Born to be wild....

Get your motor running 

Head out on the highway 

Looking for adventure 

In whatever comes our way

Yes I bought me a hog........

Its a crap photo I know, but this is it, my brand new 125cc twist n go scooter. With the lock, helmet and alarm, the whole bike cost me about £280. And that is BRAND new. It took AJ's advice to get a bike simply for easy of movement. The college is quite far away by bus and having the bike makes sense and gives one that extra freedom.  Of course I do not have a Chinese license, tax, insurance, mot all those things we are paranoid about back in the UK. It also doesn't make much sense when you see how the Chinese use the road system. Rules of the road do not seem to exist here. Although there is not a lot of traffic per se what there is seem to abide by the individual drivers having their own perception of what a road rule is. 

As far as riding the bike is concerned, there do not seem to be any rules, apart from copious use of the horn to make people aware that you are there and coming through. Using the horn apparently also gives one carte blanc to ignore all the traffic signals. In China the RED light does not exist. 

Is it safe? I hear you ask, clearly worried about my safety. I think so, there is not a lot of traffic, and as I have already mentioned the roads are really wide and there is also the very wide cycle paths which are usually empty. So even when going through a red one is relatively OK. One does have to keep alert and have your wits switched on, especially through the junctions, oh and watching out for those drivers who are convinced that driving the wrong way up the carriage way is the quickest way to where they are going. And unlike the 20 million other scooter/motorbike riders in China, I wear a helmet. 

So that was the big news for yesterday. Earlier this week, since visiting the city I have been doing pretty mundane home based things.

On Monday I had to wait in for the 'gas man'. My cooker wasn't working and when I say cooker what I mean is the single gas ring designed for cooking on a wok. I also have a rice cooker that I can't, well don't know, how to use and a microwave. (Does the toaster count too?)  

In the afternoon AJ took me to our college on the back of his scooter - my first experience of China roads on a bike and pretty much my first experience of being a pillion passenger. Terrifying on any number of levels.  From our flat it took about 15 minutes to get there so you can maybe appreciate how far it is away. 

The college is HUGE. I will be sharing an office, which is as big as a UK school classroom, with about another 20 teachers - well that was about the number of desks in the room. Obviously the colleges are still out so there were not many people about. I met one guy very briefly and met another Chinese teacher, James. 

Then AJ took me to the bike mechanics because his bike needed an oil change and while I was there we had a look at the bikes on offer. Then to a mobile phone shop as I am still trying to get my iPhone unlocked - something I really should have done in the UK. They couldn't do it either.

On Tuesday I had to wait in for the 'water guy'. I have one of those water cooler things and I needed a new bottle. He came at about midday and replaced my bottle, but after he had gone I noticed that he'd nicked my spare bottle (empty) which AJ tells me was worth 50y - about £5! 

Then AJ picked me up and took me back to the bike shop to purchase my bike. We went to another phone shop with no luck. He also showed me where the petrol station is, although my fuel gauge isn't working so Ill have to go back to the mechanic to get it fixed.

At 5 I met AJ and his wife and kids at a local shopping centre (on my bike, see useful already!) to have a meal. It was a 'hot pot' restaurant. On the table is a bowl split into two, both sides have boiling liquid in, I'm assuming its some sort of broth, but as I'm a veggie it probably doesn't help to enquire too deeply.

In the pic AJ's wife and son

 What you do then is order loads of different stuff to put in the broth to cook it. We had lotus root, different types of tofu, seaweed, a couple of different types of mushrooms and other stuff and the meat eaters had meatballs. The left hand side was designated the meat side and the right side the veggie. This was a spicy/chilli broth.  We also had little bowls of sesame sauce and vinegar.  You put some sesame and vinegar in your bowl, then went fishing with your chopsticks, dipping your 'catch' into the sesame and vinegar enroute to your mouth. Lovely.

We were joined at the meal by the teacher I had met earlier - James

James

After we had eaten James took me to another shopping area - 15 minutes walk away to try and get my phone sorted (James is an English Teacher BTW) - but no luck.

I have actually downloaded the software to do this but I am being such a dick I want someone techie to hold my hand while I do it, whereas I bet in England, the US etc 10 year olds do it for fun!

Wimp.....Out

Nanjing City addendum

Just remembered two events I wanted to mention about Sundays trip to Nanjing City but I forgot.

Both are 'image' related.

