Vonny Sans FreedomFriday

Doing nothing!

2010-03-17T07:09:00.000-07:00

How easy it is to do nothing when life is not ruled by commitments! My weekend which is Tues and Wednesday is not full of things I feel like I have to do and there is an incredibly long list of things I'd like to do: visit Taiwan, go to Macao or HongKong, visit many famous sites in neighbouring provinces of China, plus go to the bars where home seems just that bit closer...XPats run by an Adelaidiean, La Casa (Canadian), McCawleys ( Aussie Irish)...and more.

Sunday ( equiv to my Thursday) went to the BBQ restaurant near apartments with other teachers...yummy, the facebook comments about garlic oysters originate from here!
Monday ( my Friday night) we went to a Hunnan style local restaurant ( Jacy is Chinese and can read and speak the menu which really helps!). Everything swimming in chilli or chilli doused oils... we tried frog and pigs trotters [thats Kermit and Moiss Piggy in the same sitting] , both edible but really not not worth the fuss caused by my still inadequate chopstick handling skills.. rice I can do, peanuts I can pick up in chopsticks but Mr Miyagee, I struggle with pigs trotters! That brings us to tuesday ( our Saturday)...
Sleep in, lie in bed and read....housework, washing resulting in a very EF'y balcony by the time a week and a bits worth of uniform are hanging, all navy and beige! Tuesday night drinks and dinner at La Casa - via bus/subway - good night out for some joint birthdays. There would have been photos but my battery was flat... some may eventuate through other source.
Wed (Sun) a bit of a lie in, Gym at 10.30, coffee and teh paper at "Starbucks" one of the few decent coffee options in Nanshan ... grocery shopping carted home via bicycle... more shopping for some 3/4 pants to wear to the gym in this weather - cool but not cold... and a new DVD player as the last one chewed up Sherlock Holmes and refused to ever start again ( the movie is that boring I have to admit).
Dinner was home cooked steak and mashed tatoes for St Paddy's day.

Tomorrow, really Thursday I have a reprieve on the private health training session from 6.45am - meet at 7.30am - a great psychological step, as it's not going to be hot too early, hence the reprieve. Teaching in the evening and then its Friday and all systems gooooooo till Sunday night.

Did I bore you yet??? As you can see, nothing has actually happened this week. except the news from my Australian Bank that I am a "victim" of credit card fraud via the UK. I have apparently purchased so much underwear and many DVDs that the computer picked it up. Now, to fill out all the forms and dispute the transations - just what I need.

In that light I bought myself a TIGER, a sysmbol of this Chinese Year - he's cute (and he was reduced) but I hope he's about to change my financial vibes for the year.
1 Lost wallet ( not including fraudulent credit card _ I actually have it here)
1 fraudulent credit card use
1 compromise with previous landlady ( get back half my deposit for my breach of verbal contract - what's a verbal contract in this county??? Unheard of -almost!)

Amazing to think a week ago I was in Bangkok airport on my way back to SZ. I had a window seat and for once it was clear and not hazy. I was amazed that the layout appears to have no pattern, Adelaide streets have right angles and the rare diagonal - here the right angle was rare and random directions seems to be the more usual. No wonder I can't get a sense of direction, even with a map.

I may have to change blog sites as Google is threatening to move from China, I expect that means there will be a disruption to the already disrupted.....this is through Germany today.

Wh questions -Why? (all text no photos!)

2010-03-07T06:15:00.001-08:00

Why do I even complain about the sudden drop in temperature in Shenzhen ( Crikey [substitute another Austrlian adjective her..] - its quite cool tonight!!) when half the world seems to be affected by landslides, easthquakes, flood and hailstones? Long question, short answer - 'cos the temprature in SZ affects me, and I'm cold!! Selfish I know.

Why do I feel like Bill the Steamshovel in Mr Squiggle? Hurry up...hurry up Miss Pat. hurry up! The internet through the Greatfirewall is slow and I just encountered the initial pages in a script I couldn't read. (Apologies to those who have never had exposure to Mr Squiggle!)

why are the Oscars holding world headline news? Go the Underdogs! Go Wallace and Grommit - A matter of Loaf and Death - I use it often in my teaching!

Why am I going to Bangkok for dinner on Tuesday night ? Oh yes, I promised to meet friends Hoa and Andrew part way through their Thailand Holiday and that's my weekend.....fly out after teaching tomorrow night (Monday) and come back Wed night. Hope to catch up with Jason also if I can - maximise my trip. I spent stuff all last weekend to compensate for the coming weekend - not sure about my carbon footprint ? Yikkes ... I have two small plants in a pot ( as opposd to pot plants).

Where did all those kids come from this weekend of teaching.... strewth, they were everywhere from Friday night to Sunday night and inbetween too I think. Peak season they tell me....two twelve hour days is a bit much for an ESL teacher's lifestyle. 3 days work in 2 days....ummm that means short days somewhere else...let me reconsider that whole I'm flying o Bangkok this "weekend". Ummm sleep in tomorrow - don't anyone dare ring me - phones all on silent, Skype is off...curtains closed, gym cancelled - bet I am awake at 7am! even after a few glasses of wine

Why do I long for the smart lifts in the ANZ building in Adelaide (for me Ex DFEEST)? Cos the lifts in this bukding are dumb... all bottom or all top....amd no co=ordination.....but the Smartwhite boards in our new classrooms are soooo smart a dumb teacher like me ( and most others, especially those who can't read Chinese characters) can't work them....my class oday wanted Mr Bean... well - they got me trying to stand on the elevated stage thing ( and not fall off), work our the touch screeny thing and fancy non ink pens....woooo too hard witjout about three months of testing! SMART technology + most of the teachers = classes in fits of laughter and appeals of help!

When can I finally put away all the fleece, padded jackets and thick socks? not this week!

Where am I going to stay in HK when I go there for the HK 10's rugby ? I can't go to the HK 7's as its my peak working days so the Wed of the HK tens sounds good again to me.....plus an evening at Ned Kelly's jazz bar with Colin and Jeannie...must book asap...pending PayPal working I expect.... I want a HK credit card NOW to save teh Ozzie one from use.... I'm working on it .... and a way to transfwr electronically $$$ back to Oz ... not easy this end of the world, mainland ...HK...soon'

Why do I have soooo much marking to do????

Stay tuned for photos from BKK where connections should be faster than here and may include photos!

Love to all XXXXX Vonny

In between blogsites

2010-02-24T06:18:00.000-08:00

This is from a blogsite I tried using while the social networking sites were/are hard to access. Some of the missing months are here. http://vonnyorient.talkspotblogs.com/

Kidnapped by my High Flyers (7-9yo).
The Summer outing today was the local cinema to see Ice Age3 in 3D...almost all of the teachers went along on their day off and I was immediately pulled along by some of my HF class, kidnapped in reverse and even was treated to a coke and a share of a huge bucket of popcorn.
Domestic work in the afternoon, supermarket and then relaxing on teh balcony with the breeze and a book and a glass of Italian Pinot Grigo.
Not much else has hppened this week, just teaching really.

FuTian Stadium - our current training ground for the SZ Celts Gaelic Football Club.
Facinating that locals DO exercise,around and around and around the tartan track unless they are stopping to watch crazy people 98% foreigners running, kicking, handballing and crashing into each other. I was on the defending end of a clash with my boss's boss and she's smaller than me but she knows what she's doing and Irish too. Great to run around again after two months of sedate exercise but the legs are stiff two days later.
The stadium was built for the World University Games in Sz in 2011, the facilties look excellent (and it's on a bus run from my place which helps).

SZ had a typhoon cross through overnight last week and the damage was mild considering the wind and rain, the worst since 2003 I think with winds greater than 140kph. The new trees they had JUST planted blew over, not suprising with the short root stock they have. The photo is the workcrew tying things back up again.
We all hoped for a day off due to typhoon alert but it blew through too early and too quickly to close the school to limit risk to staff and students travelling...still no closure for AH1/N1 virus either. It might be thought an overreaction but imagine having to treat over abillion people if you can reduce the risk of spread by quarantine it seemsto have worked but given the WHO has stopped counting the cases, the Centre for Communicable Diseases has said if you think you havei t stay home and don't mix with others and only go to hospital if its worse... still only 166 people in SZ have been identified, most at border crossings so perhaps its working - till winter when they might have developed the vaccine by then.
My apartment stood up well, with an early morning inspection of the wind and rain noting the pot plant fell off the window ledge with th ewind. I'd brought everything in from the balcony but I do know of people who lost their washing in the wind.

That same night I'd been at the Xpats bar (run by 2 Aussies, 1 from Adelaide) watching the rugby, was chatting to a bloke who had an IT guru break the drough for social networking sites and blogs....that's why i can do this myself - this week anyway....a suprise for dad he doesnt have to do it for me.

Just remember, if you want to find my old blog site google Vonny sans freedomfriday and you should see what came before.

Last night (Tuesday) went with Liz to see Harry Potter film ( half price Tuesday here too). We both enjoyed it. We then met a bunch of other teachers for a meal ( yummy noodles and shrimps /prawns from a very traditional place). Where else can you wander through back streets as a group, drinking longneck Tsing Tao beers while walking and end up with a delicious meal costing not a lot. Then onto Demon Bar at Coco Park ( lots of bars) and then, onto a night club in Lohou. Needless to say, I didnt last that long in the flashing lights, duff duff, thump thump loud loud music and smoke filled room. Taxi - home at 3am and i was only going to the 7.15 session of the movies! Lucky Wed is our day off hence all the teachers out on Tuesday night.

Domestic day, housework, washing, grocery shopping and people watching. Back to school tomorrow for two full days , a light Saturday and a heavy Sunday and no roster yet for next week. Maybe next week a trip to HK, maybe even overnight so I can go to Ned Kellys????? Wait for the roster.
I watched in facination today as a lady used a net to try and catch her supper (in the supermarket fish tanks)-live fish , eels, turtles....live chicken restricted since avian flu...I can just imagine a chicken getting away from the "butcher" in the supermarket! Add to this kids without nappies, splits in their pants just suddenly peeing in the trolley, kids walking in squeeky shoes with flashing lights, people with their handbag dogs , christmas carols in July and its all too easy to forget what you went out to buy!

Still waiting for confirmation of some leave to drop home in late Sept, early October... will advise as soon as I know... book the table at a local pub for a veal schnitzel gravy and chips....and roast pork with crackling (and no pigs ears!)

The Sun got eaten by the dragon today but in SZ we had a partial 70% which was dimmer than usual rather than dark, just as I was surfacing after the latenight out.

LIFE AFTER TVSP

Last week on my day off I headed out to find a geocache , the only one listed for SZ. Didn’t quite find it yet, but found a lovely Botanic Garden to wander around in relative peace

a pagoda surrounded by eucalypts

This week on my day off , I bought Paddington a summer outfit to replace his tatty outback singlet and baggy shorts. Note the PB size “crocs”. Needs the bush hat and sunnies now. He was happy to sit on the balcony and view the kids in the pool.

Still looking out for a Chinese style outfit for him, might have to get one made?

Looking for strange things here’s a few signs… this one attached to a fence post (condoms?)

car wash/detailing … automobile beauty

Macdonalds delivery bikes very posh compared with most and the riders wear helmets (not necessarily strapped up but it’s a start) Maybe Ronald McD could do the pedaling?

This morning on the footpath outside the apartment you could buy fruit/ veg/ eggs/ get your knife, axe or whatever sharpened, buy some noodle dish, tonight it was DVDs, plants, furniture, fruit, veg …the sharpening man must not work nights – no lights?
The constant is the recycling, the people who collect card, bottles, wires, building bits n pieces and effectively salvage anything worth something… hard living, but nothing goes to waste.

A spelling “game”

That’s it for now, I have an “observed” lesson to plan , the 1/4rly assessment for performance management .

Thanks to Don for the interface with a blog for now.

Oddities in SZ

Sorry dear readers…. Social networking and blog sites are all in a state of disarray here, no facebook except through a proxy which you can’t write to, intermittent access to some blog sites…

Posting off the original of my acceptance letter, story in itself – posting is a half day chore…..

I’m in disarray too, adjusting to my life after TAFE, as I have just divorced from the SA Government after 30 years, taking a package offered in late June.

Now all the dilemmas of best investment of my “nest egg” as I am officially unemployed in Oz, and never sure how long this current work will remain ( or my patience/passion for it).

taken by Luke in a crazy moment, yes it’s upside down as taken.

Teaching is now into Summer, that crazy season where we work 6 days a week and collapse for 1 ( called a day off). It’s all daytime teaching though so we get to see the evening… nicest light between 6.30 and 7.30pm ( viewed from the balcony through a G’nT with a book). Friday night has a new meening unless you have parent teacher meetings scheduled for 9am. ( mine so far are pm) so we went out for a “few” beers last Friday to Window on the World, bar street.

Von and Riley ( from NZ)

Liz (UK)and Lindsay (NZ)

Last year I was itching to get to HK on a day off, now it’s not so urgent but I will need to go soon to chase down some new paperback releases. I’m currently reading all the Sherlock Holmes stories, quite a read and very proper English I must say.

Von with a glass of red, sitting next to Jacques (EF Foreign teacher from Sth Africa) and on my other shoulder sat "Sharkey "(NZ) - roll on the Tri-Nations! We are three rugby fans too. It turned out that many of the EF teachers were there for a night out and we naturally "hung out together" - so it was more than just the three of us from our school amongst the Xpat crowd.

The comedy was as expected, very standup, while we were sitting in theatre style described as feeling like a wedding...after the comedy we all moved to the VBar for more beverages ( 1 included in ticket) to listen to the live band Boz (Aussie) - not bad.

The venue was the Crowne Plaza - rather posh, I wish I'd been able to take a photo of the pool area near the VBar-really swanky. At least being a posh hotel, getting a taxi home was easy.
Tody then was a slow start, a gentle treadmill session at the gym and a hour relaxing in Starbucks reading the Sth China Post...trying to decide if I should go down for a short refreshing swim ?

