Thursday 26 September 2013

Mooncake factory trip and me on the news

This week has been busy, hence me only getting to blog today.  The Mid Autumn Festival throws everything haywire because all the teaching missed has to be caught up over the weekends, plus we had a trip to the mooncake factory thrown in too. More about that later.

As it was the holidays I had arranged to meet AJ in town for a drink.  Before I left I'd had a cryptic message from him 'Bring Swim Trunks'  Now knowing AJ that could just mean we are going swimming, or we might be in his Hot Tub or it might mean we are off to a bathhouse. So I dutifully packed my trunks, said goodbye to Snooks who was staying at home and shot off into Nanjing City.

We met at at pub called Talking2. I had been there before but got a bit lost so had to jump into a cab.

Yes  its a 'London' Cab



AJ, a canadian guy I can't remember his name and some beer

Another English teacher, can't remember his name either

Then after a couple of beers and a pizza I jumped into AJ's car and we shot off to his home. The balloons are for his son Titus, we're in the lift.

Once home, we got our swimsuits and off we went to the swimming pool in the hotel which is part of the accommodation block. This is Titus running ahead with his rubber ring.

 The swimming pool. It extends outdoors and is quite large but the outside bit was being cleaned.
 Titus in his superman swim suit and rubber ring. 

The film showing in the hotels cinema - I'm sure the title needs proofing!

Just a couple of towers of AJ's accommodation block
 AJ is actually up there somewhere hanging out the balcony waving

The main problem with me visiting AJ is the free bus back into town takes an hour, then its about another hour via Metro and Taxi to get back to my place. Its a big place, China.

Saturday was taken up with me doing the part time work with the small kids, back in town

Sunday we, the Chinese Teachers, Stephen and myself too Junior A into Nanjing to visit the Mooncake factory. The mooncake factory is run by a Christian Charity called Amity and it employs people with various disabilities.  We were taken into town in various parents car.



The students were all lined up.  This is Angel, Kimmy and Dumping, Blue and Echo who has just changed her English name to Cherry


We marched out to the carpark for the parents cars, this is Sephen getting his ride.

Then off to Nanjing to the factory

Angel, Molly and Kimmy




In the factory they all had to get togged up

Forgot this boys name

And his 



Forgot this boys name too

Jimmy making moon cakes


Stephen (we share Junior A)

It was also Angels birthday so a cake was secreted in the building. This is Afeng her mum.

Angel cake...
  Cutting the cake

This is 'Harry Potter' a Korean boy at the school

Ann, our 'line manager' enjoying cake

The Kids all had a great time.


Then we were driven back to school. I was in Afeng's car with another teacher and some kids. And even though it was a big posh Honda with a big GPS screen we got lost. Fortunately my iPhone maps found us they way and once we had found IKEA the mum knew the way. But first she insisted on buying us dinner at IKEA which was nice.

The next day, Monday, was the day my Senior A class went to the mooncake factory. So at 12:30 we all assembled at the office.

The girls at the front - Miley and Lynn in the foreground

And the boys, Sam and Johnny in the foreground (Johnnys dad has a large Porsche,  These kids parents are RICH!)
 Acse fascinated by the bakery


One of the mums

Clockwise, Miley, Lynn, Cherry, Annie (I think) and Jenny

Jeremy and Allen

Sam - who is a real live wire
 Then into the uniforms - this is Rita


 Eva, whose twin is Johnny and Jo

Miley and Lynn

Annie

Jenny- good English has spent time in the UK, I had a chat with her mum

Cherry


Ann in charge again

One of my other teacher colleagues, I forget her name, so many names to remember.

Torres with the cookies they made

Annie, looking like a revolutionary poster I think, handing out the cookies they made, no mooncakes today.
 Sam enjoying the fruits of his labour.

Then back to school but the day wasn't finished yet. I had missed two lessons with this class as they were on the visit, so these lessons had to be made up. Of course as I have mentioned these kids are in class from 8am to about 9 pm so I was scheduled to catch up my classes from 6:30 to 8:00pm. Which I duly did. 

Stephen took his Senior B class the following day.

By the way I mentioned being on the TV here are the clips if you want to watch the Chinese News. I think Stephen and I were like that funny bit at the end of News at 10, or the humourous local story on the local BBC news. 

Woohoo watch me making the Chinese news here:http://web.3ch.net.cn/play.html?c=hrm9o11h7myx7ixn at about 12.36 minutes

And Steven here: http://web.3ch.net.cn/play.html?c=16y0grbsfl5gi376 at about 15.39 minutes

enjoy....














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