The first. I was walking down the pavement minding my own business when a noticed some girls/young women leafleting. I took no notice and I though that because I was obviously a westerner they would ignore me too. But no, one woman peel off and deliberately handed me a leaflet. "Oh" I thought, 'I wonder what this is?"  On close perusal it seemed that the leaflet was advertising a weight loss programme/medicine/witchcraft. Perhaps because I had dark glasses on they thought I was Chinese, doncha think? Doncha? Huh? Huh?

The second was, I noticed I was being followed quite closely by a guy, short, studenty looking but also a little weird. He started to talk to me, but very strangely. In good English, but very fast and staccato, just pouring it out. He was going on about Nanjing and what a nice city it was, did I like it? (not giving me time to answer) and blah blah blah, then he started complimenting me, about how nice I looked, how I had nice hair, how I had a big nose...yes that's right, how I had a nice big nose....

I told him I had to be somewhere, but he told me he had something important to tell me, unfortunately I couldn't spare the time to find out what it was....

Nanjing City...

This is from the book China Road: One Man's Journey into the Heart of Modern China by Rob Gifford (Its here). 


"Nanjing is a very pleasant city, despite being known as on of the three huolu, or furnaces, of central China, on account of its hundred-degree summers. Located mostly on the south bank of the Yangtze River, it has a population of more than 6 million people, and as with Shanghai, the overall atmosphere is one of energy, of people moving and looking forward...The streets are busy and the shops are full, of food and clothes, of toys and books, of electronic equipment and every brand of mobile phone...Nanjing's main streets are lined with graceful wutong (or Chinese parasol) trees...providing shade from the scorching summer sun.


The name Nanjing (formerly spelt Nanking) means nothing fancier than 'Southern Capital'. (Beijing means 'Northern Capital. Tokyo is called Dongjing, which means 'Eastern Capital'. There is no Western Capital) The city rests on layer upon layer of Chinese history. It was from Nanjing that the admiral Zheng He journeyed in 1405 to Southeast Asia, Arabia, Africa and beyond, so writers even claim America and Australia before the western sailors claimed the lands for themselves." (See 1421 : The Year China Discovered the World by Gavin Menzies).


I discovered Nanjing on Sunday. Aj was off to work (he seems to work non stop, making his fortune teaching English) and picked me up at 8 in the morning for the trip to the City.  We took the 130 bus from the stop outside our accommodation and this took us down the broad leafy road to the metro station. The impression you get from the locale is space. This is a big country and after the claustrophobia of the UK where everything is piled upon itself and many of the roads are mainly modernised ancient tracks and cart ways or roman roads, these roads are w i d e. They are basically dual carriageways masquerading as city streets. Plus on each side of the road, divided by a large verge is the cycle way which in itself is as wide as a country lane in Devon. The  fare to the station, and I think it might be the standard fare anywhere is 1 yuan (y) which is about 10p.


At the metro station I pay the 3y fare and we climb to the elevated track. The train is  modern, clean, air conditioned, fast everything the metro/tube in London isn't. The trip to Nanjing center takes about 35 minutes.


This is a map of the Metro System. My station is on the red line to the right  - xianhemen and we are traveling to where the blue and the red lines intersect Xiniekou.

In Nanjing station AJ takes me to the booth to buy my Chinese version of the Oyster card and then casts me adrift as he has to get on to work. I have to vague directions to a Walmart where I  might buy stuff. I was to find Pizza Hut, stand with my back to it, cross the road and then take a couple of turns and there it will be.  But my first target is coffee. I wander through the tunnels of the station, shops on each side, food shops selling 'on the go snacks', clothes shops, female lingerie until I reach the end and ascend to the surface.  Blooming heck its HOT. The sun is out. It is to coin a phrase 'SCORCHIO'. But  hey it means I can put on my new sunglasses, and saunter around looking like a cool westerner. 


But first things first coffee and just around the corner is a Starbucks. Sometimes we sneer at western culture, but sometimes, just sometimes, they are a godsend. I recall being in East Berlin just after the wall had fallen. I was at an academic conference, and as a vegetarian all I had eaten was baked potato, sauerkraut and apple cakes, simply because all the places our hosts had taken us to eat were in the main carnivorous palaces dedicated to eating Pig in all its forms. Then as a bunch of us starving veggies were roaming the streets looking for beer and sustenance, there on the horizon was a pizza hut. Salvation in the form of a family size (each) Veggie special.


McDonald's is also a boon to the traveller, simply because one can always guarantee clean toilets, in some countries (not China in my experience yet) they also provide free wifi and you can get a decent coffee.  


So it was Starbucks and despite being in one of the 'furnaces of China' I had a large (venti) latte, damn it was good, the only thing missing was the Guardian (or as it was Sunday the Sunday Times). Soon suitably caffiniated I ventured out into the street. The sun was hot and the humidity was high and my shirt was soon sticking to my back and my hair was wet.