Note to self....mind the floor rug .....the day the floor has been polished!
I inherited Hannah's IKEA floor rug which suits the apartment quite well and absorbs some of teh dust that gets trekked in from the balcony...but the floor was polished today by someone organised by my landlady which makes it slippery under the mat!
Today was a stay at home tidy up day waiting for the floor man to come so I decided to order the bulk drinking water too (that came almost as soon as Alan had sent a TXT to tell me it was ordered....can't do that on my own... mayo (no) Chinese good enough to get the message through.

I can order Eggplant, dumplings, ask for chopsticks because they all have the same sound (DZA ending which I seem to be able to pronounce!). Counting is helped by fingers and calculators.

I bought a plant and have no idea what it is except that it was only 10RMB and smells pretty.... I bought it from the mobile garden shops on tricycles which Jen dubbed treecycles....does anyone know what a cyclamen looks like? I'd like to buy a cyclamen plant from the treecycle..... check the photo and let me know....

One thing about living in China where reading material is mostly not in English, the urge to read lends itsself towards books long since forgotten or never read like The Jungle Book and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Hound of the Baskervilles, roll on the next pay month and a day trip to HK bookshops.

I have been told the photo is of an Anthurium plant (cheers Sandi)

What does a cyclamen plant look like?

		© 2010 vonny in the orient

Return to Deep-Blue

2010-02-24T03:09:00.000-08:00

Room with a view -

lounge area before Tv couch. fridge provided
View from bedroom - tallest in background is opposite school
Lounge after moving in

Well, after 12 months in my palacial apartment, I decided to save some money and downsize. Prompted by a 20% increase in my rent...after some indecision, saved by the fact we hadn't signed a new contract yet....I took the opportunity to find something smaller and better value.
So, I'm in a one bedroom apartment, very similar to teh 2008 apartment only brighter with a functional balcony. same place as 2008 - a 20 minute ramble to school or 8 minute bike ride.

I moved via bicycle and taxi...friends offered to
help but we had opposing rosters of work so I can proudly say I did it my way! Nelson from NY our newest teacher is my downstairs neighbour.

There are a lot of restaurants around here, not western style so eating close to home is so much more interesting and cheaper generally. I can use my random vacabulary of Chinese words, mostly related to eating, or just pint and guess.

Good classy DimSum/Yum Cha restaurant very near by where I had my first Chicken's feet
( well, it was classy so I decided to give it a go.
You can't really tell so you'll have to take my word for it!

Yesterday I went to Hong Kong to sort out some banking, visit Dymocks Books, Fuel Coffee Bar, and the MarketPlace ( Hardy's Rose and Villi's Pies the target here). Headed back in time for BBQ dinner at a nearby restaurant with teaching friends...garlic with evrything! Oysters, chicken wings, lamb shaslicks, corn, eggplant, green stuff like grass, noodles - yummy , beers, beers and did I mention the garlic? It was 40RMB each (Thats not even $A10.)

Oh, then we went bowling ( DON"T LAUGH!) it seems to be popular here - except that when we got to the place tucked away inside an anonymous looking building we were the only customers at 9.30pm (Tuesday). I was clearly making my dislike for the pastime well aired but still, it was something to do , when they sold it to me as drunken bowling, I understood and participated ( a bit like pizza quiz nights!). The things you do when surrounded by strange things.

Anyway, the New Year's firecrackers seemed to have finished, relative quiet returns. the desire to wear a flack jacket (under many layers of warm jackets as it was cold) has subsided. The icy cold 6 degrees has been replaced by 22 and high humidity. The cold inside, meeting the moist warm sea air has resulted in amazing condensation inside the buildings ( floors and walls looking like they've been washed but in fact are moist with condensation) should be a short term issue as he waether settles but the ShenZhen Daily (English Paper) article was headed MOIST SEA AIR SOAKS CITY APARTMENTS, inside the rooms is not too bad for me but the washing might take an age to dry.

Anyway again... time to brave the slippery corridors and venture out for some food.

back to the gym tomorrow
A month of teaching winter program + Spring Festival week means I havent had time to visit during the days when my membership is valid ( off peak before 5pm). I'm sure Michael will put me though my yoga paces to improve balance ( necessary with the slippery Chinese floors!)....then school in the afternoon/evening.

Hungry tummy. I'm going out....to be continued

Sorry, took longer than expected as I accidentally ordered enough dumplings to feed quite a few people (not sure where my poor pronunciation indicated four serves eg about 48 dumplings!!) and they were hurridly making them but it was a chance to watch how fast they can work. Flatten the dough ballls, roll out the small palm sized dough, fill with porkmince and green veg stuff, fold and pinch closed and steam. I paid about $A7.00 for my ordering error so it's hardly a financial disaster. I gave one box of dumplings to the begger and he seemed grateful. One to eat, one for tomorrow so still a dozen dumplings left - anyone??? As nothing goes to waste I am sure my "leftovers" will be utilised. If I was sure the pork hadn't been frozen before I'd freeze it
but as I got the order wrong I'd hate to try and complicate things by trying to ask!

I'm looking forward to the day when it's safe to pack away the winter coats and fleeces, the bulky winter quilt/doona into plastic crates and hope that the landlady does organise for teh airconditioners to be installed in lounge and bedroom before it's too uncomfortable.

Have you watched the film "Sherlock Holmes"? I thought it was horrid and boring and my DVD player blew a power input while it was still in the machine - so the computer came in handy to watch "Up in the air" with the smile of George Clooney... yes, wehad a cold, damp boring week off over Spring Festival - so cold the heaters came out and most if not all foreign teachers from school hibernated over books and DVDs.

I went for a bike ride and lost my wallet so spent teh nex two days cancelling cards, ordering new cards....with new passport numbers and address change to complicate everything! Banking in Mainland China is an experience for all but as it holidays the banks were quiet once they opened so the waitiung time was short , the number of forms to fill in was seemingly neverending. Not again please.... don't be toooo relaxed its not conducive to functioning brain! But it was a cold, mundane and slack week - what a waste - there are only so many ways to reorganise a new apartement. At last I have a reasonable range of cable TV so i was very uptodate with world affairs, and footballers affairs and golfers affairs!!!

Time to put this post to bed.
Bye for now - Year of the Tiger or Tigger bounce bounce.

6 months in the wilderness , I think I'm back on line!

2010-02-20T06:31:00.000-08:00

GONG XI FA CAI! - Happy New Year to all.

Same job, new apartment - new year...new experiences.

IF this link holds open then stay tuned for the return of the comments on life in Shenzhen China...the mundane, the everyday and the occasional bizzare...all with bad keyboarding and lax spelling. Stay tuned or tune out - your choice. xxxx Vonny

Summer - Qingyuan Hot Spring Resort Trip

2009-09-07T00:36:00.000-07:00

Almost like a photographer's convention as the big guns came out

Hot stepping it through the bamboo poles at the entertainment Water feature ? at the hot springs

Reading instead of attempting to understand the "lecture" about deer products for medicinal and other weird purposes.

Grass skiing, not quite the adrenelin buzz of snow skiing and not quite the excitement of skiing in Chile in 2008 - but it was fun anway, even if it was hot!

A 3 hour minibus ride from ShenZhen and we were in the "resort" area. We went rafting in a mix of man made and natural environment, concrete "canyons" and a dammed wall of water ensures a 365 day activity , it just means you have to wait for the river to fill up at the launch end.

Helmets doubled as bailers and one paddle per boat indicated there would not be too much paddling.

We we set afloat when there was enough water! and hurtled towards the unknown through tunnels and "drains" and some flat areas where I could get the little camera out of teh waterproof box to take some shots.

It was quite good fun but sometimes previous experiences ( Kicking Horse River in Canada or North Island NZ, or the Borneo washing machine) overshadow what is still a good day out.

Must go, it's time to teach...hopefully this latest fix will work at home too, speeding up the uploading time to reasonable. It's a big business finding fixes around teh Great Firewall.

Cheers

A week flies by...

2009-05-04T06:45:00.000-07:00

Well, it was great having friends from home visit. Apart from the really yummy cargo they carried, i also doubled my wardrobe with tracksuit, rugby jumper, T shirts, sports stuff for my "active" life here in SZ. Add to that a package of novels, and some great story books and Cd of kids stories that I can use here in extension activities. Thanks again to all ....

It's strange how you can get excited about normal things like socks and undies, moisturiser and insect repellent!

Not to mention how nice it is to talk about all things familiar without having to watch the language or slow down the speech.

After a couple of hectic days in HK, we headed to SZ. Easy trip really, staying at Tsim Sha Tsui (dodgy looking but cheap and our guesthouse was clean if not tiny), the journey involved an underground walk to the East TST station to board the train to LoWu on the mainland.

After arrival here Jen and Deb had to get SZ visas ( 5 days for SZ only), assuming a lengthy process we were treated to a turnaround of less than 15 minutes and 160RMB for Aussie passport holders. (Much more for Brits)

We then walked to the Metro to catch the Underground to the end of line 1, then te 72 bus to a drop off at my doorstep. See, told you it was easy.

Late lunch (as usual) of dumplings and a supermarket trip then home to the aforementioned balcony feast.

Day 2, trek on bus/Metro to Dongman to shop for Polo Shirts, home in time for me to work briefly. Then home for a dinner prepared by my guests - yummy.

Day 3, borrowed Luke's bike with my mountain bike and my original and uncomfortable China Domestic Model we set off for Seaworld at Shekou via Decathlon Sports. Nearby, we noticed the Olympic drums from the opening ceremony and Deb and I were invited to have a go. Wow, I've played the Olympic drums!

Lunch at TexMex, a bike ride to the old sea port of SZ, and the fish market near the luxurious apartments at Shekou, providing an amazing contrast of lifestyles.

Sore butts and knees once we got home a dinner at local BBQ place where I had my 50th dinner. Hannah joined us, we later adjourned to 3D bar and caught up with Luke and Lei.

News from the balcony - the POOL is full, not sure when it opens for residents use, I'll find out.

After visitors, life returns to normal except that the apartment has been dusted and swept and the kitchen is spotless - cheers. Teaching a full weekend and a split shift Monday the the "weekend" begins.

Thanks Jen and Deb for coming, thanks to China for teh May Day holiday and to Luke for the carefully rostered week, thanks to Tara, Sandy, Jen, Deb, Mum and Dad for the gifts and contributions ... love Vonny

Wine and Cheese, Sth Aust meets Sthn China

2009-04-29T05:21:00.000-07:00

My Doc Adams birthday wine a Pinot Gris - Cheers

Jeannerette's Wild China Charity Challenge wine -where Jen reminded me my interest in this country actually started! Cheers to Meg and Luke - happily blaming you!

Balcony picture, Jen and Deb feasting and watching the spectacle of traffic miraculously avoiding each other and clearly avoiding any road symbols such as double yellow lines, arrows, zebra crossings, overtaking at whim....weaving, guessing,hoping,praying and for us 19 floors up... laughing a lot even before the wine was consumed.

Wines and cheese from home on my Chinese balcony! With two great friends what more can I ask for? The fact that the wine and cheese is from home accompanied by home made relishes and a range of other suprises as belated birthday presents - thanks to you for your lovely thoughts.

Maggie Beer, Doc Adams, Sandi's Quince Paste just for a start! Yummy.

Jen and Deb arrived safely in HK, spent a few days holidaying then I joined them and we spent the time in HK at an interesting Cheap but not too nasty Guesthouse... and the day at Stanley Beach and bus hopping..all good fun, finishing up at Ned Kelly's to meet Colin and I will be back soon to chat to him as he was just a bit busy with the band...next trip to HK.

I'll keep you posted on the fun we have over the next few days in between my teaching and what has become routine for me in the last 4 months....stay tuned.

Hair Cut - Chinese style

2009-04-14T05:16:00.000-07:00

No, don't panic, I'm not that radical no short bobs with black hair for me. Just a hair cut full of fascination.

Sonia, our Centre Manager was kind enough to take me to her hairdresser, a funky little dude called Wu. But it took an hour before even meeting the hairdresser...after a hair wash, head massage, inner ear cleanse, another hair wash, neck and back massage. Now I know why so many people work in the salons. The juniors earn their way up through their skills in massage and washing and the guy that was working on me was good. Luckily Sonia was there too so she was able to translate their instructions to me. Just amazing...

Then , with your head in a towel turban, you get to move to the styling area to await the hairdressers. Not a long wait , but the next step was lengthy. I just wish you could leave your head and come back later when the cutting was done. Imagine my thick hair, probably a least 16 weeks since the last cut at Scissor Sisters in Adelaide...it took an hour at least to trim to Wu's satisfaction, then the dry and style and more thinning. He was either impressed or amused wit my wavy hair and its dynamic movement. I must say its much lighter ( now it's a bob like Mum's) but the after effect is the need to get some hair clips, hairband, hairdryer, hair clay for styling. That will last five minutes, I'm too impatient but I felt it was worth the effort as Sonia was extremely impressed with the outcome and she did spend her evening waiting for me. Oh the best bit, it cost 30 yuan ( not even $10A), in fact dinner was marginally more expensive.

Sonia had popped out twice to the restaurant next door to prepare our dinner order, the restaurant turned out to be the yummy Muslim BBQ I went to last year when i was in SZ ( near my old apartment). After dinner about 10pm I wandered home to walk off dinner, carrying the leftovers, dutifully reheated in new m'wave!

So, some of those hairdressers are actually doing ridgy didge business into the mid/late evening hours... you can imagine the rest.

Now, up to date, i am going to enjoy the warm evening on the balcony, finishing my beer.

as you can see, not that much amazes me anymore, its just the China I currently live in. Sun setting on a very hazy day.

Happy reading then plan your trip to see/smell/feel it for yourself.

Lamb stew, chicken curry or bread and butter pudding!

2009-04-14T04:54:00.000-07:00

Von sitting with Ahmed Sohel of the Burger Hut downstairs from EF Kids School, Nanshan. Hoping to capitalise on the growing numbers of foreigners/ westerners in SZ for business, this new foodie is providing quality yummy food at a very competitive price. It's difficult to be competitive when for 4 yuan you can get dumplings as a snack, but the Burger Hut will provide everything from croissants to a full meal for the homesick!
A regular topic straight after the morning class involves a decision on lunch....so far I think between us we are working our way through the menu. Meals are generous in size too ( I just bought a microwave to capitalise on leftovers!). You should have seen the stares as I was carrying the box home!
It's a brave venture to try and match local prices and still provide a meal worthy of the effort.
Eat in or takeaway or delivery by arrangement...try it if you feel like a taste from home (and chicken off the bone!)

