I'm having a bit of a semi...

Today was my penultimate day at work, at the University of Plymouth. Tomorrow I join the ranks of the semi-retired. Blimey, that came quickly!

At lunch today I was sitting in the campus and was reminiscing about my time there. I first came to the university as a mature student. I had no qualifications. In those days 'life experience' was as important as qualifications. I say I had no qualifications, what I mean is I had none of the traditional qualification one needs to enter higher education A-levels and the like. What I did have were three or four poor CSE's from a poor secondary modern for boys/comprehensive and some City and Guilds craft apprenticeship Certs. My one 'academic' prize if I could call it that, was an English O level (grade A) taken a few months before applying to Uni.

So I was accepted onto a combined honours course to do Politics, Sociology and Psychology. I had been active in the labour and trade union movement and that's where my 'life experience' had proved valuable.

So this was in 1987 which means except for about 18 months I have been at the University of Plymouth for 24 years. Bloody hell! That's a long time. Obviously for 3 years I was a student. Then I was a part time lecturer (not pensionable darn it) for about 8 or 9 years and 11 years in this job. (I was a Research Fellow at the University of Sussex during the time I was away)(I was also holding down a part time lecturing job at Exeter University, associate lectureship with the Open University since graduating, various teaching jobs for adult education and the WEA, plus research jobs at Exeter and doing a PHD.)

When I first came to Plymouth the university was a humble 60's/70's type polytechnic, then it got all eighties and became 'Polytechnic SouthWest' then after I graduated it became the University of Plymouth. It's now moved on and rebranded yet again and has become Plymouth University.

Having seen four name changes, had about seven office moves it's clear it's time to move on.....

China approaches...

As china approaches I have been doing all the preparation and organising. Once I had the medical form completed and sent off to china I had to wait for the forms to come back from the school inviting me as an 'expert' so I could then apply to the Chinese embassy for a z (working) visa.

So it with some excitement that I got this envelope

And yes inside were all the relevant documents from China. They of course went into another envelope with my passport and the relevant forms downloaded from the Chinese embassy website to apply for the z visa

4 days later this is what I had in my sticky hand

Yes the Chinese visa IN MY PASSPORT! Woo hoo!

Next, of course was purchasing the ticket.

I am flying on the 22nd August to Beijing by Cathay Pacific. I have to be in Beijing for a 2 day seminar being held in a hotel by the agency employing me.  The ticket was £506 single which the agency will reimburse.

In other news I have also been doing some serious pre Nanjing shopping.

1. This blog is being written on my new Apple Mac Book Pro!  I got a brilliant bargain using my 'educational' discount because Im still an employee of the University. Almost £200 off the RRP plus a £65 voucher to use in Itunes Apple shop etc.

Here it is:

Apple products are so well packaged, its a joy just to look at the packaging, let alone the thrill of opening it.

So cooooool eh?

Although it was a struggle syncing all my songs off my iphone onto this macs itunes, apple are such arses sometimes about what you can and cannot do with their tech.

And because I have been told that english books are few and far between in the shops in Nanjing this had to be a must buy buy

Yes I got my self a Kindle. Not downloaded any books onto it yet though.

And on advice I bought these

Yes roll on deoderant! Im told you cannot get it in China! So yes 10 roll ons for 10 months.

Is that enough?