I had two main goals, one was to find walmart and the other was to buy a street map. But first I wanted to find the pizza hut to orient myself. All around me and above by the metro station are huge sky scrapers, not packed together, like New York or somewhere, but scattered around the City. I walk the block and find the Pizza Hut, but then find Ive forgotten if I have to go left or right, so give up and then wander about a bit more.


My next target is to go to a district called Fuzi Miao about a 2 kilometer walk  which according to the Rough Guide 'harbours a noisy welter of street vendors, boutiques, arcades and restaurants. After a sweaty walk I find myself at the entrance:

The place is a riot of shops and stalls. Loads of clothes shops, all with the ubiquitous SALE signs. And these shopkeepers are not shy of telling you they have a sale, mainly through loudspeakers.

To be honest, one wouldn't really know that you were in a communist country, conspicuous selling and buying was going on apace. There was the usual tourist tat, ersatz antiques, plastic junk, amongst the shoe and clothes shops, it could be any shopping street in the West. But things did stand out:

This guy delivering shoes for instance.

And this tree

and this bunny

So by then I was needing a drink and something to eat. First I found a place selling chilled coconut milk which was really delicious (5Y/50p) and then I found a little back street restaurant and had a plate of noodles, they were cold, but man they were delicious and it was another 5y a plate!

Soon though the heat was getting to me and I baled, got the metro back to the main intersection and my own train and bus back. (I will admit I was suffering a bit from 'dhobi itch' and needed to get home to smear Daktarin all over the bits that were sore)

This was another entrance to the market

Looking forward to more exploration......(and coconut milk)....

My Flat in Nanjing and first impressions.

Incredibly I will have been in China a whole week, at around 8:30 this evening.

What are my first impressions? I think China is much more modern and advanced than we might think back home in the UK. To be honest, having visited the former Soviet Union and in particular Ukraine, I was expecting a certain amount of 'Soviet Shabbiness", serried rows of crumbling brutal Stalinist type flats and everything a bit ramshackled. Shops with not a lot in them, obvious poverty.

What I have seen so far seems to be far from that reality. There seems to be lots of building of attractive, flats and office buildings, the roads are wide attractive avenues, busy with cars, bikes and buses. Nanjing City (of which more in the next blog) is modern and thriving. All of the major capitalist business from McDonald's, KFC, Starbucks, to Vesarce, Dior and so on have got big stores, the American fast food outlets are ubiquitous. And they are all busy.

The metro is modern, clean, fast and cheap, the buses are regular and cheap, one buys a card, like an Oyster and use that everywhere.

The proviso here, of course, is that Nanjing is a former capital and is prosperous and China is a huge country and there are millions of peasants out in the outlands, it will be interesting to compare life in the City with that in the Countryside, but I know from my reading that China is experiencing a rapid urbanisation, so we need to keep that in mind.

So back to me and my flat. I'm on the 6th (top) floor - the penthouse obviously...

This is the entrance

There are five or six similar blocks on the plot all within a gated plot  with security at the front. Access is via swipe card.

This is the sitting/dining room

with a view onto the kitchen

Currently the one burner cooker isn't working and I'm currently waiting in for the 'gas man' to come and fix it. Fortunately there is a microwave so Ive been able to fix noodles, and last night scrambled eggs on toast.  There is also a brand new rice cooker, but Ive never used one and the instructions are, yes you guessed it, in Chinese.

This is the view from the dining room to the bedroom

And this is the bathroom...

with  nice shower...

Now please join me in my bedroom (no not you @wifeinthebin)

And this is the view from the window...

Can you just see the pagoda through that little gap in the tree? Apparently its a nice walk up to it for a great view

So that's the trip around my gaff/crib etc. It comes with air con and heating and a telephone, cable TV (1 English news channel from china and a film channel and about another 75 Chinese channels showing everything from Beijing Opera (surreal) to shopping channels selling the usual tat).  This is all rent and utility bill free. I have to pay for the water bottles. 

Main problems so far.  Well locking myself out on Saturday morning was a major problem. They hadn't mentioned that the door was self locking! So I took some rubbish to the bins and when I got back I was locked out. Locked out with no key, telephone, wallet or any idea what I should do. So I went down to the security guys one of whom came back to my flat, saw I need a key and went off. He came back shaking his head, no, no key. Arrrrgh what can I do?  I asked the guard if he knew AJ? I had some vague notion that AJ lived in the same block of flats, but I couldn't really remember what with all that had happened at the seminar and all.  AJ? The Guard asked.  Yes AJ I said. Ah yes AJ. He took me to his flat on the 5th Floor. His wife was in, Soon we had contacted Richard my college liaison guy and an hour later he was here with a key.  Stupid huh?