A week in the life of my new trainers

2009-04-09T03:53:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong as seen by the new lens (10-20mm) birthday money cheers

The 4 rocks suggest that those that stay here will have longevity and health on Mt Nanshan

Von and Candy (friend of Angela who joined us for the walk)

Von and Angela ( met through the coffee shop)

Umm inside another camera shop in HK.

Interesting week.

Tuesday was painballing and bars (see previous entry).

Wednesday was a trip to HK to buy a pair of trainers , maybe a wide angle camera lens and more reading material. In my element in a coffee shop with a Late, a lammington and a newspaper, I was happy for ages while L&L were doing some other stuff.

After sampling much poor service (now I know why there are so many ads on HK Tv about poor customer service) we decided on the best of the worst but the best price to spend my birthday money on a lens vital for the tall buildings of China, a 10-20mm Sigma lens and the interesting effects created. A pair of trainers/sandshoes at Wan Kee ( I liked the name and as a customer does that make me a wank--?) Back to Sz for a hotpot dinner yummy...and cheap...and good for you! Wow.

L & L, my porters carrying my purchase from Wan Kee
Hotpot as taken with new lens

Thursday, a walk up Mt Nanshan (in my new trainers )with Angela from the coffee shop near work. She's a bundle of energy and bred in a hometown in China somewhere with mountains so she's not at all disadvantaged by short legs! My two colleagues had to reschedule due to other stuff, but Angela's friend Candy came along. She drove us there ( by circuitous route, roads unknown to locals) and back (more directly) to lunch at a local dumpling shop near home and school. Great morning, windy, cool and for them English on tap and for me , pathetic attempts at my Chinese resulting in fits of giggles! Next time, there will be more of us and picnic we hope.

After climbing/walking/lunching off to work.

Friday/Saturday/Sunday teaching... Sunday night a trip to the sports field with Lindsay to meet the EF Football ( soccer team) and have a short run just for fun ( in my new trainers)

Monday teaching at 10am to a VIP student who is hoping to get her visa to Adelaide soon to study at Brighton High so guess who was the logical teacher? Split shifts look horrid on paper but OK when you get to play badminton in between the lessons and fill the huge gap. A NZ, Brit, Aussie had a hit of badminton for an hour (in my new trainers) . As suspected, the strings were not in too much danger, many shots coming off teh frame or the grand swoosh miss but some drop shots and smashes did actually work. Predict sore bum and shoulder muscles next day!

Gaelic footy was cancelled due to the public holiday for TombSweeping Day.

(No need for new trainers!)

Back to Tuesday, lazy day at home. (No need for new trainers!)

Wednesday an hour at the gym ( pretending to be Lei in my new trainers ) as Luke worked out and I pottered around raising a gentle sweat and wondering why the anorexic size 6's were even there? Then a trip to Decalthlon Sports and ruin the good work of saving all week to go berserk in the store after the intention to buy 2 beginner tennis rackets, coming home with some other goodies as well to support the recent sporting week. Booked the tennis court for next Tuesday morning - tennis anyone?

That's it for the week that was apart from trips to the shops to prepare for Jenny and Deb to visit at the end of the month ( they now have somewhere to sleep each and bedding!), extra bottle of drinking water, and a security card and keys...all in hand for now.

My task now, to make sure I actually have some RMB left at the end of the month to enjoy with my friends when they get here. I just hope they don't look so new by then, my trainers that is...)

News from home has also been interesting. Chester and Oscar involved in the Rugby 7's as ballboy and flag carrier, Anna awarded Life Membership of Sturt Softball Club, Gilby being selected in the Hockeyroos squad '09, Bel in the AIS Softball squad...congratulations to you all and it's a regret that I can't be there to share! Enjoy any time in the sun before it gets too hot!

Till next trivia time. Vonny

Lots of laughs and bruises = paintballing

2009-03-31T07:40:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Invited to play paintball, something I never done at home but happily do in China for a social event. I must be mad? The common day off for the EF teachers in Shenzhen kids saw a large majority of us turn into badly dressed modern day "soldiers" (or refugees from Tenko?) on our morning off.

Safety equipment (shirt and trousers, helmet), a belt to mark the above the belt line fatal shot..., a bevy of paintball bullets, two teams set off to do battle.

NanHai Hotel in Shekou, has a game range where corporates do battle with red paint, laugh a lot at each other, develop strategies to win the flag, and at the same time avoid getting shot in the tender parts or the bigger targets (the butt). Cheating abounds amidst the laughter and the cries of I'm out, don't shoot (it hurts!).

Bruises , most of us have a few small welts like bad mosquito bites or decent small bruises (about the size of an Aussie five cent or Chinese 5 jio coin) as souvenirs.

Adjourn to Mc Cawleys for lunch : a pint and a roast pork and gravy sandwich... a debrief, a chat and a follow up visit to the butcher and two supermarkets FULL of western, familiar yummy delicious food. I am so glad I don't live in Shekou ( about 10km bike ride), the pay would go just on familiar food. Captain Morgan Rum was my big find, I needed it when I was down with that bad cold and no voice so it's medicinal of course.

Pate!

Earth Hour SZ

2009-03-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

Hi, Just to say that I did observe Earth Hour tonight. More lesson preparation by candle light but this time by choice not blackout. My trip to Ikea a few weeks ago at least netted some candles, decorative and functional. From my balcony I couldn't see any sign of difference in the immediate area but apparently some of the major hotels were going to do their bit. HK was quite well placed to show their support with all the glitz and glamour in lights.

It's possible the Shenzhen Bay bridge dimmed its lights but I couldn't see from here - maybe the visibility is low. I think it will catch on as some schools registered so that's a great start to raising awareness at grass roots.

Halfway through the weekend, our busy time certainly makes the day fly by. I am teaching a bit of everything tomorrow starting with the 5-6 year olds, then 3-4s, then 7-10s, then the over 10s. An early start and finish on Monday allows me to get to Gaelic Football for a run, Tuesday we are Paintballing (yikkes) and Thursday morning climbing the stairs at Mt Nanshan before work with a young enthusiastic local girl called Angela ( she makes coffee at the Mountain Breeze Coffee Shop). A return to the active outdoors (while the weather permits). Yes, slow news week!

Cheers

A story of the Rugby ball and the round ball

2009-03-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

Monday began with a lazy start then into work to prepare for 3 VIP sessions (1-1 students). After this a journey towards physical activity began. Waiting at the bus stop for an age it seemed to catch the 72 bus to the terminus. Down the concourse and into the MTR (subway) to the junction of lines 1&4 (2 and 3 are not built yet!) change to line 4 to its terminus. Wander out into twilight and follow the text instructions to the sporting field. Why am I heading in this direction? To try my hands and feet at Gaelic Football (now. stop laughing immediately). A bunch of Xpats*
gather to practice / teach the skills of the game for two hours 8.30-10.30pm. For me one of half a dozen girls, a great opportunity to exercise off the pints of beer. Except that after the training/scratch matches we adjourn to a bar called Xpat for a beer! Just build the pint cost into the training costs...
* Irish, NZ,Canadian, US,Chinese, UK, Sth Africa, Aussie just to name a few nationalities

Tuesday, a day off started with slightly rebelling muscles but not as bad as I expected. It had been fun but learning how to play will be a bit tricky, maybe I'll stick to goalkeeper. I sort of did OK in the 7 aside scratch match.

Despite the dreary wet weather on Wednesday I decided to go to Hong Kong to see the Hong Kong 10's Rugby, a tournament in lead up to the sold out 7's (I'm working anyway as I console myself for not being able to go to such a world renowned event). The 10's saw some good running rugby and a wide variety of shapes and sizes playing. The stronger sides have Ex-All blacks or Springboks in their sides. No Aussie side but a few Aussies playing by the sound of the voices.

The 10's is held at the Hong Kong Football Club, the scene of my first Australian Vets hockey tour in 1996 and the hockey pitch just reminded me how much I miss the game and the tournaments.

Mind you, a pint of beer and a Villis pie was good consolation while watching others run around. Someone had to give the Heineken girls something to do in the cold drizzly weather.

Ball retrieval team

Tossing up about staying overnight and returning to SZ next morning and coming home while the border crossing and trains still operated, finances won, and the fear that I might enjoy it (HK) so much that the journey back to the mainland would become a drag. I decided to save the HK Dollars for next time when hopefully I'll get to Ned Kelly Bar for some jazz. Probably when Jen and Deb come over if not before then, at least the immigration officials all use the stamps in the passport economically using up small spaces, not a whole page.
.HK night life in Causeway Bay
late night BBQ snack on my street corner

HK would be much less of a challenge in day to day life. Taxi drivers speak English, signage is generally multilingual and main landmarks have English names. You can buy a reasonable coffee and a roastbeef and horseradish sandwich, a broadsheet newspaper and recognisable necessities in the chemist as well as a full range of unknown goodies. I forgot to mention my visit to the chemist to get first aid stuff for the anticipated scabby knees at Gaelic (my knees that is) and some more reading matter at Dymocks.

Back to reality of the modern SZ. Simple tasks are daily challenges till mastered but i am working on ticking off the tasks.

Anyway, it's now way past midnight and time for bed. Cheers till next time.

A day off with a difference, on St Paddy's Day

2009-03-18T06:50:00.000-07:00

Monday night, teachers finalising the week's administrative input under the watchful eye of Lindeman , a result of the Director of Studies getting creative with my camera and Lindsay's wine. The end of a busy week usually has an excitement of two days off and a few sleep ins but this one was complicated by a school outing on Tuesday. We were all off to Evergreen Resort as thanks for our work on the WinterCamp. Scan through and see what this afternoon encompassed.

Teacher's carrot?

Pensive on our day out or avoiding looking at the camera?

SZ Kids 3 and 4 staff at Evergreen Resort. Who is the only one without black/dark hair!

A recycled fanta can water buffalo

Centre Manager Sonia and Ada (yellow) sliding down the deck of the pirate ship

The rainforest is so wet they provide umbrellas!

The sun was shining hence a rainbow in the mist

Rainforest on the edge of development

look what you can do with a 10mm lens!

The adventure park has ropes, swings, rockclimbing, rope challenges to treat most nervous types.

What you don't get to see is the full impact of the rainforest gully, the butterfly farm, the fishing club, the aquarium and enormous fish, flowers, the melon garden, the pottery house and the resort.

We played impromptu basketball, tug of war, played on stilts, hopscotch, and other activities to amuse. I'll be curious to see if there are any sore muscles on Thursday as it was all quite strenuous at times (a competitive bunch).

After all this fun, we met our bus and went to dinner which was Sichuan (swimming in chilli).

A day off with a difference but we did manage to avoid the KTV Karaoke session as it was St Paddy's day and EF teachers were gathering at Sherkou McCauleys so we wandered down there until bed called. The League of Nations of EF kids teachers are a friendly bunch, having commandeered the pool table and most of the top floor it was a celebration again.

I took it easy as I have yet another cough, some form of URTI without a sore throat but with a loss of voice for a while making teaching a challenge where creativity takes over from normal lesson plan. I actually feel OK just sound dreadful when the cough reflex kicks in! A whole week (until St Paddy's day )without alcohol certainly saves money but I am sure you can drown from the inside on drinking so much water.

Hopefully a day in the outdoors and a few beers and doing naught today must be giving the medications a chance to work. Easy day tomorrow too.

Yippee - I have CNN and BBC World TV Channels, giving a great respite from those really annoying commercials on the two HK channels.

Cheers and belated Paddy's greetings to you!

Two weeks at a time

2009-03-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

view on a clearer day!

As I sit here on a wet Thursday night listening to the rain, I try to recall what's happened since I last wrote. Thunder and lightening outside so I will sign off in case we lose power again, safety first... see you in the morning!

Friday, dark overcast morning:

Its still raining but not as ferociously, the pool at the gardens now has some water in it, as does the pond across the road.

Well, it seems like ages since I last sat down to chronicle the exciting events of daily life in Shenzhen.

On my days off last week, i went for longish bike ride in 27 degrees warm sunshine and ended up in Shekou for lunch at a great bakery I'd discovered last year, great roast beef and mustard sandwiches! No that's not my bike in the photo, it belongs to the recycling man who was collecting cardboard from the bakery, its amazing that most things can be reused out of necessity by these very enterprising locals.
I bought some nursery rhyme books and craft books at a small going out of business bookshop.

DAFEN ARTIST VILLAGE http://www.dafen.com/

Dafen artist village is truly an amazing place amidst the tall building and traffic chaos of SZ city. It's a lengthy but incredibly inexpensive local bus ride to the other side of SZ for us Nanshaners. We actually had to bus and subway to the Luohu Commercial Centre and then find the bus (103) from there. Armed with our blue books "Shopping in Shenzhen" we felt confident we could find our way to somewhere! (Oh, we are Hannah and Von as our days off overlap on Wed).

We went past a lake/reservoir , saw the Wutong Mountain turnoff and the big hill itself. And then we saw signs of artistic businesses so we jumped off at the next stop and spent some time wandering around the amazing streets of the artists enclave. Original works, copies, framers galore giving the eyes a feast of colour. We found the place to deck out the ancestral home with hunting scenes and Victorian portraits. I was very taken by the ability to paint from a photo and I might find one of my favourite photos to take to get a painting for my apartment wall.

After this, and a visit to the art gallery ( airconditioned respite for those who dislike the heat) we headed back to more familiar territory of Dongmen Shopping Area where Hannah paid a visit to UniQlo (Japanese based but western style and sizes of casual clothes). A final stop near Window of the World to pop into H&M (UK outfitters) and Ole a top end supermarket with just about everything...no Maggie Beer Pate or Branston Pickle though. I spent next to nothing all day...wow what an achievement.

