I'm outta here

Surely you are all sick of my whining about the cold and being alone for New Year's. So am I. And really, what am I doing here? I mean, it's not like anything really important is keeping me here. When I signed up for this I expected sub-tropical weather, not this misery we've had the last couple of months. So, sorry if I'm being a wuss, but I've decided to pack my things and go... someplace really tropical! :) I'm going to Hainan Island (the "Hawaii of the Orient," China's southernmost province, an island in the South China Sea), and just to be absolutely sure I have picked the southernmost point - Sanya. A small town with tons of beaches. Actually, I'll be staying in a beach resort (hopefully) far away from the main tourist crowds for 4 nights and then move to a hostel closer to downtown and the more popular beach for the last three nights. Hotel prices just go up too much (more than a factor of 2) the closer we get to New Year's - which is on Valentine's day this year. So, I'll be spending Chinese New Year in a hostel with a bunch of drunk backpackers... I guess that's the best case scenario :) Well, it should be fun, certainly not lonely.

The funniest part of the story is how I got to make this decision. My boss asked me on Sunday if I wouldn't want to join them for a weeks vacation in Sanya. Being all cold and sad at the prospect of being completely deserted, it didn't need much convincing. Add to that that the university just decided to basically double the salary for foreign postdocs and I can even afford it! So, later that night I book my flight. The next day she tells me they changed their plans and are not going, and she was afraid I'd be upset. But frankly, I'm grateful for the kick in the butt (actually, more a gentle nudge) to go somewhere. And on top of that I won't have to babysit (with my latest experience being their 3-year old peeing on my carpet I've really had my share of kids for a while). Well, in the end it seems like half their family is going eventually, but I won't be staying in the same place. Instead, I hope to rent a bike and explore the island (there is a Buddhist reserve only 15km away) and of course spend long hours at the beach or pool bar, reading a good book (which I still have to find, I'm really longing for a good read - anyone who wants to send English or German books to me is more than welcome!) and tanning in my brand new bikini... ehm, yes... if you ever go to China and there's the slightest chance you might go swimming, pack your own stuff! Thankfully I fit into a Chinese L (=American S), but the colors! What horror! I had the choice between a zillion shades of pink. No, I'm not telling what color I went for eventually, it's only slightly less offensive...

So, stay posted for pictures of beach and coconut trees and keep your fingers crossed I don't get into a mad New Year's travel rush (I'm leaving on the 7th, back on the 14th), although that's typically only bad for trains (I've been told). And indeed, I noticed the lines at the train ticket office just outside campus getting longer and longer by the day.