I'm about a 20 minute walk from the nearest big supermarket type shop, although there are some nearby, it seems I might be in an opticians, hairdressers, double glazing window area because that's what they seem to be. Theres two small restaurants and a chemist advertising Viagra.

The flats pretty comfortable and Ive settled in, bought all the bits and pieces I need from the local supermarket with no real problems. Its very humid outside and the external temperature is over 80c so the AC is a blessing. 

Seminar in Beijing China August 2011

The next morning breakfast was when we got to meet some of the other teachers at the seminar.  A Chinese breakfast seems to consist of the leftovers from the night before.  Its not of course, but it is a selection of vegetables, including cabbage, boiled rolls, eggs, tofu and stuff.  EMW had put a toaster on our table, with bread, jam, spread and Vegemite!

Coffee was a large jug filled with a sweet brown liquid that bore little resemblance to coffee. But in the end I succumbed because it was hot and wet, which is the best thing I can say about it.

So I got to met a few people over breakfast and it was clear that I was going to meet a varied bunch during the seminar after breakfast.

This is the staff of EMW who organise the whole thing. From the left is Xavier (Canadian) who is the guy from British Colombia Institute of Technology, who I'm working for he does all the tech stuff then Yanping who is the Chinese liaison for BCIT, then FeiFei and a colleague from the Beijing office, then the boss of the Chinese operation, I forget her name and Maggie (New Zealander), the director of EMW.

The group turns out to really diverse in terms of places of origin, ages and backgrounds. There were Americans, Australians, Filipino's, Brits (inc Scots), and an African from Cameroon. They were male and female, with varying age range, and I wasn't the oldest, Ivan my Aussie room mate was. Some had already been teaching in China and some had been here two years or more, AJ, my colleague here in Nanjing has been teaching here for two years.

The seminar basically took us through some of the basic teaching practices we could expect, an orientation into living in china, the do's and don't of how to handle the schools - apparently the worse thing we can do is be late to class and/or leave early, this apparently puts a huge blot on ones copybook and it is practically three strikes and you are out, or at least not re-employed by that school. 

So that lasted two days, most of which I was afflicted by jet lag, which basically meant waking up at about 3am, having to listen to Stephen Fry and his lulling voice until I fell asleep again at about 5 am, and then feeling really tired and brain dead at around 11 am in the seminar.  I seemed to feel better after lunch.

The lunches and dinners in the hotel were really nice and were good sociable events. In the evenings though I just wanted a shower and bed. Most of the young ones were out to the bars, I would have been there with them once, but I was tired and I really didn't want the attendant hangover on top of the jet lag.

I don't know if the standard of in room services is any indication of the quality of the hotel one is staying in, but as you can see that in this hotel ALL of the customers needs are catered for. I mean a hand delivered condom to the room and all for the sum of 10 yuan (about £1) - now that's what I call service!

There was also this interesting switch

We did press it but Santa didn't turn up - darn communists!

The last night of the two day seminar saw us all coached over to the big hotel I was first taken to for a bigger and better meal, although for me and the other vegetarians it was a bit disappointing with even less selection than the 'lesser' hotel we were staying at. But the wine and beer flowed, all on the company, and we had been allocated a game, in a group we had to mime an occupation and the others had to guess. My group, with AJ and Ivan saw us (me and AJ) miming Judges, with napkins on our heads, sending the criminal (Ivan) off to Australia  to become an Opel miner - the Chinese office adjudicated, and we came second, winning tee shirts. (I think we all won tee shirts actually). It was a good night and every one had fun and there were lots of drunken debates, obviously the 'youngsters' hit the bars after.

(Chinese woman with baby is AJ's wife and child).

Ivan (far right) is the Aussie guy I room shared with, Chandler (far left) is American as is the other guy, the woman is American too we had great far ranging conversations.

Australian and American, both their names escape me at the moment, but I did win his 'youth' in a betting game with the woman where we had to guess his age. (27 - I guessed 26). He is now hanging  in an attic of his choice withering away as I grow younger everyday!

This is another Australian who has been teaching in China for a while and Scott (right) an American who is in China with his wife, she works for someone else, but they live in the same city, he travelled with me to the airport. 

The next day saw us off to our respective destinations, I travelled on the bus, down the same road back to the airport, so having spent three nights in Beijing all I saw was the road to and from the airport!