The day ended with dinner at a small Muslim restaurant where you point at the pictures on an out of reach notice board to order...it was tasty and really cheap. Then drinks with Ray and Loretta ( Aussie Teacher at adult school and his wife), as we practiced weightlifting with 500ml glasses of Tiger beer. We called it stumps at 2am! Luckily, Thursdays are an afternoon start at school for me.

During the weekend, we had a power cut to the whole area and then the apartments were off until 3.30am. My belated lesson preparation of colouring in and cutting out props for small stars was done by headlamp! Paddington came to class to model hat. scarf, coat , wellies/boots as we were doing a lesson about the weather and cold/snowy clothes.

Having survived the weekend, the next days off were reasonably uneventful.

recycling /load carrying waiting for work

local exploration - wind powered street lights

In Nanshan Book City - The Logic (?) of English Grammar!

tall buildings but with large public spaces

I stayed local except for a trip to get some summer weight duvets (guests) and a coffee plunger (200rmb less than local shops). Its a 20minute bus ride and a 20RMB taxi (Thanks to the Blue book again as the address is also in Chinese who knows where the free shuttle picks up from!). You could be anywhere in the world once inside...great place to just wander. Apparently the food hall is consistent with Adelaide, good cheap food of European style..oh well next time. How ironic, most items in a Swedish store made in China, but not all. I caught the shuttle back so now I know where it picks up from near Window of the World.

Later that evening back on the buses with Lei, Luke and a fellow teacher from Guangzhou, to trek to Coco park, a shopping and bar precinct in Futian to catch up with other teachers from SZ kids schools. More weight lifting exercises with 500ml of Carlsberg this time.

Von and Nicole (SZ1 school).

Achievements this week:

secured tickets to Splendid Acrobatics at Nanshan Poly Theatre (April )with Hannah
purchased a ticket to the Duke Ellington Orchestra performance 20th May @ SZ Concert Hall- thanks to local school staff who wrote the instruction in Chinese in case I needed them but the girl at the ticket office speaks enough English to help me!
arranged a 15L bottle of water delivery (Thanks to Ada at school for the phone call to arrange). I bought the water cooler thingy, just needed the water. A soggy delivery man arrived with the water this morning, now I need an extension cord to plug it in.
purchased some more books to read, several classics
made my way to Ikea
hoping to have made progress towards cable TV links to BBC World and CNN and whatever else comes with it, tired of the adverts on the two HK channels...can nearly quote them verbatim!
presumably I have survived my probation period at school...
ordered my dumpling lunch yesterday in Chinese! ee jyao-zir (1 dumplings steamed)
raced home in time yesterday to prevent serious flooding as the rain was coming in the back bedroom window (thanks Luke for mentioning both rain and windows! - he flew home too)

Things I still have to understand:

why locals frantically press the door close button on the lift, who do they think is going to jump in at the last minute?
why the frenetic dash to get a seat in the Subway ( not a fast walk but a sprint with elbows out!)?
Why does everyone Else's business at the bank take so long when I am waiting!
Where are all the post boxes to send mail?
What happened to the warm weather? it's only 16 today! It was 27 last week.

Ok, enough for now

Chaos on ice

2009-02-19T07:05:00.000-08:00

No, not a new type of cocktail, more a bruise tail!

EF's SZ 3 Kids School celebrated its 1st birthday on ice tonight at the Coastal City Ice Rink.
Many accomplished skaters including one young student is a current Asian age champion... unlike myself wobbling around with the grace and finesse of a baby giraffe!

Still, the sign did warn Seniors (over 50 yo) to be careful as a fall can be serious...and two Friends from TAFE broke bones in the year of their 50th...so I survived with bruises and pressure points but dignity and sense of humour intact. Perhaps I could challenge Stephen Bradbury (Aust Olympic Gold 2002, speed skating )as the dark horse if I practice!

Many teachers and staff were new and brave enough to try and impressive results as students became the teachers and rescuers.

Our mini Everest expedition to 3 turtle mountain

2009-02-18T03:03:00.000-08:00

Today you get to meet Liz/Beth from UK another foreign teacher at school and desperate for an outing to do something - so we did. We mounted an expedition to NanShan Mountain via The custom mountaineering portal of Nan Shan Park.

Vonny and Liz discover the way into Nan Shan Park to climb the not so high mountain (<400m)with plenty of steps and lots of stopping points!
Suddenly, not so sure of our directions and with the aid of a map, we asked a policeman who dutifully pointed us in the right direction. Exactly as we had been told at School by locals but at the time we were geographically disadvantaged having no idea of the site or layout of the streets.

The portal was clearly not a Harry Potter type portal where you touch an object and turn up somewhere else ( we had to walk ourselves!)
Then we saw the steps, in fact we saw the steps for the next hour I suspect as we both mumbled or stumbled through the puffing how unfit we were. (Given we have both trekked in the Andes, at altitude this was a great test). Not that too many of the locals fared better, except for the really athletic ones running it! No difference to Mt Lofty (Adelaide) in that respect. It is a steep ascent but the view is significant, even through the morning haze.

At the NanShan GPS reference station ( so I dutifully referenced my GPS which finally recognised the HouHai Bay coastline as different to the Adelaide Beaches)

Feeling adventurous, we took the alternative track down (we hoped it was going down all the way ) this was more scenic and less busy than the custom portal.
We know it was only 350+ mtrs but it was our Everest for the day, certainly not a personal best for either of us but a start on the list of things we must do while we are here! It will be a good guide to any small progress on fitness and as its only a 2RMB bus ride from school, there are not too many excuses for a return visit.

Shekou from Nan Shan /3 Turtle mountain

there was a sign to turtle mountain but as we are none the wiser we took our own name from a statue of 3 turtles (which we failed to photograph-next time)

Lunch in Shekou, Liz found a friendly cat (but she resisted the urge to take it home).

By the way, the strangest things happen. I was recently sitting on the balcony, looking out at the rare clearish sea view when a white plastic whale floated past the balcony and headed for the clouds. A peek over the balcony revealed a slightly distraught toddler presumably previous owner of said plastic whale balloon. I had the camera in my hand but wasn't quick enough to catch it to show you!

Tomorrow we have a full day of training and then a birthday party for the school. EF SZ3 Kids turns 1 year old and we are having a party on ice at the Coastal City Ice Rink. And yes, I can hear you giggling, we are going to attempt to skate. I figure if I can ice climb* surely after 25 years I can still skate!? Hopefully there will be photos to post here soon, dignified or otherwise...

Till next time

* http://5travellingamigos.blogspot.com/

2 days of nothing much

2009-02-12T06:58:00.000-08:00

We finally got two days off after working the Winter Course and I bet none of us did much, other than chill out and enjoy a sleep in ( or lie in at least).

Tuesday night we celebrated with a party at Luke and Lei's (L&L) where much beer and a few GnT's or Vodkas were consumed. It was the United Nations with Aust,NZ,Phillapines, Poland, UK, Canada, Sth Africa and China represented and by the end some were speaking a new slanguage (not me, I wasn't exactly sober but I wasn't drunk either). Earlier that night I discovered the Thai Element with really yummy food

Sleep deprivation, or is it just laziness?? resulted in a slow late morning followed by a quick lunch at Maccas (chicken nuggets and coffee being my usual) noted by the staff who placed my order for me before I could blink (well I was a bit slow...). * Went with L&L to their tailor at LoHuo Commercial Centre to see about more beige alternative work outfits. That was enough for the day! Ordered the skirts and Luke's shirts and headed home to a delicious hot pot dinner at L&L's. The DVD even with Morgan Freeman and Antonio Bandarras (sp?) was not enough to keep us from sleep so a five minute stroll home.

Woken by someone crashing a sledge hammer against a wall somewhere this morning did not deter a doze for longer than intended!

Then I went for a bike ride to explore and solve a few mysteries like what is that structure I can see from my balcony ( the F1 Power Boat 2008 venue). Frustration and annoyance with the Dahon domestic model bike resulted in my purchasing a recreational mountain bike this afternoon and loving it just on the ride home, even bought a helmet for a real bike. (I'm having second thoughts about bringing FreedomFriday in case he gets pinched- 799Y vs $1500USD = 10,000Y). The man at Decathlon said no locks work in SZ if they want to steal a bike...ummmm I hope the mountain bike is really comfortable for long rides and maybe BF can stay safe at home?? But then again BF does travel well...what a dilema...a couple of months to decide before Friday can come escorted from Adelaide.

Hannah came for dinner and we watched "Australia", hummm, roll credits fade to black - it took so long to get to the very predictable end but it was a borrowed DVD so no cost for an evening in -she says putting it politely, crikey it was overdone and underdone at the same time but Hugh Jackman and David Wenham are both worth a gander, and the little kid is so cute.

There you go that's two days off in summary - no pretty photos-no excitement but a new bike in the spare room (I figured it would get more use than a gym membership at twice the price).

* Maccas know my solo lunch order, or the alternative from the dumpling shop is becoming regular, the guy at 3D bar knows its Green Coopers, the coffee people know its a tall latte with a loyalty card and I have a membership card at Decathlon (sports store) & I am remembering to look left first before crossing the road then right then left then right and expect the unexpected as indicators are seriously just decorative here just like the zebra crossings and the little green man on the traffic pole is as confused as your average pedestrian!

Winter Camp - Peru Rainforests and Greek Drama

2009-02-08T03:25:00.000-08:00

Rainforest scrapbooks (upside down)

How can you feel tired and grumpy with these delightful students (3-4yo)?

Graduates end week 2

Lea and May with their rainforests

Class with Drama masks (representing Greek drama)

Still here, two days left of Winter Camp....Teach, prepare, sleep, teach, prepare - but who's counting! Poland and Japan to go then we have travelled the world in 15 days. Two days off then back to normal timetables.

Before we know it, we'll be at Summer Camp which is longer and hotter (duhh) but that's July/August.

Not much to report as time has been hectic but I'll continue my post in a more energentic way soon. Took one night off and met up with Hannah for the Great Trade - my Passport, Visa, Working Papers for a Jar of Marmite ( courtesy of Liz who when home for Spring Festival). To celebrate the great trade we had beers and when we arrived at the 3D bar, the floor staff said to me "Coopers?", yes please green and a Sol for Hannah.

It's tragic to hear about the bushfires and losses in Vic/NSw but little mention of SA. Congrats to you all for surviving the record heatwave of 40++ while I was complaining about being cold here at only just sub 10 degrees at one day high! And floods in Qld!! What a country of diversities but then again it is the biggest one 'girt by sea'.

The photos I got on email of the swimming kangaroo, the showered Koala and the koala drinking from a cyclist's water bottle just about said it all.

Brain drain...time to start colouring in some Polish emblems for the flag as the eagle is just a bit tricky for the littlies.

Cheers.

Half a century! - The week that was (past tense)

2009-01-30T06:33:00.000-08:00

Hi all, this could be construed as sad that I am able to construct a blog entry on my 50th birthday even after celebrations but the truth is I am! Something to do with needing to work on a Saturday!
This is the week that was

Lunar New Year - from my balcony [all night it seems]

The week we had off was a lazy dull grey week, not that inspiring when you don't have a passport so can't go too far and don't want to spend all the pay in one go.
SZ Commercial centre Luo Hu ( end of Metro line)
Hannah and I managed to fill the time in with visits toDongMan Shopping, Shenzhen Commercial Centre just to lookie see, Visit to the International Book shop and ceremonial fleecing by local vendors, purchasing DVDs, the obligatory daily trip to Carrefours or Jusco. a venture or Adventure to Window of the World which we aborted due to grey skies and discovered more! shopping centres and Shekou Bombay
. Ceremonial fleecing of westerners by local Futian business men - a honey, nut fruit crunch log thing resembling the great SZ wall. Souvenir take home and eat for the rest of our lives (or at least until you visit).!
Another Shopping Centre Shekou

The big adventure was to Guangzhou by train for the day to meet up with Renee (EF teacher) and explore Shamien Island, Starbucks and Hooleys bar
.from GZ train at 180kph
GZ canal creating Shamien island ( seriously cropped for the photo cutting out the road and overpass) Von in GZ
Hannah & Renee outside Starbucks Shamien Island GZ

Then it was my birthday and SZ threw on the great weather, about 18 degrees, sunny for the most part, a view across Hou Hai Bay from my balcony no work and new friends to share my birthday with - Lei wished me a happy 18th!!
The day of my 50th is /was sunny, quite clear and warmer than most of the week but not horrid like Aussie with 40+++ degrees-

Quick Coopers Pale Ale at 3D Bar, dinner at local BBQ (25 RMB each) and a post dinner drink at my apartment and they day was done, ceremony over less fuss but lots of emails and SMS to answer. Cheers to all of you.

Hannah, Luke. Lei and Von at end of the meal to commemorate my 50th , in SZ China about 2 minutes from school and home !

Happy birthday to me....Hannah, Luke and Pad and I on my balcony post dinner

Paddington shared my 21st and now my 50th ! Cheers

and the biggest toast could be to absent friends but in this case that's all of you....so Cheers and here's to many more! Goodnight from us.

When a Saturday is really a Saturday

2009-01-24T04:54:00.000-08:00

Enjoying a late morning Mountain Breeze coffee reading That's PRD magazine about the Pearl River Delta (SZ & GZ)

Lei and Luke ordering the adventurous delights of the hot pot

After 9 days of teaching, this morning was lazy and a good start to the week long Spring Festival for the Lunar New Year. Coffee at a local coffee shop where i was given a loyalty card just like home, now I feel like a local. A rare Saturday on a Saturday as days off are normally Tues/Wed. With no particular plans other than to stay out of the lazy cold wind from the cold snap (the weather knows when it is new year so it can create havoc with holiday plans), I accepted an invite from Lei and Luke from school to venture into Luo Hu and DiWan to look for DVDs and a hot pot meal.

I had my initiation to the Luo Hu Commercial Centre ( 5 floors of tiny shops and calls of "just looking,come in" , offers to buy sunglasses, bags and baby clothes galore). A gentle induction as it was very busy but not crowded. We went to find a tailor to make some work clothes (beige of course) but all the tailors were closed.

