Last night was Xiamen University's International Music Festival and a chance to meet our Chinese language partners for the first time. On Tuesday a sheet was passed around in class for us to sign up for a language partner in order to practise Chinese and help them with their English. Destiny, my language partner, had text me on Thursday evening to introduce herself and we had a short conversation via text in Chinese and English before agreeing to see each other at the end and me adding her on 微信(WeChat).
Before going along to the festival which took place outside the still unfinished library by the lake as there are plenty of steps there for people to sit on, I met Hilary's language partner and friend as she'd been a bit more organised wanting to meet before the event so that they could find each other more easily! They sat and watched us eat dinner in the canteen while chatting away in Chinese as they didn't feel confident speaking English. Robert, our Swedish friend, joined us and the girls decided that he looked like Harry Potter due to his dark her and glasses and proceeded to call him 哈利波特 hālì bōtè (Harry Potter) for the rest of the evening, much to Robert's annoyance!
We then walked down to the venue and I texted Destiny to tell her I arrived. While I waited for her to find me I got handed a couple of these:
They were plastic hands with flashing lights that clapped when you shook them. Was quite cool seeing them dotted about the crowds of people! Destiny managed to find me (she knew what I looked like from my 微信profile picture) and lead me away to meet her friends. They asked me if I could speak in Chinese with them to which I said was fine but that sometimes I wouldn't understand! We chatted about where I was from, what I studied, hobbies etc. Even managed to speak a little bit in French and Spanish to those who were learning! Unfortunately they either didn't seem to understand or didn't reply. We sat down near the top of the steps to the library to watch the show.
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| The view of the stage from where we were sitting |
The event soon commenced displaying a variety of acts. There was Chinese dancing, women in pretty dresses playing the 琵琶 pípá (traditional Chinese instrument like a lute), Kungfu and Chinese singing, Indian dancing (I think it was Indian anyway), a very bendy Indian guy arranging himself into a range of shapes, African dancing, Ukrainian dancing and singing, street dance and, of course, Gangnam Style. The show was hosted by a Chinese girl in a long dress and heels and an American guy who spoke amazing Chinese wearing a sparkly, very Chinese-looking, suit.
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| Chinese dancers at the start of the festival. They were very similar to the ones at the opening ceremony of University of Southampton day on the main campus in March, perhaps they were the same ones? |
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| Our hosts for the evening |
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| Girls playing the Pípá |
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| The end of the kungfu/taichi routine |
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| Super bendy Indian guy |
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| Super bendy Indian guy |
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| Super bendy Indian guy |
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| Super bendy Indian guy |
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| Super bendy Indian guy |
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| Super bendy Indian guy |
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Ukrainian singer and dancers
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| African dancers and drummers |
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| African dancers and drummers |
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| Indian (?) dancers |
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| Chinese rock band |
After the last photo Destiny dragged me by the hand to go down to just in front of the stage and join a large conga line. It was a lot of fun and the song that was playing gave us directions "left, left, right, right" and then I'm not entirely sure what it said but everyone jumped forward and backward before doing two jumps forward meaning that we did actually get somewhere! Afterwards we stayed down and jumped up and down to the rock band before eventually going back up the steps to join Destiny's friends who had been looking after our stuff. The event ended soon afterwards and Destiny left with her friends while I rejoined Hilary, Robert, Hilary's language partner and friends.
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| Robert, me, Hilary, Hilary's language partner (on the right) and her friends outside the library |
It was a fun evening and great to meet some Chinese people and practise speaking Chines. Destiny's told me that if I need anything, she can help. This includes getting the health certificate I need for using the pool on campus as well as any problems I may have. She and her friends are also keen to take me to KTV (Karaoke)! Hopefully I'll get to meet up with them soon.
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