The flight was delayed two hours because of heavy thunder storms, but I eventually got to Nanjing, where I was meet by 'Richard' from the Colleges international department. A 45 minute drive saw us at my new flat. I'm trying to locate it on google maps to show you, but I cant seem to pinpoint it yet, I haven't got the postcode but when I do I'll list the map.

Things I like about China thus far:

The jasmine tea

The food
The strange, interesting and funny English constructions
The airport


Things I don't like
My Kindle has developed a fault - there is a big blank inch thick line across the page. Amazon say I have to ring them!!!! Now I have nothing to read!!!
The 'coffee'
The humidity (but I might get to like it if it makes me thinner)

Travelling to China....

So here I am in China, in my flat in Nanjing. I arrived yesterday after being in Beijing for two days at the EMW seminar (EMW is the agency that places the teachers in the schools)

I have been on the net more or less since I left Okehampton. Twitter and TXTing has been the main lifeline whilst travelling, but once in China all my social networking was behind the 'Great Firewall of China'. Access to a lot of the social network sites is blocked, so for example I couldn't access Facebook and blogger.

Fortunatly it seems that using twitter on my phone still seemed to get through and my tweets post to my facebook, so my facebook and twitter 'friends' could keep up with what was going on. So one of the first things I had to do was buy access to a VPN. This is what a VPN is Basically I access the internet through an encrypted server somewhere in the USA so it is not blocked by the Chinese Firewall

So now I can tell you about my trip so far....

Typical banks huh? Its Sunday evening, just before I leave early monday morning, and I get a telephone call from their fraud computer, telling me they have detected  possible fradulent activity on my account and I had to call this number to confirm......of course the number is spoken out quickly and only once, so you are left wondering if this is actually a scam or if it really the bank (Santander).

The previous day I had transfered some money from my account onto a credit card to clear it. Now the bank was blocking the payment. So I found the number on the internet, and rang it, the robot knew it was me calling and took me through some security and I confirmed the transaction. Phew I thought that was easy in the end. Of course just looking at my account just now shows the money has not left my account, and with this account I can only telephone them, not do it online. Its frustrating!

But I still got to Exeter early enough for a coffee with Lucia and Matilda before  it was time for the bus.  The last six  months had flown past and I cannot believe that here I was about to start the main part of my journey to China.

The goodbyes were swift, tears were spilt, but it was best that they got in their car and just went. And thats what they did.  I managed to get on the earlier bus which was good, otherwise I would have had to spend another hour or so at Exeter bus station which I wasnt looking forward to.

The trip to the airport was uneventful as they usually are and I was at the shopping mall they call Heathrow in good time for my flight.

But I was a bit annoyed that I couldnt connect to the paid for Wi Fi, I tried 5 or 6 times and called up their help desk twice. Why cant it just be free? A public service? It was really annoying.

Then it was time for the flight, I'd picked the later one, about 8:30 in the evening so late my sleep pattern would be natural. Anyway all went well and we took off on time, this is the beast

 and soon it was time for food.

I had opted for the 'Oriental Vegetarian' off the menu that was offered on booking (via the internet) and very nice it was too!

Yum

On Cathay Pacific there were loads of choices on the inflight entertainment system which was located in the back of the seat, but as I had left my 'close work' glassess in my bag in the locker, and I was hemmed in by the window, I used this as an excuse to listen to Stephen Fry's autobiography via an audiobook I had downloaded onto my iphone.  This seemed to be a god idea and I was soon lulled off to sleep.

I woke up earlyish and it was light outside and we seemed to be here...

which according to the onboard flight simulator map thingy told me that we were somewhere over the himalaya region I think.

As usual on these flights all goes to plan, breakfast was served, which for me seemed to consist of some gloopy rice porridge with a mushroom in it, I managed the fruit bowls..., then we flew a bit more

Until we seemed to have reached our destination - Hong Kong, the pilot told us that there was a stunning view of the City on the left side of the plane, sadly I was on the right, so this is what I got to see.

But we soon landed and I found myself in a much better class of shopping mall offering all sorts, so I opted for a cappuchino and blueberry muffin! Although I was quite tempted by the Sea Blubber and Chili and it was a toss up as to wether I had the Poached vegetables in oil... O well another day perhaps.

Then onto the next plane enroute to Beijing. It all went very well and we didnt crash or anything and soon I was in the most spectacular beijing airport, a very modern building and huge too.

