As a Brit I start off my week in Shenzhen by talking about the weather! Shenzhen has some of the most peculiar weather I have ever experienced in Asia. It rains on and off and when the sun does come out we get an array of rainbows and muggy heat. I think I can say I am used to the weather now and I am surprised to find the air quality is excellent here.

My week at Ugari has been great fun. It has consisted of constructing a database for clients and networking. I am progressing with the projects I am working on each day and they are providing me with great work experience. Next week, I have to go to Hong Kong and Macau on business, for market research and to meet with potential clients, which should be interesting.

 During the evenings I’ve been making good use of the kitchen in my apartment despite the great array of Chinese restaurants around my area. I’ve also been hitting the gym and watching Chinese TV to keep my language skills up to speed.

 At the weekend I made my first trip to Sea World- the local clubbing hot spot near to Apartment One. It has many high end bars and is a relaxing spot for a quiet drink, but not the sort of place to really let your hair loose. There is one club called ‘Viva’ that I popped into which has a multi-cultural feel and atmosphere. On Sunday, I went for a stunning bike ride at the Shenzhen Wetlands Park. Although it did rain quite heavily at times, it was quite cosy being cooped up with the locals speaking Chinese and seeing Hong Kong in all its glory from across the water.

In the afternoon I went to Shenzhen museum. A cleverly designed building which has some fascinating exhibits and information to read. Although it was not as impressive as other museums I’ve been to in China, it is worth checking out particularly if you are into pottery and Chinese calligraphy. Afterwards I visited the main financial district and saw a famous poster of the former Chinese Premier Deng Xiaoping, who famously said that in China ‘To get rich is glorious‘.

All in all, another hardworking week in Shenzhen, topped off by a relaxing weekend. I will update on Hong Kong, and more of Shenzhen next week.