán de Reus. También disfruto de la oportunidad de hablar español en mi casa, como mi compañera de piso es de Barcelona, ella me ha ayudado mucho durante mi estancia aquí.

    Durante el próximo mes, tengo la intención de explorar la ciudad más y seguir ganar confianza en conversar en español. Durante la pascua, también volveré al Reino Unido por 3 días, ¡por lo que será bueno para ponerme al día con caras conocidas durante este corto período de tiempo!

     

    sagrada-familia

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    February and March have been busy months! Work has continued to be both stimulating and challenging on a daily basis and I am now becoming steadily more confident using my Spanish in a professional working environment.

    I have discovered that my translation ability and speed have improved rapidly as I have become much more familiar with the relevant vocabulary. Aside from this, I am much more confident communicating with clients and handling large-scale orders, which was certainly a little daunting at first! I find that my days are varied, with a number of different tasks, so I am always kept on my toes!

    In February I was asked to write an article regarding the history of Scotch whisky for the website of the company I currently work for. My article was accepted and was published on the website and social media in Spanish, English, French and German.

    I am also very lucky to now feel completely at home in Barcelona.

    On the weekends, I have taken up tutoring English to the children of a wonderful Spanish family who have been great support during my time here. I thoroughly enjoy the tutoring and it is giving me an opportunity to relive some of my favourite children’s literature!

    Outside of work, I have been fortunate to visit the beautiful and distinctive Parc Guell and Sagrada Familia, both incredible works of art by Gaudi, a Catalan architect from Reus. I am also relishing the opportunity to speak Spanish in my flat, as my flatmate is originally from Barcelona, she has been incredibly helpful during my stay here.

    Architecture in Barcelona

     

    Over the next month, I am planning to explore the city further and continue to gain confidence conversing in Spanish. Over Easter, I will also return to the UK for 3 days, so it will be nice to catch up with familiar faces for short period of time!

  • Incredible architecture in Barcelona

    Antoni Gaudí is quite possibly one of the most revolutionary modernist architects of his time. Throughout his long career, he designed and built some of the most striking and comfortable buildings to live in, using innovative solutions, always based on nature. Many of his works, which are more than buildings, you can find in Barcelona, where modernism has a strong presence. His main works are in the Gracia district, the birthplace of modernism.

    Sagrada Familia

    The Sagrada Familia is an incredible basilica, which I had the opportunity to visit a couple of weeks ago. The building reflects the ingenuity and creativity of Gaudí. The incredible interior resembles a large forest.

    A patron and friend of Gaudí, Eusebi Güell, first decided that there should be a luxury development in the countryside of Barcelona, however, the project failed and ended up becoming a park, Park Güell. This really is an incredible sight, and I would recommend a visit.

    It is important to note that architecture in Barcelona does not begin and end with Gaudi. Jean Nouvel’s Agbar Tower, Herzog & de Meuron’s Forum Building, EMBT’s Santa Caterina Market and Norman Foster’s Telecommunications Tower are also well worth a visit!