I was met, as expected by a representative of the hotel in a very jet-set manner, him holding up a board with my name on it and soon I was being driven through the streets of Beijing to my hotel. When I got there they were confused! 'OMG its all going wrong' I thought, No, it was just that the hotel represenatative had taken me to the wrong hotel, it seemed I was in another hotel, which belonged to the first (more posher) hotel.

Ah well, soon I was back in the van and at the right hotel, checked in and into my room

Well, I say soon, what I mean is, when I got to my allocated room, my room share colleague was out (it was about 9pm, they were all out on the piss), so there was only one electric key, which does the lights etc, they didnt have a key, so it was either sit in the dark or get another room.  I was given another room, which as soon as the door was closed I noticed had a really bad chemically smell, as I was sniffing and peering about, the door was knocked. It was Maggie and FeiFei, my EMW hosts/employers come to say 'Hi'.  I was soon in another room! Not smelly, with working lights etc. All I had to do now was stay awake until my own room share colleague turned up from Australia 'in about two hours' - about 11 pm!

Glad to say, he arrived on time and we turned in.....

Things I'll Miss in the UK

There's are some of the things I know and think I might miss about the UK

My daughter Matilda - naturally
Mats mum - Lucia
My dog - Snooky Doggy Dog
My family
My friends

Erm.....

Various food based items that I guess will become apparent the longer I'm away. Some contenders might be:

Cheese, pickled onions, Indian curries, chocolate (I've been told to take some), Some TV - although I assume I can get iplayer

Going to the pictures with Matilda, walking the dog. Walking with Matilda and her dogs on Dartmoor

Watching crap Reality shows like the X Factor with Matilda when she's at my house much to her mothers disgust!

Going to Butlins with Matilda much to her mothers disgust!

Going to Plymouth Hoe for a cup of tea and to drink in the view.

Being by the sea/water. I am Pisces after all and I've lived near the sea nearly all my life. (after all we are an island race)

Going around car boot sales - I'm hoping for great markets in China and have promised Matilda a box of plastic junk and Hello Kitty stuff once a month!

Driving.

Getting irritated about politics - staying away from that stuff in China!

The Guardian, The Saturday Guardian, The Sunday Times (with a coffee on a lazy morning with Lucia) (I know I can download them to my Kindle but I'm sure it's not the same experience)

WHAT I'll NOT MISS

Crap TV

Crap politics

Crap economy

Riots

Crap judiciary (post riots)

People who don't give a shit

My old life (work, failed relationships etc)

It will be interesting to find out, in the coming months how this list pans out. I'll blog my cravings, live, as they happen!

Watch this space.

Decompression Devon

After leaving Plymouth yesterday

I am spending the rest of my time with my daughter Matilda at her mums place in Okehampton Devon.

Today's has been a bit of a chill out, getting up late, having a lazy breakfast with the paper and then taking the dogs for a walk.

We went onto the fringes of Dartmoor and walked through woods, along tracks and by the river. Essentially it's a circuit we call the '60 pointer as it's the circuit the local school uses for it's cross country runs.

After the last few weeks of stress and busy-ness getting ready for my move o must say walking through the green tunnels, playing ducks n drakes with the smooth river stones and ending up at Okehampton Station for a Devon Cream Tea certainly decompressed all those stresses and worries.

Later we went to the cinema to see Cowboys and Aliens and we all enjoyed it. Although I have to say it's a 12A Certificate and it terrified Matilda (age12)

China wise I still have to sort out my laptop bag. It's almost as heavy as my carry on bag and I'm sure the airline will clock it. I've got too many books so will have to cull them.

I have just down loaded this great app which allows you to scan documents, it's called Camscanner, so I've been using that to scan one of the books into my phone. It seems really good.

I've also realised I've forgotten to pack my razor so a trip to the chemist tomorrow.

The other minor stresses - my lodgers has only contacted me twice so far since leaving. Once because the broad band went off and again because the other lodger needed the password to access the wi fi Internet. Sigh.

Plus Matilda left her jacket in Plymouth. Said Lodger (Niel) is going to post it.

Still packing for China - right up to the wire....

I am due to leave Plymouth very shortly, so have been finalising my packing and clearing out of my room. Surprisingly all of my (heavily pared down) stuff has fitted into the cupboard under the stairs! I am amazed!

My carry on allowance is 7 kilo. I'm using a backpack and have just about squeezed 7 kilo of stuff in.

