Travel: China Girlwords: Sarah Edwards
TRAVELLING half way around the world on your own is a daunting thought for many people, but for 21-year-old Lesley Ross it has become a bit of a life mission.
Lesley from Steeple Aston in Oxfordshire, has recently returned from a trip to China and Thailand, and cannot wait to get back on a plane and start exploring the rest of the world.
Her desire for travel started a couple of years ago, when she took the major decision to leave her sixth form college course and go jet setting around Australia. Although she loved her trip down under, it was not enough of a challenge, so she decided China would be her next port of call.
Lesley said: “I spent five months in Fuzhou, the capital city of the Fujian province of China, and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I had the travel bug previously and went off round Australia and Indonesia and Singapore. I loved it so much that I couldn’t wait to go travelling again.
“I chose China because I really didn’t know very much about it, and really wanted to go somewhere very different. Australia was great, but very easy because of the language. This time I wanted a challenge and went through the GAP organisation who found me a job teaching in a school.”
Lesley’s remit was to help teach classes of children aged from two to ten years old. They had never met or seen anyone quite like her, and her striking red hair, freckles and green eyes were soon to create celebrity status for this lone women traveller.
She added: “It was a fantastic job and I miss it! It took many, many months before I could walk into a classroom and not be mobbed! I got so much attention because of my freckles and green eyes. The children and adults really couldn’t believe what I looked liked! I even got lots of comments about wearing earrings because Chinese women are very reserved and don’t adorn themselves like we do in the West.
“There were even occasions when people were staring at me and fell off their bikes!”
Lesley was one of only four female foreigners in a city of 14 million, so it was not long before everyone knew where she was, what she was doing and who she was.
She added: “Everyone knew who I was. I couldn’t even pop out to the shop and buy some milk without people noticing! It was so fantastic; I do miss all the attention!
“Some women are nervous about travelling on their own, but it really is fine. You have to have your wits about you, and not make it obvious that you are alone, but travelling on your own is great. It really is the best way to meet new people and find out things. You also have to get to grips with the language quickly because you don’t have much choice.”
Lesley is planning a major expedition to either America or back to South East Asia in 2009. She added: “Asia is a huge place and I have only seen a small part of it. I went on one train journey that took 44 hours. It was exhausting and we travelled through vast expanses of land. Another train journey was 14 hours in a hot, overcrowded carriage complete with chickens and absolutely packed with people-no air con either! It was a nightmare and I will never forget that journey as long as I live!”
While in China, Lesley rented an apartment that cost just £32 a month, although it was not exactly all mod cons.
She said: “I had no hot water which was fine in the summer when it was baking hot and the temperature was soaring, but different in the winter! If I wanted a hot shower I had to remember to boil a kettle, so quite often I wouldn’t bother to have a wash for a few days because it was too much hassle. I really didn’t care!
“One of the best things about travelling to somewhere like China is that you have to experience different things. For example I soon got used to using a squat toilet-something that I would never have done.
“I love travelling because I do have a fear of being trapped in the same job and the same place for the rest of my life, when there is such a big world out there to experience and explore.
“Experiencing new things and having adventures is such a positive way to live your life. Some people have criticised me for not finishing my sixth form studies, but my family have been so supportive and I feel sure that all my travelling will continue to be enriching and useful.
“While I was in Thailand I was offered a job as a guide for elephant expeditions! Who knows what kind of job I will end up in…the world really is my oyster!”