Back on the subway to the shopping area for DVD browsing and to stock up for the chilly holiday days and nights ahead.

A hot pot meal was what I was promised and in return I agreed to be adventurous with the ingredients ( I don't have to teach till next Saturday). The Chinese equivalent of black pudding slices, an eggy tofu dish , and sucking marrow through a straw just about ticked all the adventurous boxes for the day. It was bleak and gray outside so a warming hotpot broth late in the afternoon was just right.

The city centre near Diwan was not at all crowded in contrast to a two weeks ago so the tales of travelling home must be true. [A good time to visit the traditionally crowded places over the next week, with the camera and Hannah when she is not working as they do not have such a long break as us.] A quick bus trip home due to lack of traffic and passengers by comparison to normal.

I got the seal of approval on the apartment from Lei as she hadn't seen it. Tonight you can see the lights of the New Territories (HK) and the road bridge so the air is clearer than normal - maybe I will get a sea view one day soon.

Time to watch one of my DVDs, as I can't get the DVD player working through the TV (the ex-AV technician knows what to do but I can not read Chinese for in/out etc and on the remote controls) I'm taking the laptop to bed with a hot cuppa and watch one of the dozen new titles.

Goodnight from me

"I can sing a rainbow"

2009-01-22T04:22:00.000-08:00

"Red and yellow and pink and green,

orange and purple and blue.

I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too....

Not that you could tell with my voice...but drowned out by the older group it's all good fun.

The younger ones were just learning it but there were high fives all round for their efforts.

Well, apparently the jumping through hoops for new recruits is over and we were not required to show our faces at the second PSB interview. As another song goes ...."it's only a matter of time" for the visa , somewhat interrrupted by the festvities with office shutdowns.

Everyone else is going O/S(Vietnam, KL, UK) for a few days or home to China families but Hannah and I are somewhat trapped without travel documentation till early Feb. That first venture to HK could be expensive!

One more 3 hr class and a VIP tomorrow (split shift) and by 8pm Friday it's holidays for week.It is the year of the OX - Happy New Year to all my readers

You can stop looking - I found it!

2009-01-19T04:59:00.000-08:00

Call off the dogs, stand down the search parties , I found it. My voice that is. Fortunately a night off teaching and Chinese medication and some good luck I awoke with a voice suitable for teaching youngsters about Packing a suitcase (what to take) and Italy. the theme of Winter is travelling abroad and countries or around the world in 15 days.

Teacher in EF - the dress to impress officialdom look - not for small stars classroom, but as culottes could make the grade if needed. Thanks to Image Wear for the personal service (Adelaide). It's not what you know but WHO!

Don't worry, the target language for what to pack is controlled to the basics so the mention of importance of duty free allowances and how to look like hand luggage is as light as a feather is not included. I can't wait for the lesson on day 3 which looks at emergency procedures getting my chance to impersonate the glam cabin crew I usually pay superficial attention to!

Crash position - if you can't reach the seat in front of you [you are sitting in first class you Ba@#$std!!] blah blah for us in economy, we have read the InFlight Magazine before takeoff as we are NOT quaffing champagne before takeoff.

Today I had my interview for residence permit at the Nanshan PSB. He asked me about previous trips to China and about my association with Sturt Softball Club (i explained softball as like baseball) and hockey. Amazed that i play hockey which he recognised as being a tough sport, when i said i was a goalkeeper he picked up his approved stamp and stamped vigorously on the required forms. (seemingly impressed) Next step is the Shenzhen PSB where Hannah and I have to front for inspection later in the week .Nanshan district

Self portrait with flamingo statues at Coastal City open air art show (I think),

Yesterday I taught Natalia and Ryan again from summer, it was a happy reunion for all. Several others also remember me which is touching as none of them ran away. Tomorrow is the test, I have a class of 3-4 year olds who were reluctant with even a local teacher - imagine the strange foreigner they face tomorrow....

More firecrackers outside, fireworks last night, imagine the New Years Eve - stay tuned.

TNT [till next time]

xxVonny

Lost - my voice if found return to EF

2009-01-18T04:17:00.000-08:00

Teacher in new EF shirt and beige pants

the outdoor community gym

Hi, I've lost my voice and if anyone knows where i was clumsy enough to leave it, please return it. It's due to my cold , not teacher talking. I sound like a squeeky Darth Vader, which confuses the kids a bit. Hopefully it will be back on Monday for the start of Winter Fun and my interview with the SZ Police for my residency permit.

Everyday things still amuse me. I was walking past the back door of a restaurant near school and watched a cook trying to weigh a flapping large fish, presumably before it became dinner. I was carrying my take-away crispy BBQ pork which i know how to order - paragraph 2, line 7 on the menu.

Wed bike ride started with the tyres needing air, ver friendly service for 50c. Prefer to have FreedomFriday here, much more comfy to ride.

Karaoke on Wed night was in honour of Diana and Allen's birthdays. Mostly in Chinese but a few from Sound of Music and the Beatles for the foreigners.

The locals are not shy or singing, cameras or performing...not your average Aussie.

Red lanterns, Oxen and a wide assortment of decorations appear around the Christmas decorations and clearly the Spring Festival is gearing up. Firecrackers are heard regularly in the street , sound like a whip cracking rather than anything more sinister.

I've mastered the washing machine thanks to a helpful email from Siemens customer service, giving instructions in English to a very similar model.

the community gardens at the apartment

Winter Fun starts tomorrow Mon-Fri then its Spring Festival.

Enjoy the read, trivial it may be.

My first week as a full time teacher in SZ

2009-01-12T02:45:00.000-08:00

After two luxury nights in Hong Kong it was time to venture to my new home of Shenzhen on the mainland. Access was quite easy with a subway station a minute from the HK hotel, transfer to the train station (all without coming above ground) and onto a train bound for Shenzhen via the border at Luohu.

Collected by a representative from EF (Evo) I was soon looking out of the window of the EF teachers hotel.

view from the 25th floor

Adventures in Dongmen shopping / walking street. Flanny PJs for 25RMB was my best purchase.

The bus to Nanshan ( 4RMB for half an hour 30 km journey)

Diwan Centre - the landmark of SZ where the EF administration is

Wandering the streets of Luohu in the late afternoon

The saga of hunting for a place to live is a chapter in its own right but here's the short version.

Sunday went hunting, looked at lots, price went up as going down was not what I was looking for ( Champagne tastes on beer budget- even in China). Found two , landlords not willing to negotiate, decided on one. Overnight it was on again, off again...decided to sign anyway and the sweet lady(! not!) went shopping so we looked at another place which was just great....in a good neighbourhood...right next door to school only 1 road to cross.

But it doesn't end there - we signed the lease with Alan from School helping with the language to avoid any confusion.

Unbeknown to us, the tax which is new and i think I am a guinea pig in this needs to have a particular type of contract so I can move in - just not apply for residential permit which has to be done in a time limit which is caught up in the Spring Festival shutdown, so I might be persona -non grata for a bit longer than hoped. The owner needs a certificate and most of them do not have it so the bank is having to generate one ( by mid week we hope) so i can do the formal contract.

It's not just me, the other new teacher is also in the same boat. As long as it happens eventually.

Now I am in the process of getting the internet connected at home, then I 'll consider the Cable channels , until then I'll make do with CCTV 9 and 2 HK channels in English most of the time.

Today ( Monday from 10.30am - 2pm) we had the big New Year Party for the Year of the OX ( signifying hard work!) with all of the SZ EF Schools Kids/Adults and Administration (EF= 300+)

Each of the schools did a skit or performance ( ours was great as Exotic dancers belly dancing - I have the belly- not sure why I missed out - oh yes because i am not co-ordinated perhaps?) Note my very trim co-workers ( teachers and admin)

Lunch was great, Chinese banquet but check out the plate of chicken closely ( no feet but...)

back to work by 3pm and I was just about to teach my VIP when they cancelled so I worked on the blog and then because i was still here i ended up doing an impromptu Life Club for 5 year olds on days of the week-ended up making each one a paper hat with a day written on it.

Now it's easily beer o'clock - must have been second sense when i turned down a beer after work with some others - Life Club duty called instead...going home for that beer brewed in SZ.

Tuesday and Wed are the new weekend so now its "Friday" night. Two days off, a real treat after the one day of summer school. Expecting to get internet connected ( and a landline phone in the package), contract signed and catch up with Hannah ( other new teacher from Adult school in EF Nanshan) who also has Wed off.

My weekend starts NOW - adios amigos - till I learn the phrase in Chinese (Mon 12th January 8.20pm)

Preparations to return to Shenzhen (at last)

2009-01-02T00:29:00.000-08:00

Family farewell - tears from me

Beer with Duncan.. Cheers

Well, the delays in getting my work permit approved allowed me to be home for Christmas and the end of the year and spend time with family and friends.

My working days were spent between preparation for return to SZ and some OHS and Human Resources project work. Some ergonomic assessments, workplace inspections, risk assessments on a TAFE programme and analysis of the administrative instructions for safety in preparation for an audit in 2009.

Having some bonus time to be fitting in all the things i would miss by being in SZ meant trips to the wineries, trip to Melbourne to see Billy Elliot & Jill, Sturt softball, Mum's bacon sandwiches,

listening to dad play jazz, walking with Jen & Lucy the kelpie at the beach...short rides on Bike Friday (Freedom Friday) , dinner at Mr Dinh's with friends and a bush boxing day.

Chester and Louise were involved in the Stonehaven Cup sailing competition at Largs Bay Sailing Club and I hung out there to catch up with all the family (Duncan was the organiser).

Chester is in the Cadet dinghy with SA 180 sail number

New Years Day arrived and Paddington and I departed Oz for Hong Kong then Shenzhen with Jen and Deb waving us off ( I don't do farewells...drop me off and go is my preference!).

SA Icons Padd works out how to get hotel bus

Currently sitting overlooking HK Harbour from my room on the 32nd Floor of the hotel (upgraded to harbour view without asking!). I went out to HK Central and found Dymocks, bought some novels which are very rare in SZ. I was going to explore using the MRT but its underground so you don't see much of the landscape. Decided to head home and get 100% value from my hotel room given that it was a treat to myself and a bit extravagant.

The next phase starts tomorrow - Saturday when i get myself to LoHu in SZ (mainland China) via train where I will be met by a representative from English First (EF) to get to the hotel that EF use for incoming teachers until they are settled in apartments or homestay if they chose (not). Apartment hunting Sunday, (hopefully catch one, tame it and move in same day or early in the week). Teaching Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday as the new career becomes a reality.

Here's to my Mandarin improving alond with my mathematical calculations from $AUD to RMB via $HK to be accurate until I get an idea of the value of money in the new world. My Bank of China ATM card works, my China SIM card works....here goes...boots and all...SZ Nanshan Kids School - here I come! 2009 Return to SZ.

What came next?

2008-11-10T22:55:00.000-08:00

6 fantastic weeks in South America , follow our adventures at http://5travellingamigos.blogspot.com/

impromptu holiday on my way home

2008-11-10T00:13:00.000-08:00

relaxing by the pool

well, i had to go to city to buy some bathers!

My departure from Guanzhou was not as easy as expected. I left the appartment with directions from NiCole who instructed the taxi to take me to the Railway station, travel to GZ, car hire to Airport (a much quicker trip this time). My flight was cancelled!

2 day layover in KL, basic expenses covered (but not my shopping!).

Pool, bar...tropical gardens for an impromptu little holiday.

tour of duty ends....for now

2008-08-17T06:22:00.000-07:00

with Natalia in the last class of the tour of duty on her birthday
with brother Ryan
with Dandan teachers assistant and interpreter and classroom conflict manager.
after knock off, to 3D bar for a Coopers
Daffy, from the gym, she is very enthusiastic!

Planes, trains and automobiles is the agenda for Monday.
Nursing a slight knee strain from class today, from being a rabbit hopping or was it the kangaroo? must improve fitness and agility! At my age, in a skirt too, how silly but fun. Icing with bing piju (inside and externally), luckily sitting down most of Monday.

Apartment manger has offered to assist in the morning to get a taxi to the Lohou Station. I have the instructions in Chinese but he is pulling out all his customer service stops for 6.45am! Maybe he wants to make sure I go!

With goods in storage or in use in Hilton, Kingston Park, Kilburn, Unley and now Shenzhen, I'd say that's really spread out-thanks to all for your help.

I am NOT looking forward to swapping warmth and humidity for the cold or chill of winter but the brain might appreciate a rest from flying by the seat of your pants and modifying teaching plans as the lesson progresses.
I had an open door this week which is where the parents come to watch their kids for 40 mins and all the games resulted in either tears or huffs as they got very competitive for 9 year olds! Modify and modify again! Learning is meant to be fun....not traumatic.
Back to TAFE for 9 days for "project" work before heading off to Chile, Peru and Bolivia.

Signing off for now....next message probably from OZ.

Cheers and thanks Shenzhen for your hospitality.
Thanks for reading and sending your feedback, messages and greetings.

Yiwan , Y-Von-Na , Yi Won Na , many pronunciations and none of them painful!

Towards the final countdown

2008-08-16T06:08:00.000-07:00

High Flyers, graduation for some
Dinner , a roll your own Chinese burrito at a Muslim restaurant.

Friday night felt like a Friday as I had the next day off. I ate out at a favourite Muslim restaurant which is clean and the menu has pictures. The outdoor table was pleasant as it was a nice evening with lots happening in the street. A lady came and offered to help me order, she was obviously keen to use her English and show off a bit which I didn't mind as I was undecided about my order (except for a bing pinju TsingTao). Tasty meal, increasing my new repertoire by one.

Saturday, a day off after 10 days of teaching. I went with Luke to the electronics area by bus and subway, to buy a memory card for my camera (much less than purchasing from around here) and to price some other gadgets for people who had asked. The uncertainty over quality/price/compatibility through mostly sign language was too big a risk with other people's money! I'll take a fluent speaker and bargainer next time (Luke bargained well).

I found where all the foreigners hangout - at Shekou a trendy area about 3 km from Nanshu, I saw more today than the last 8 weeks all together. Not a very friendly lot though, hardly a hello smile from any.