This is it:

From the bottom up:

Canvas tote bag with a big plastic bag of PG Tips in it! Talk about coals to Newcastle - I'm taking tea to China!
Waterproof jacket
Clean shirt - Ben Sherman
Micro fleece
Multi coloured fleece - those who know me know which one (Uniqlo)
Rough Guide to China
Recharging cables for kindle, camera and new mobile phone
Camera

In the front pocket:

First aid kit
Berocca vitamins
Ventolin pump
Shoe polish for the Cherry Reds

1 brush
Neoprene knee brace
Reading/computer glasses

And in the top pocket

Toilet paper (moist) Apparently this is crucial when out and about around the Chinese City
6 migraine medicines
Ventolin
Brown inhaler
Hearing aids
Hearing aid batteries
Mini torch
Lemsips x 10
Anadin extra

And in my Laptop bag which is also pushing 5 kilo

Photos
Spare glasses x 1
Spare sun glasses x 1
4 x teaching books
2 x 100 index cards
Mac book pro and charger
Kindle
Note book
Plymouth photo souvenir book
Business cards
Ventolin (be prepared - I was a scout after all)
and Brown inhaler
pen pencil etc


So that's it apart from the clothes I'll be wearing and the crombie overcoat Ill have to carry.

I'm looking forward to a quiet three days in Okehampton, no more cleaning/tidying/packing/bill paying/stress etc

But I'm sure something will come up....

Things I know about China

Things I know about China 5 days before I go to live and work there for 10 months.

It's big
It's in the east
They own all the debt in the world
They don't use underarm deodorants
They don't have radiators/heating in schools
If they all jumped together they would destroy the world
They have whole city's dedicated to making zips or buttons and so on
They have a wall
I need to take toilet paper (?)
Old time sailors thought that oriental women had vaginas that went side to side rather than front to back
They discovered America and Australia etc before the Europeans ( see the book 1421 the year china discovered the world)
They invented loads of stuff before Leonardo etc.
They make everything we buy in the West

Is that enough?

My last night at home

Tonight is my last night at home, my last night in my own bed, my last night with Snook Doggy Dog.  How times flies to coin a phrase. Who would have thought it that I would be where I am now this time last year? I can hardly believe it myself.

Its been quite tough this last few days. Matilda, my daughter has been here with me. Sometimes what Im doing doesn't bear thinking about. If I did I would simply collapse in a shuddering weeping heap! Of course its doubly worse cos I'm also leaving Snook Doggy Dog! In know we anthropomosrphise animals, but Snooks has been sticking to me like glue these last few days, shes been like my shadow, where I am she is...she knows I swear it.

Am I ready to go tomorrow - I'm not quite sure.

I think I've done most of the admin relating to my life and my house and the next 10 months. I've done my will. I've packed my whole life into a cupboard and my 20 kilo suitcase.  The only thing outstanding is collecting new glasses from Vison Express tomorrow (last minute I know), getting some photos printed and I think that's it. Just got to remember not to forget my passport!

And the tickets.

Tonight I hosted a Chinese meal for my lodgers and Matilda in the garden, it went very well and a good time was had by all I hope.

This is the picture

Snook Doggy Dog

I'm going to China - poem

Soon I am going to China
An adventure in my later years
Escaping the tedium of the office and salary and the 9 to 5 slog

Before I get too old
I am going to China
I'm leaving my old life
And my daughter and my dog

And I can't sleep 
I lay on my bed and think
Let the doubt work into my head and kick off the quilt with irritation

My daughter on the settee a metre away snores gently
Supportive but scared of losing her daddy
And he scared 
Questions the reason of the decision

I am going to China
And now I cannot sleep
Not like my daughter is sleeping innocent and trusting
But with guilt writhing in my head

And soon the roar of the jet plane with fill my ears
And the smell of China fill my nose
And my daughter will cry her tears
I think of these as I lie, awake, in my bed. 

Packing for China - the final 20 kilo

My suitcase has been 'packed' for three weeks. BUT I am allowed only 20 kilo in my suitcase and please remember I am going for 10 months! So there has been some serious packing, unpacking, discarding, rethinking over the last three weeks until I got the weight near to 20 kilo, but it was still a little over and I don't know how forgiving Cathay Pacific is. The excess baggage charge is $60 per kilo so I'm erring on the cautious side.

Tonight I have got the weight to just below the 20 kilo mark and this is my definitive list of what I'm taking.

In no particular order and with some explanation...

