All's going well here in China! We've settled into the flat and we have most things working
now. We've had the great honour of meeting the rest of the teachers from the English
department of the School and we have drunk with the multiple head masters (as they all
seem to be head masters ) from the two schools which seem to share teaching staff.
We also had a surprise visit from a couple of students the other day who's first question
was if we were gay? To which we said no (the thinking being that the last two teachers were a couple)
but asked if they knew of any ladies looking for strapping white men of British origin.... (just kidding ;)
but we found out a lot about the school, what to expect and what to look out for! All very useful.
So at the moment we're reaching a cross roads in our time here. We have 20 days or so
before the school starts the new term, because they are breaking for the spring festival or Chinese
new year, our thoughts are to return to Hangzhou and possibly go as far north as Beijing.
But we'll let you all know as things unfold!
And so hi Mum and Dad if you're reading, everything's great out here it does feel a bit weird,
like a cross between Africa, with the extreme contrasts of poverty and wealth, Sarajevo
from the 1990's with all the rockets they keep letting off as celebrations of moving into their new houses,
and Dubai with the speed at everything is being built. From sudden slums, you can step onto a newly
built train station with fresh tarmac and the only english for miles around. Nath aptly put it "its like being
on the moon!" as things are just so far removed from each other that it just all feels disjointed and uncoordinated.
With a municipal system that cannot support the volumes of people, their rubbish and need for water,
heating etc, yet they have better & faster train links (at 400km/hr) and faster broadband than the UK?
It is quite a culture shock... although I think we have shocked them more as they expected to have to
nurse us a lot, and have found us to be very confined and independent which they have commented on.
Thus revealing how the intense pressure placed on the Kids to study, here in China, doesn't afford them
any time to grow as people by gaining confidence or learning life skills.
With a six day week and lessons starting at 7am, lunch for 2 hours and lesson sometimes until 9pm they
have long days and a very limited social life. The party demands much of them and life even more! I have
a lot of respect for them. Tough times, and our kids feel pressured at school. Not so I think!
But enough of the ins and outs of life here in China for the now and I hope everything is going ok
back home. We're keeping a breast with the news in Europe and the Uk and heard about the eruption
of mount Etna! they've been predicting her to blow for a couple of years now!
Get in touch as it'll be great to hear from you and Mum or Dad I will try calling on Sunday!
All's going well here in China! We've settled into the flat and we have most things working. philips saeco
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