Things about you nobody knows back home . . .

VITAL STATS
Name:  Aisling Gormley 
Where I'm from: Northern Ireland
Where I live: Futian, Shenzhen
What I do: Senior Director of Studies for English First Shenzhen
How long I've been in China: Two years and continuing.

What is your favorite restaurant?
Punjabi Indian Restaurant because it offers really authentic Indian ingredients. For bars, I like C:Union for good live music and also 3D Bar for the quality beer.
Describe your ideal Saturday in Shenzhen . . .
It has to be going to the Xiao Mei Sha Beach and relaxing with my friends over a good barbecue.
What do you love most about Shenzhen?
I love the temperature here and, of course, the local culture, the people and all the children that I teach.
What do you hate most about Shenzhen?
I have a love/hate relationship with taxi drivers!
What is your favorite Mandarin phrase?
Ting bu dong!
What is the greatest lesson China has taught you?
That nothing is ever as it seems.
Tell us a secret that nobody back home knows.
Easy - I'm doing this interview for that's magazine!
What would you do if you woke up Chinese?
I would move to Ireland and open the greatest Chinese language school in the country.
What book changed your life and why?
How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill. Never a truer word written.
Where do we go to when we die?
To the shirts in the sky.
Do you have any phobias?
I'm terrified of feet, any kind of feet.
What's the most embarrassing thing you have ever done?
Singing "You are My Sunshine" in front of village people in Yunnan province. Gosh, I'm a terrible singer.
What is your worst ever fashion mistake?
Fashion mistake? Me? Never!
Who is your least favorite person in the universe?
Crazy Frog.
The last time you looked in the mirror you thought…
I need a haircut!
What is the strangest thing you have ever put in your mouth?
Snake Baijiu.
Tell us a joke.
What did the sea say to the sand? Nothing, it just waved.
What's the best thing you have stolen from a hotel?
I have to say the last pair of slippers I brought home were great.
What is the sexiest word in the Chinese language?
"Zhe ge". It gives me a thrill every time.
What is the worst thing anybody has ever said about you?
One of my students told me I was fat.
What one living person do you most admire?
My mother, for her continuing support and for her bravery.
What is the best hangover cure that you know?
Being from Ireland it would have to be an Irish fry up washed down with lots of tea.
If you could have one magical
superpower for a day, what would it be?
To read people's mind . . . and to fly.
Which three people, alive or dead, would you like to be stuck in an elevator with?
The comedian Billy Connelly, Mao Zedong, and Bruce Springsteen.
What record would you like played at your funeral?
Please Don't Bury Me by John Prine
In a nutshell, what is your
philosophy of life?
Live each day like it's your last, cherish every moment with friends and family, and to remember nothing is impossible.
Have you lied since we started
this conversation?
Will I get in trouble if I say yes?