Running shoes
Black shoes for work
Running shorts - Lycra
Running shirt - long sleeves
Fred  Perry Polo Shirt
Waxed type Jacket
Black and White Kefeya Scarf
Casual Rugby style shirts x 2 - 1long sleeve and 1 short sleeve
Track suit bottoms  - new and thick and warm x1
University of Plymouth Hoodie - parting gift from my job - I asked for it, and they are warm and good quality
Large Bath sheet - smaller ones can be purchased in China but not bath sheets
1 pair black jeans
1 pair Khaki Chinos
4 cotton shirts -  for work etc
2 x thermal vests and 2 x thermal long johns - I'm told that there is no heating in Chinese schools
6 pairs underpants (M&S of course)
10 pairs of socks (1 pair a month huh?)
1 woolly hat (courtesy of Matilda, she bought it in Marrakesh)
1 woolly bobble hat
1 pair thick socks
Running trousers (Lycra)

That's it in terms of clothes

Also in the suitcase is:

A bag with 6 underarm deodorants - reduced from 10 - apparently you cant get deodorant in China! Plus 5 small bottles of shaving oil. Various prescription medicines, 3 Ventolin and 3 of the steroid puffers.  3 packs of Imodium (just in case!), about 12 of my migraine drugs (but hopefully will not need) cliploc bags x 2 boxes for teacher in china. 2 x large bars of chocolate requested by teacher in china. Swiss Army penknife.

                                             Unfortunately Snooks couldn't fit as she's 5.5 kilos....and this wasn't posed she got in my suitcase - she's been following me around like a shadow for the past week - I think she knows.....

Im also allowed 7 kilos in my carry on cabin bag and I can take my laptop bag on with me. I will sort these out tomorrow and blog the contents.

I am planning on wearing during the trip blue jeans, shirt, Dr Martens shoes, black jacket,  I am going to have to carry my winter overcoat onto the plane.

It's not much is it?

Time moves swiftly on.....

I haven't posted for a few weeks, simply because not much has happened, except for me trying to organise my house and my finances and the rest of my life.  I don't know how I managed ever to fit work in!

But now I am entering my last week before I jet off to China and that feels a bit strange.

Anyway I have spent most of the last few weeks trying to fit stuff to last me 10 months in China into a 20 kilo limited suitcase, a back pack limited to 7 kilos and a computer bag! I have been packing, discarding and repacking again and again, Im not sure if Im there yet! We'll see later on. Ill list my packing for you.

So of course after months, if not years of not much happening obviously one's luck starts to run out as departure day appears on the horizon.  One big problem seems like my next door neighbours sewerage is leaking into my garden. I was wondering why my single rose was doing so well. Well it seems its been sitting in its own little pool of effulent. I had noticed as I sat outside that occassionally my path would, not exactly flood, but water would appear like a magical spring at the base of my wall and run down the path. At first it was just a bit of a trickle, but now its started to flood!  The neighbour has been advised and South West Water has been consulted, apparently because of the age of my house its their responsibility, so hopefully it will be sorted soon.

Then after years of owning a mobile phone - disaster! I took Matilda, my daughter to visit the grandparents, and as one does one gets a McD's happy meal with a diet coke. The finished cup, full of ice, was put on the dashboard, which in my Fiat was like a shallow plastic depression on the dashboard. This was also where I put my iphone when recharging.  Ok lets put two and two together, and yes depression fills up with melted ice, I don't notice and my iphone goes for a swim! In all the years Ive owned phones this is the first time Ive ever damaged one - yes just 10 days before I am due to leave for China!

O2 were really helpful, it would take about three weeks, first I had to send it off, then they would examine it, then they would send me a quote, then once I had agreed they would do the repair. I found a guy on ebay who would  fix the backlight (the only fault - the rest of the phone seems OK) in 48 hrs turnaround for £26 plus £7 for postage! I sent it Thursday, he expects it to be in the post back to me Monday. Thats service. (update Tuesday 16th August, fixed phone turned up this morning - thats service for you!)

Im also car less, sold the car, got no insurance, now I have to travel on the buses with the teenage mums! It was all planned so nicely, car on ebay, 10 days until the auction finished, so a couple of days without a car. Ok someone calls the first night, pays cash, takes car!  Sore feet!

But the BIG NEWS cleverly hidden right at the bottom of the blog is IM GOING TO A DIFFERENT COLLEGE.

This One:

                                                 Nanjing College of Information Technology

The is the agencys website about the college 

And this is their website (english version)

Considering its a college of IT they could do a little better I think!

Anyway the story is, I was telephoned at 6am the other morning and it was Maggie in New Zealand the director of the agency. She proceeded to tell me that No 1 School Nanjing, where I was going had decided that they only needed two teachers, this is after completing all my visa forms, getting the relevant stamps for me ect.  Maggie told me that this is typical for China!

So anyway I now have a place at the IT College. The sugar on the pill, says Maggie, is that the accommodation is much better!

So this time next week Ill be sitting in Heathrow - gulp!