What a treat, Olympics on many channels, flipping between the tennis (in English), badminton, tabletennis, basketball all on Chinese channels. keeping up to date with Aussies through the internet.

Having packed the kitchen gear and taken it to work for storage , I went out for a takeaway as I can not order a home delivery ( no read Chinese!). On may way back in I shared the lift with a young man and his Chihuahua which stared at me all the way up 25 floors ( the dog not the owner), equal fascination between us in the strange thing before us!

Teaching tomorrow from 8.45 and finishing at 5.30 with teh two VIP students I started my first class with weeks ago. I have survived the summer teaching , but the others have two weeks left after they increased the sessions to 8 weeks ( brings in good revenue).

Housework, not hard in such a compact place, packing down to two shopping bags of household stuff and a case of clothes to stay and a bag of clothes (reduced in size) to bring home. My additional Chinese language skills will not take up much room but I can see potential for a longer stay of actually learning some phrases. I'm working on the second line of teh Olympic song to follow Beijing hauan ying ni...which is so catchy.

My maths was tested today with converting yuan to USD as the bank didn't have enough AUD anyway. It was nice to get paid yesterday with enough time to convert as you can not exchange RMB outside of China and I am sure airports take more percentage.

Anyway Olympics getting exciting with some great women's tennis (Chinese of course)... you might get an update if anything exciting happens tomorrow if not, I fly out Monday, home on Tuesday.

Week 33 , graduations and Olympic fever

2008-08-14T03:52:00.001-07:00

Paper craft giraffe small stars (5-6)
Trail Blazers graduation with parents after an Open Door (parents welcome for last 40 mins of 3 hrs)

Small Stars 0 (3-4yo) on basketball Von with MaMa and Elmo
Monkey (Carol) leading me into the Fun O Land fun

Micky with his art deco Union Jack (Olympic flags)
High Flyers class graduates, some go some stay some new!
Monkey and Von at Fun O Land
Dinner, meat off teh skewer at Brazilian BBQ

Ok, I'll admit it, I have used my out of school time to watch the Olympic coverage.

this last week at school has been a week of graduations as kids leave to have a shortened summer holiday. It's a bit of a revolving door as new students come in for a short summer term!

We went out to dinner at the Brazil BBQ which is a full on feast! This was the summer teacher's farewell and thankyou. I know I ate some things I'd rather not know about but most of it was very tasty. A party afterwards at Luke and Lei's allowed me to meet a lot of the other teachers from the other two SZ kids schools, resulting in a warm feeling about coming back and a list of things to bring back with me like Lucas Pawpaw cream (which I have some of anyway).

A kiwi with a really strong accent sided with me vs the Canadians (who have won no medals yet). A really mixed bunch - Canada, Cameroon, Philippines, Poland, NZ, Aussie, England, Ireland, Swedish maybe....many non Chinese teachers in China teaching English.

The next morning I was on duty at FunO Land, the kids zone nearby and I have to say with no shame that I loved it! Crawling through tunnels that wobble and shake, climbing over wellpadded obstacles and being shot at by foam balls. Don't let on how old I really am! Wednesday is the day off so I have mine on Saturday, convenient for packing I guess as I fly out Monday and teach most of Sunday.

I found a bar 3D which is a beer bar and sells Kilkenny on tap, Newcastle Brown and Coopers by the stubbie! Not cheap but the TV was on a China bravely lost to Spain in the Basketball. Very emotive crowd. Had to get to dinner so I left before the end which was sad for China.

Greetings from Yiwan, my Chinesed name apparently.

Home to SA soon, mummm, Maggie Beer, Mr Dinh's, A crisp sparkling white, french toast and a really good flat white coffee immediately come to mind. Hindley Street for coffee...the rest will follow. I am due at work for a meeting at 8.30 am after arriving on schedule at 6ish, after customs etc and a change into work clothes at teh airport , the J 1 bus to the city and - TAFE here I come for 9 days work (to pay for upfront costs of return to China later if all permits come through).

I look forward to catching up with family and friends. More photos will be posted on Facebook

Till next time

Let the games begin! Soon.

2008-08-08T06:11:00.000-07:00

My front row seat for Opening Ceremony, probably similar to yours, only the size of TV will differ!
5 steps to the fridge (including the turn to open the door!)

One World, One Dream

Is there any chance that can be world peace in our lifetimes?
An amazing opening ceremony, courtesy Hong Kong Tv (SZ is so close it gets off mainland TV in English), we have ages for Australia as it will come out as Odalia (spelling??) in Pinying.

I have a total of 5 steps to the fridge, five to the bedroom and the TV is centre stage but so far I've been spellbound by the precision and technology from Chinese performers. I had to wait for an ad break to fill my glass with a South African Sav Blanc to go with scrambled eggs on toast!

I poked my head out of the window a few minutes ago and there is not much activity compared with a normal Friday...everyone at work and all teh students were going to watch the opening ceremony from home or a pub. Home sounded good to me, cheap, safe and airconditioned!

An Aussie from Radio Australia manged to get a commentating spot with HK TV so I expect to get some parochial support when Aus comes out.

My guess for the lighting of teh cauldron - a dragon somehow or a phoenix in a high tech display or something so incredibly simple it will be awesome!

Join me in a toast for a sucessful Olympics, terrorism and disaster free, politics minimal and games spirit upmost ? Beijing haun ying ni - 2008
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=QFQ1JDw-d70
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ8ZaeRb8yU&feature=related

Ghana look splendid in Kenti cloth, there are countries I have never heard of and will be hunting for on the World Map at school tomorrow!

time to upload the blog before I lose the link....happy Olympics to you all in any country you support.
cheers

tune

Finish Summer week 4

2008-08-03T05:04:00.000-07:00

My apartment on 25th (top is 32nd). Middle with the balcony in centre of photo.
My bike and I in corridor of school

end week 4 (Trail Blazer Mid class)
say no more!
ground floor new building temp accom for construction workers?
Goodness, send more moisturiser! taken by Luke with his old my new camera!

At the time of writing the Beijing games are only 5 days away and what I haven't learnt about the Fuwa or the Friendlies mascots isnt worth knowing! Teaching it everyday makes even the chinese phrases sink in. Just in case you didnt know....BeiBei, JingJing, HuanHuan, YingYing, NiNi are the 5 (Blue , black, red, yellow, green) representing the 5 original continents also remind you of the 5 olympic rings??? Well, the phrase "BeiJing HaunYing Ni "means "Beijing welcomes you" so even 3 years olds know the 5 mascots. Bei Bei (Fish)- Sea/water) JingJing(Panda) HuanHuan (Fire/flame/Phoenix), YingYing ( Tibettan Antelope./ earth) and NiNi (Swallow/ Environment). have a good look at their symbols http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/

to see the resemblances. BeiBei (swimming, kayaking etc), Jing Jing (Weightlifting), Huan Huan (NFI - I forget), YingYing (Athletics) and NiNi ( gymnastics etc and also represents the Continent of Oceania including Aodaliya-Australia). See, told you it was very important trivia, but for once I am nearly an expert and I can also unravel the mystery of teh Sydney 2000 mascots (Syd, Mille and Olly) but I have no idea about Athen 2004! Must have slept through that two weeks.

Teaching was reasonably uneventful. Continuing to please the "masters" which is good news for a intern rookie! farewelled 4 students from one class as they take their summer holidays ( pleased to see its not all work and no play). Made my first 'little one' scream on Saturday, she is only 2 and was a bit scared of a big yellow haired foreigner ( yes yellow not ginger, red or graying) but a bit of time spent with a page of Mascot stickers "brought" her aound to actually touching and talking to me as we sat on the floor for 20+ minutes. I felt great afterwards having melted a barrier or two with some time invested for the future.

I managed a hug from a 3 year old as well so my fans are growing as long as I don't give them too much homework I suspect!

Food wise, I have managed a mix of few home cooked meals of Chinese style and a good steak, mash, veges and mustard washed down with an Argentinian Red. Tonight , eating out was an Udon noodle beef curry which I have to practice how to eat in public - I can slop but I can't come at the China Slurp (the noisy enjoying of the food sound that comes with eating out with locals).

yesterday in a 4 hour break in classes I discovered an area of shops that include some bars and an Illy Coffee Shop, not bad but I say the best coffee so far is MacDonald's brewed coffee with milk (not creamer). Can't wait for a real Adelaide Flat White, I might just risk one at Adelaide Airport if I can afford it.

Two weeks of teaching left, I am glad that i am coming back ( fingers crossed) because there is so much I haven't seen and done yet in SZ, in fact I am not 100% sure on what there is to do, but I'll work it out later.

I bought some clothes yesterday, some3/4 pants, suitable for crawling between the crayons and the glue sticks in a small stars class, skirts not suitable. long pants too hot for summer school. An outing to Decathlon is like visiting Rebel Sports meets Snowys outdoors - tents and sleeping bags, backpacks and footballs plus a full range of outdoor clothes, badminton rackets and bicycles! home sweet home!

Start week 5 - and countdown to the Olympics with a day off on Wednesday.... thanks for reading so far, it must be winter back home with slow TV and bad weather.

Guess what I bought today?

2008-07-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

135mm
28mm from bedroom window
local street stall, plenty green veges
hand held shot with Image Stabiliser (IS)

Pay day, first since arriving.......Tempted by the best offer this side of the Great Wall, I decided to buy Luke's Canon EOS 400D camera body, an upgrade from the Pentax I sold before leaving for China, especially at the price. He was buying a new camera (bigger body) so we went off to make our purchases somewhere off the metro. He bought a camera, I bought a 28-135 zoom lens. Lei is great at bargaining (i am going to commission her for my apartment search in October!) so we got a great price. Photos above are the test shots. It's good to be working with someone who loves photography, hopefully i will get back into photography, not just taking photos.
Lei and her mum (visiting from the Philippines) came too, lunch at Macas ( a treat for all) and then clothes shopping. I bought a pair of shorts (my other pair is too tight around the middle!) and a black pair of Crocs (@25Y they are a steal...or stolen or a great fake).
I paid the rent, had dinner out, bought a couple of DVDs and that was my day off. Back to school tomorrow.

Luke is the boss, the Director of Studies (DOS) and Lei is the Senior Teacher (and she and Luke are married).

Business as usual

2008-07-27T05:28:00.000-07:00

the traditional Chinese herbal "cure" for the cold, drink hot like herbal tea

Billy taking his turn in the "swimming" class
A youngster playing sax outside a musical instrument store- a rather beautiful rendition of "edelweiss " to an audience of parents and locals
traffic jam on Saturday night en route between school and home

Small Stars Life Club with David the TA, Robin, Sophie,Carmilla, Von, Monkey (Carol), Jacky, Billy, Leigh

Well, business as usual, not long to the Olympic kickoff and not much longer before I head home for a while pending release from TAFE and Chinese visa being granted. I'm already being considered as a full time staff member with some very pleasing feedback about my teaching. Maybe I should have stuck with my first decision to do early childhood teaching way back in 1977! You get there in the end it seems.

Looking forward to Wednesday, day off with a journey to a great place for shopping in Shenzhen. Luke and Lei are taking me so we can look at cameras and lenses. ( yeh, i know I just sold mine but I have a urge to get back into photography especially as Luke is an enthusiast and has a good contact). Not only do I get to see a bit more of the area, I can also see what I have to look forward to when I come back. ( I can bring less clothes and more books!)

Not much news or amazing events to report, just business as usual. Stay tuned.

A little bit of excitement

2008-07-23T05:15:00.000-07:00

Small stars 3-4 yrs young learn about football (Sunday morning)
The elusive China Post, 2 minutes from my apartment!
A little bit of China without the high rise, 5 mins from home
5 minutes later, a fire engine was turning into our driveway (below)
Partway down from the 25th
residents watching the flashing lights and pouring water from 15th floor

Hi all,

Wednesday, my day off. This was to be a lazy day with a sleep in to try and outwit a brewing headcold. I tried some of that wonder honey to scare off the cold, hope it works. Finally went out for a short walk to the elusive post office which as it turns out was under my nose the whole time around the corner disguised as yet another large shop. A couple of souvenir Olympic Post cards and a short wait to post them (Armstrongs and cafe 23) in airconditioned comfort.

I decided to lengthen my walk and look in some shops I haven't seen before and located a camera I was asked to look out for. A fruitful expedition which also netted the local swimming pool (handy as I have to talk about swimming with them , now I know where some of them go)

a couple of papaya and the ATM to take out RMB pay my electricity bill.

I was half expecting a phone call to play badminton with our centre manager but she wasn't sure if she would get back from Guanghou in time ( I didn't get the call which is just as well-I would have missed the excitement.)

I'd been taking some photos of an almost cloudless sky out of my window then decided to check my emails. A few minutes later a roar of sirens and a fire engine turning down our road then into our driveway - no fire sirens in house so people stuck heads out of windows and balconies to see what was going on.

Then I heard an announcement which was not in English , I think it was in airport speaker language (almost undecipherable) and decided if it meant everything is OK, and I left I could get some supplies and if it meant please leave in an orderly fashion I would be best assuming to go down 25 flights. Others also seemed uncertain (and they looked like they should have understood the announcement!) and by the 20th floor plenty of activity could be heard, including pouring or gushing water, by the 15th floor the stairwell was wet and firemen were going and coming. The external exit door was locked, luckily there was an alternative safe exit and we stood in the foyer watching water pouring down from above. "Kwai dien" ( quickly) says a security man, ushering us past the wall to the outdoors.

I gave up and had dinner nearby, a noodle soup and lemon tea for the huge sum of 15 yuan (2 dollars), makes up for teh days I am indulgent.

When I got back the building was safe but the queue for teh lifts was huge so I decided to test my legs on the 25 flights of stairs. In 85% humidity I think I have sweated out the cold surely, dripping with sweat at the 25th floor, not to mention sounding like a puffing billy steam train I did it! I'd better set two alarms for the morning.

Oh, I also sent off an email to English First to accept their offer of a 12 month contract from late October ( have to fit in a 6 week holiday with friends in Chile, Peru and Bolivia before that).

Pending leave without pay from work and the granting of a working visa, Shenzhen 3 Kids school you have to put up with me for a while yet.

Nothing much happens and I can still take up so much of your time in reading this. Now to try and correct some of the typos but I will leave some of my trademarks in.

I don't think I have chased off my head cold, I'll have to keep my distance tomorrow.

Thursday's trivia

2008-07-17T05:53:00.000-07:00

Hiya,
You can all stop looking for an affordable toaster costing less than a Chinese bicycle...found one, made in China (toaster not bike). I can now add variety to breakfasts with toast or quick cheese on toast snacks, to supplement Rice Bubbles or Cornflakes and yogurt. To go on my toast I have a berry style red jam "cupie jam" which Jen, Deb, Hoa, Catherine will know from Chinese breakfast options. I found some wholemeal bread ( unsweetened) and invested in the nicest honey I have tasted in ages. On a "gut feeling" I bought some Chinese Xin Zhi Yuan Bee Product with dichotomous factor (?!). The box indicates that it is "Produced under strict biological technological process." Its also good for the young, the middle aged (oh hello pick me) and the elderly-not quite yet thanks. It's an ideal choice for those who overeat spicy food, stay up late and an antidote to a whole gruesome description of digestive ailments. It's really runny so I think it will escape my toast but all the honey was runny (I think they use it for drink additive not food topping). Its 88% something...10% natural honey and 1% each from lotus seed and leaf. A bigger adventure than imported French runny honey for a similar price. It cost 1/3rd of the toaster so I hope I haven't blown my hard earned RMB. I could always follow the drinking instructions and add to tea or water. Stay tuned, I'll let you know.... on more strange food adventures.

Forgot to say two new Foreign teachers started this week, 2 guys from Canada adding a new dynamic to the teachers' office with 4 foreign teachers + DOS and 3 local teachers creating a traffic jam at times and some creative scheduling for similar resources. With all of us teaching at once the centre is fairly lively with good natured noise and cries of no Chinese, this is an English school!

Cheers.

A drinkable GreatWall Cab Sav? read on

2008-07-16T05:58:00.000-07:00

Shenzhen is a seaside port
A huge thick Mango juice
dinner, all gone
domestic-hanging up washing on small balcony

teaching 4-5 y old small stars (Chinese TA to help with language)
1995 vintage
on yer bike, on my ride to the port area (about 3km)
yummy
Fishing fleet surrounded by building sites

Not a lots happened since the last posting.

Teaching, a bit of light (OK lazy) gym work, eating in and sampling wine from Argentine and lo and behold - a drinkable Great Wall Cab Sav (1995) for 75RMB, comparable with imported wine of same price bracket. The cheapest Aussie wine I have seen so far is around 105RMB (divide by 7 to convert to AUD) and decided I'd rather continue the adventure by tasting the unknown...

Teaching graduated from easy good fun with rewarding students through to having to work the room quite hard to get some input from students (the "whatever" and if its not a computer game, don't bother me ! age group).

Reward for that is a day off. A short sleep in, a reasonable bike ride to the see the HouHai Sea and look longingly at Hong Kong where my visa doesn't allow me to go! Oh forgot to add I visited the Decathlon sports store ( I knew it was a bad move, so many lovely things including some bikes that look much less China Domestic and way more comfortable for a westerner to ride. )Bought a pair of mountain bike shorts, making my ride a whole lot more comfortable. I just can not get the seat high enough for good leg extension so without gears I feel like i am pedalling a minibike. Definitely will be selling it off at the end of my contract to a person more suited to a Domestic model bike - No need to worry Friday, a six km ride on China bike is equivalent to 60km on Bike Friday for discomfort!

I got to the sea, saw some of the fishing fleet, the origins of Shenzhen until 25 years ago and then evaded a circling thunder storm, escaping with damp but not soggy clothing.

I have eaten my way around Shenzhen Nanshan and Shekou district today. lunch was at Tropicana, a Italian Coffee and Swiss bakery ( Iced espresso and a rare beef and salad croissant) and the paper SCMP =South China morning post?

A huge mango juice at a swanky shopping centre and then while i was in Wal-Mart I was invited to a customer afternoon tea (Coke and watermelon). Dinner was Japanese Seafood fried rice at Ajisen Ramen after a swim at the gym. Home to test the Great Wall Red ( cheers for the Swiss Army knife with bottle opener- I didn't have a tree handy - Jen & Tina will know the story as you had to be there!

In all my travels, I did not see a China Post outlet, but then again, I haven't seen any postcards either.... Domestic duties of washing and sweeping the floor also took up five minutes of my day.

I was looking at getting a toaster (now I can find unsweetened bread) thinking they are not expensive at home but here they are comparatively expensive - half the cost of my bike and in fact on special, you can by a sit up Chinese style clunky bike for less than a toaster. Now I am beginning to think in RMB or CNY (Chinese Yuan) rather than AUD. At 210 RMB that's about $30AUD, far too expensive an outlay for just 5 more weeks. The iron was only 28RMB about $4 AUD - get my point?

On the weekend I have a program called life club which is an hour of one topic. This week's is Football (round ball code for Aussies) so imagine me teaching 3-4 year olds and 5-6 's about goal, ball, football, boots, crowd, penalty all at the top of our voices. Cheers Dad for the research on a computer based download as we have online real time access in the classrooms so I'll be able to use it with any age.

See not much has happened since I last wrote but if you are still with me you must have rotten TV programs on or its too cold or too wet to go outside!

Enough for now.

Cheers.

Slow news

2008-07-12T05:24:00.000-07:00

Told you it was a slow news time! Teddies have been involved in teaching on Sunday VIP class so they desrve a drink!
Daddy will this fit ? Crocs come in way too big a size at Croc shop in Coastal City
High healed crocs - now I have seen everything!
I narrowly avoided being accosted by Kiwi Fruit in Jusco Store but it fancied the photo opportunity with cut Chinese kid more than middle=agedAussie. Kiwi fruit in Shenzhen- NOW i have seen everything till next time.

XXX Vonny

Discovery day off

2008-07-09T04:56:00.000-07:00

Teacher grabbing dumplings between class and preparation for next class!
Day off Travels to the
Futian District of Shenzhen from the Lianhuashan Park
Void in real estate is Feng Shui I think
Lianhuashan Park looks over the Futian District of Shenzhen
One of many facinating statues in Lianhuashan Park

My English First School
I accidentally discovered a book shop (it was huge!!!) and has an imported books section, more than just classics and yes I am inside it
Lianhuashan Park , top of the hill at Peak Square
statue of Deng Xiaoping, "The Father of Shenzhen"
home again!

Wow, a day off after a week of gearing up for Summer School and then teaching two days of summer school. Torn between sleeping all day and getting out and about in impending rain I split the day in half, a lazy morning and an adventurous afternoon armed with a mud map and an umbrella and half baked idea.

Walk to bus (near school), jump on number 72 to the start of the subway, subway to the interchange to change to line 4, two stations to terminus, (just enough signage in English to make it easy, plus our orientation on day 2 included how to catch the subway and use the transport card)exit to an amazing cultural zone of performing arts, library, huge book store en route to Lianhuashan Park which proved quite easy to find as it's on a hill with lots of greenery amongst the brand new buildings of this area.

Lunch time by now, drawn by the Starbucks sign I headed for a coffee and an Aussie sausage roll. I asked for ketchup and got strawberry jam! ( or KFC). Adventure to continue I got very sidetracked by the whiff of a novel in English. This huge book store was the basis of a shopping mall which even has an EF school (adult) AND an imported bookstore which has 5-6 shelves of current novels. Lucky I'd left the credit card at home but I did max out my cash on hand almost to bring home three novels and a Chinese phrase book. A ten minute walk, 20 minute (2yuan) bus ride and a two line subway ride about 5yuan each way and then a five minute walk ...hum its easily done if i get desperate in a few weeks and have nothing better to do on my day off- far cry from a fifteen minute walk from Imprints in Hindley St to Dymocks in the mall with two major chains in between!

Time to set off for my target, the only GC (secret code if you don't know, you don't need to) in Shenzhen is located here somewhere..... too cloudy for GPS to operate.
Lots of local tourists ( they say this is the most visited so I should at least see what it's all about) and if i was grading the humidity level it rates at distinction level so even a small scale activity felt rewarding. This will add physical tiredness to the mental so I will sleep well, better set two alarms.

Up hill to the peak to see if i could pick the site of the GC (which I did not) and tried to keep up with a tiny Chinese woman who was powering ahead, mind you I left a lot of people in my wake too. The impressive statue of Deng Xiaoping, "The Father of Shenzhen" was worth seeing. Very slippery underfoot and in the last few parts of the down journey I lost my footing on the paving and slid not at all graciously onto the backside and I am sure I must have cleaned the paving of all moss judging by the bum of my 3/4 pants ( navy luckily).

Didn't find what I was looking for but really enjoyed the ramble and adventure. Homeward in reverse with the crowds and it was a really easy journey home and it still didn't rain so the umbrella was an unnecessary accessory today. Two local women stood on the subway and bus to offer me a seat so I felt it would have been rude to refuse so i had a comfy ride.

Home to log the GC as a DNF, the bookshop as a good find, the ATM as a necessity and a G'n'T to cap off the day. Damn, a whole week till next Wednesday.
Back to work with Small Stars (3-5 yo) and Trail Blazers (10-15) tomorrow.

Enjoy the read.

wan an (goodnight)

2008-07-07T05:45:00.000-07:00

I just have to let you know that I wish you were here. Not because I am lonely or anything but I am really getting a buzz out of the everyday ordinary here which is so unlike Oz.
I finished a days work, came home for a while and decided I needed some supplies and that i would eat out. I followed down the cross street behind the apartments and was amazed at the array of food stalls and restaurants and wonder why anyone would bother cooking at home.

I stopped when I found a BBQ that I understood as Luke and Lei showed me at a restaurant near school earlier in the week. I decided to go inside and find a person to take my order which involves going outside, pointing at the various meats or veges or tofu on skewers to be smoke/BBQ'd over coal, and indicating by fingers how many of each. I went inside and to my excitement I was invited to look at an English menu, expanding my arena greatly. I only know it as the Muslim restaurant which is what the delivery bike basket was labelled. I had a special lamb chop dish which was essentially crumbed in spices, served on the bone to satisfy a whole army! Side dish of julienned potatoes sauteed in butter. More expensive than my planned meal but it was delicious. Plates and bowls come hermetically sealed, and the green tea is never ending. An Alcohol free day today but I've stocked the beer in the fridge ready to celebrate if I survive to my rest day.

I was walking back and all the shops are open late, it seems you can buy anything from apples and lychees to wheelchairs and the hairdresser was gearing up for later night trade. If you have visited China you will know what I am pointing to but will not commit to the keyboard.

Two taxis were having a standoff at the corner, both refusing to budge, both trying to dislodge the other by honking the horn which eventually turned into a long mingled noise. Even as I reached my apartment- neither had budged!

Walking down the footpath the unwary are at risk of tripping over raised pavings, being run over by silent electric bikes, discovering unfinished footpaths, slipping on wet paved areas and tripping over small dogs or children but it really makes a wander a wonder! everything is so close, numerous supermarkets (local) are 5 mins away , one directly across theroad for heavy items like drinks and water.

A day trip to the supermarket would leave many "open mouthed" at what they sell. The fish section, unlike home sells live fish, turtles, frogs, eels and much more if it lives in the water and fits in the shop I think they sell it! Chicken includes everypart of the bird available cooked or uncooked (live is still banned due to hygiene required for safe handling to prevent bird flu). I would love to take Chester, Louise and Oscar around for the day but I would not be able to answer all the questions....

Anyway, get my drift - the usual here is facinating for the moment...stay tuned.

On the eve of summer programme

2008-07-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

Time has come to iron the business clothes, observing and part time teaching is over - Monday 7th July starts Summer school.
Von messing around with the camera after a hard workout at the gym, a good time filler in the preparation weeks.
Damn those Chinese scales, they weigh same same as Australian ones, maybe the beer is heavier? Lets see what happens after a 6-7 day full teaching load, maybe the teaching energy will burn some calories??? Live the dream!

Ok, after working two full weekend days since we got most of our computer access back I am sort of ready for day 1 of week 1 of the Summer Fun program. There are 5 of us this week teaching across all age groups and I expect the prep room will be chaos on Monday morning as we all gear up to go out there and teach 3-16 year olds from age relevant syllabus and the specially designed Olympic projects. Time now to remember anything I ever knew about arts and craft for kids. I'll work out Tuesday after finishing teaching Monday - the others are really helpful but we are all working in the unknown so it's time to fly by the seat of the pants (told you that was really important "between teh lines" in my CV).

I managed to arrange for the apartment manager to have my bedding and sheets changed over and it seems to have worked, crisp sheets on the rock hard bed, should have waited till Tuesday and been able to have the luxury of a sleep in on Wednesday my day off.

After a home cooked dinner of steak and veges, with a TsingTao beer I am about ready for bed.
I'll save up my dining out stories for a separate chapter to be written later.

Rain is back, pelting the windows here as well as Wimbledon which is being shown on the Hong Kong channel so its broadcasting for us to watch the rain pour in UK in English. The Chinese player in women's comp making the semis did not cause much of a stir at the school, I might be the minority of being interested in sport? I found that Starbucks gets more than 1 daily newspaper in English so I still fit in an occasional flat white (latte) to read the papers, as I keep forgetting to read the one at school.

It is interesting thinking that you would struggle to get Aussie kids to spend 6 weeks holiday at a school Mon - Friday (Wed is sports or outings and our day off) and for some to still turn up for "normal" English classes on weekends (1.5 hrs a day). I think the little ones just like having fun .

Get ready for teacher, teacher and try teaching Chinese kids to say T shirt (sounds like teacher).

Must go to bed....bye (enjoy the read if you bothered) more everyday photos on facebook.

What to do when not at work

2008-07-01T05:27:00.000-07:00

When not a work, explore on foot, view massive footbridge at a rather large intersection near my apartment (centre to right of the circular one)
Or cycle a bit further afield, note the shared footpath
Browse throught any of the huge new shopping centres- the book section in Wal-Mart - you can tell by all the kids reading the stock! Adults lined up on the other side doing the same at lunchtime.
Look really closely and its pouring with rain in the buildings but not yet where I am - a sort of flash rain. The gym is in those buildings which are set around a garden common of the newer and upmarket apartment properties.

Ok, apart from TV. internet and browsing the many shopping centres (all new and very upmarket where I am) , I decided to find a gym to occupy any spare time when its pouring with rain or just too darned hot to be outside! Kinkings Gym is a five minute wander from where I live. Not cheap but certainly better than home (given its only for two months). Bonus is there is a pool (6Yuan extra per use) so I might be able to get some of its value for my money. The manager speaks a smidgin of English so its a bit of a help.
I dont anticipated getting superfit though - reasons being work will step up next week to a full teaching load, especially the weekends. Oh and its too humid to work too hard, the fluid needs to be replaced and you all know just how much I love drinking water!
Cycling is safer than walking as everyone uses the footpath in any direction including the silent electric bikes (no motor bikes in SZ allowed) and at least when I'm on the bike I concentrate more than wandering along absent mindedly.
If I knew how easy it was to receive parcels I would ask for English novels-trash or literature but not classics thanks...no Eng language bookshop but then again, we are the minority here. Hong Kong people keep telling me - yeh great I cant get there on my visa! Already planning if I come back bring books not clothes, I can buy one not the other.
While wandering , I keep my eyes open for ideas to use in class, especially with the under 6's.
Disney is everwhere (as well as an English school opened up locally), try to avoid that if I can. Bought myself a plastic Olympic torch (it flashes the flame) for 20Y today at a stall - useful for the summer program on Olympics. In other words, not much doing - oh, apart from a super dinner lastnight with the staff from the school at a very snazzy local cusine location, my social diary is not that full (but everyone wants to practice english with me-escape to apartment is good!).
Dishes to do [pork chop on a bed of mash with apple sauce and veges home cooked]. Work tomorrow 3-6 year olds and aquatic animals theme - thanks Nemo!
Excuse me a moment - Bolivia is on the TV, the bowler hatted women.

From humble beginnings-my first four days as an English teacher

2008-06-29T04:25:00.000-07:00

crowded foyer
waiting for lift
rain on the way?

Sunday night report from in front of the English channel on the TV ,sipping on a G&T, watching it absolutely pelt down outside. It's 7.30pm, two hours after I finished my first real class (VIP Class) which is a private class , in this case a sister (10) and brother (11). Since finishing the class, I've learnt to input to the online reporting system, jumped on the bike and beat the very ominous weather home by about 0.5 metres riding up the ramp as it started to rain, the waited almost 20 minutes in the foyer with half of Shenzhen waiting for a lift. I don't think I can walk up 25 flights of stairs, let alone carrying the bike.

Bike Friday has a Chinese cousin. A Dahon 18" wheeler, folding in a camouflage green and labelled China Domestic Model. Not the most comfortable of riding position, no gears (no hills), no lights, no bell and was on special with a 120Y reduction to 448Y (divide by 6.7). Friday, I can assure you this is not competition, just convenience cutting my work travel time by more than half. Riding on footpaths and any side of the road seems to be legal and the traffic in the Nanshan district is not too hard to negotiate, the seat is not exactly the most comfortable but the journeys are only short and I might even have a buyer for it when I leave.

Anyway, the real reason I am here is to see if I like teaching English and get some valuable experience. The last three days were all about observing experienced teachers with the variety of age groups and levels and then today I had my VIP class - my first official #1 students in China. The two students and the rookie teacher all seemed to survive with enthusiasm intact.

The summer program starts in the second week of July so I am fitting into regular term classes before then. Not sure why we got here so early with restricted Visa conditiones, but its the way it is. The team supporting the teachers are great, local consultants and teachers aides make sure that I order lunch (either using pictures in menus or translate the Chinese for me)and arranging $delivery. So far this week I have spent 2 x 4Y for dumplings so food is quite yummy and affordable.

Next I need to collect menus from around my apartment and get someone to translate and mark some meals for me, not sure why I would cook for myself on my late night finishes when the local food is great-I just do not know what to order! Right now I am about to prepare a stirfry veges and noodles as I am NOT going out in that weather, I already ahve too many shoes not drying! Till next time.

My first day as an English teacher in China

2008-06-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

Thursday was a wet day, very overcast not prompting an early start, espeially when I didn't need to report to work until 14:00. Chased up the internet man who said he'd take care of it in the afternoon (and he did). Went out for a walk to find some butter or marg, forgotten on my earlier shopping. Also ended up buying a pair of canvas shoes as they had more grip than the teva thongs I had on (slippery footpaths and ornate entry halls are dangerous in the wet-extended just about every muscle at times to save from falling flat on my back). My sandshoes were (and are) still drying from the day before.

Finally, it was time to set off to work to see what the world of teaching was about ( not without browsing the shops on the way and grabbing a bowl of noodles from a facinating and delicious restaurant.

School was very welcoming, the Director of Studies (DOS) is called Luke and took me through orientations, showed me the summer program for all of the age groups (based on the Olympics) and explained how to read the teaching shedule. I later sat in on a class of Life Skills for 3-5 year olds. (SS) The rooms are bright, with hi density foam on the floor and no-one wears shoes in the SS classes. I can see why ! They do not sit still, jumping, tumbling, and certainly all at a decibel level requiring testing for a 45 minute timeslot! The only expectation here is possibly don't strangle one of teh students and hope the local teacher aid (TA) can exert some words of wisdom to get something across - above it all, it looks fun which it is meant to be. Not for introverts this job...

I left the school at 8pm with an invitation to return on Friday at 5pm for observations of evening sessions. Things gear up slowly next week then bang full on, especially Sat and Sun with one day off during the week. I already have some VIP (1-1) sessions booked for next Sunday so i guess I'm on my way. Only time will tell!

The days in between then and now

2008-06-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

I am finally here, within walking distance to my English First School.
I have settled into a 25th floor apartment in Nanshan District of Shenzhen.
Luckily the contract was not too complicated for Phoebe to translate for me and it currently gives me scope if I can get a visa extension to finish the term beyond 60 days.

Yesterday (Tuesday)was a lot of waiting around while the other two new teachers were settled and with a very complex contract for lease of their apartments (rooms in a hotel). It was a case of raiding several bank accounts to drum up the ready RMB for one months rent plus a month’s rent deposit (about 1,000 AUD). Eventually we headed off to find a taxi or as it turned out fight for a taxi to get to Nanshan

Negotiations over my apartment were much less complicated and the representative speaks a little English (certainly more than my Chinese!). Money handed over the real estate was mine for two months.

Phoebe then showed me where my school was and then we had meal representing some of the local specials. Trusting me to get home on my own, Phoebe headed off for her College – even so, she rang to make sure I was not lost-it was a nice gesture but at the time I could see my street so I could say I was fine. I had stopped by the supermarket and stocked up on breakfast goods as well as washing powder as the unit has a washing machine. At 85% humidity this week, clothes do not make more than one wear. Finished the day with a beer (essential supplies), TV and eventually discovered the hard style china bed.

During the night it became obvious it was raining and quite windy, gushing down the exterior corridor and whipping under the front door. Umm , tropical downgraded typhoon “Fengsten” had arrived. Woke up to a very wet day, my last day off before starting work on Thursday. Pushed enough buttons on the washing machine to make it work, did a stocktake of household items ( hardly any included) and donned the gortex and set off for the shops. Returned home much later laden with goodies looking like a drowned rat masquerading as a pack horse. Decided to jump in a cab, then rang the guy from real estate agent and asked him to tell the driver where to take me. Got home safely, assembled my hanging rack for work clothes, don’t laugh but also a 21yuan ironing board and a 35yuan iron as my clothes are quite crumpled, not very professional to be un-ironed. (@ 56yuan that’s not even $10AUD total to be self sufficient in the ironing department). A wok and a cleaver are the cornerstone of the new kitchen utensils in keeping with my location. After all, I do have Chinese bank account, a job, an apartment and a cell phone number (mobile for Aussies) so I might as well have a Chinese kitchen.

A second trip out later filled the fridge with veges and other essentials. What an adventure in the supermarket, veges I couldn’t describe or certainly don’t know how to cook them, eggs by the kilo, live frogs, yabbies, live fish, not so live fish, meats and bits not normally seen – playing safe I chose prawns (cooked and shelled) to throw in my stirfry. Juggling two large shoppingbags, a 10 pack of toilet paper (they didn’t sell in less) and a brush for the floor oh and my umbrella was a challenge and it did not include staying dry, sloshing through the footpath for about 5 mins or 1 km, I must have looked a sight.

My last trip out was to the 24 hour store at the foot of the building to get 4xAAA batteries for the ipod speakers. Discovered my local sells Tonic water ! The next bit of good news will be the successful internet connection in the room then all will be done.

It’s still raining…tomorrow is a school day, might have to buy some wellies to go with my wet suit (78yuan for pants and a jacket to supplement the gortex in this weather). I don’t mind getting wet but in work clothes … not so good.

in transit to arrival at SZ

2008-06-21T00:06:00.000-07:00

ICONS South Australia at Adelaide Airport is the best of SA all in one shop.
SA wines by the glass (well, it was lunchtime) and choice of local platters and not at airport prices either! Yummy farewell to the favourite SA wines, cheese, dips, chocolates-well worth a visit when next at the airport (maybe not 6am journeys).

Flight to KL was uneventful, watched "Goal" and "Spiderwick Chronicles" in between being amused by a collective of golfers enroute to 12 days away and not a female caddy in sight.
Stayed overnight near airport catching shuttle making it an easy start to the next day. Not the posh PanPacific but it was suitable and at Malaysian Airlines ticket price.

Sourced a bottle of Bombay Gin and cruised through security unlike travels last year.

Flight to Guangzhou was 2/3rds empty so it was very quiet.
Quick transit through Immigration and Customs to be collected by English First rep who drove me to Railway station to catch train to Shenzhen. 2 hours in traffic reminded me about multilevel roads, flyovers, patient drivers, bamboo scafolding, maximum size billboards and Olympic advertising.

Train ride was smooth, 50 mins @ 180kph. Met at SZ station, quick ride to Hotel.
24th floor overlooking a part of the city. Compact room with flat screen TV (2 -85 channels in English), comfy China hard bed (soft pillows), small living areaand kitchennette. This is home for 4 days before alternative arrangements to fit in with my teaching location (another district from here 45mins by taxi a long and unnecessary commute). Hope next has fridge and internet connection.

Sunday and Monday are orientation days then I have no idea what after that.

Havent seen a westerner yet and I wandered around for 2 hours in 33 degrees, bright sunshine and true to form found by accident the large supermarket area to stock up on nibbles and water.

Found the Tonic water yesterday, big relief.

There is a yappy dog living on this floor somewhere , still no suprises when you travel outside normal regions.

Getting ready

2008-06-17T01:38:00.001-07:00

Visa has arrived so I can now plan to fly on Thursday.

Testing of the electronics to upload to this site. Time to load a photo...

Von and Declan @ Cafe 23 in Largs Bay, a regular Saturday morning after walking Lucy the Kelpie on the beach.

Von waiting for a train at Marino station with the sunsetting over the sea. Next train will be in China from Guangzhou to Shenzhen.

So, I can upload photos...good news... just hope I can use wifi access in Shenzhen to make carting the not so compact laptop with me worthwhile. Sans Friday - with laptop this time-Obviously not a holiday! Stay tuned.

Introduction

2008-06-12T23:53:00.000-07:00

Hiya,

From my title you may be able to work out that my next trip is without [sans] my bike [freedomfriday]. Gasp, shock how come...? Well, I have accepted an intern position teaching English in China for the summer and I will be working 6 days a week so friday would only get bored or lonely.

I do not yet know for sure where I will be posted and consequently, I have no idea about the school proximity to my housing, storage or the route of travel so a bike may or may not be a bonus. I'll have to get one there if it looks like a good idea-I know Dahons are not that expensive in China not to mention a made in china bike.

This trip is no holiday, I am having trouble imagining packing without trekking boots or bike shorts. I'll be swapping walking poles and gaiters for tools of the trade for a teacher in their first posting. Comforts like Ipod and speakers, laptop, a memory stick of TESOL* and a tricks of the trade book. Not much casual gear and a wardrobe full of "business clothes" all made in China will be heading off with me - but I have resisted the temptation of a regular style suitcase- not ready for suitcase travel yet, try the roller duffle.

Mum thinks this will be the generation of Chinese kids to learn that the is really spelt teh - I am more worried that they may learn some Aussie 'slang', particularly oh fudge! I am worried they are going to ask too many questions about grammar (not my strength) so i might learn lots too.

Dan the recruitment officer for English First in Shanghai is impressed with my persistence ( getting a visa is challenging in current times probably due to the influx expected for the Olympics). Yep, I'll be in China for the big Olympics**, I leave on 17th August to come home to meet the 60 day visa requirements imposed cutting my internship short by a week. Mind you , I do not have the visa (or my passport) in my possession yet so excitement may be premature, not to panic, I do not fly out until 19th June and today is the Friday 13th June.

Why all this palaver for just 60 days? I need to start somewhere to see if I like teaching english and it likes me. Two months is a good mark to survive at the frantic pace I am going to undertake, leaving little time to think about what I have done until I have done it...anything to get a good addition to the CV Resume in preparation for a longer contract somewhere in the world ( so I can take Freedom friday with me then).

I'll document my preparation for this trip just in case you want to follow my crazy path and I'll upload thoughts and insights and pretty photos to prove I went to China and didn't just sneek off to a hippy commune or something (technology willing).

I will try and correct most errors as I go as a good model english teacher but i will probably leave my trademark typo in places to keep you amused or bemused or try really hard to avoid using teh in a sentence!

* TESOL Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

** Olympics - hopefully by then it will be about the participation and achievements of all countries in a sporting arena but all i will hear about is China China China, I'm over Aussie oi oi oi!

That's it for teh introduction or the whole text will be introductory and we will never move on!