Long time no blog!

Wow it really has been a while since I blogged!
Lots has happened since the last post, I've moved to a new city,
Ningbo, and had all the madness of getting settled in and sorting out
everything that needed sorting, I've also realised I don't think I put
any pictures from HongKong up and we have lots of them so I will try
to do that too!

I'm now working in a University in Ningbo, the second largest city in
this province, I'm not sure the exact current population but somewhere
around 8 + million people seems to be what people say, from a couple
of years ago! So quite big....
I'm living on in a flat provided by the university and its pretty
nice, a small lounge, a equal sized bedroom, a bathroom and a tiny
kitchenette off the lounge, a TV (wow!) and a small utility with a
washing machine etc. There is loads of storage and it seems pretty
comfortable.
When I moved in it was of course filthy, some parts having not been
cleaned since it was built 20 years ago! I was removing building site
rubble from some window sills! Now its cleaned its much nicer, and i'm
only on the 3rd floor which is great, Chris is here in Ningbo too but
stuck on the 6th floor! The exercise is good for him but the water
pressure that high has had a huge effect on his shower and so everyone
else gets a sad looking Chris visiting sometimes looking for an
acceptable shower!

I teach first year university students oral English for 5 classes a
week and then two writing classes to second years, Chris teaches the
same but all to second years. I teach writing to two of his oral
English classes! The classes here are all double classes so an hour
and a half long with a 5 minutes break, it's pretty different and you
certainly run through material like nobody's business! The Oral
English I think I can get a grip on O.K. but the writing is a pain I
could do without, nevermind! A learning experience!

The town centre is an hours bus away down town for 18p or a £3 taxi
ride, not bad, and there are some shops and whatnott around the
university, the remains of small villages now turned into shopping
markets servicing the university!

My teaching building is nice, I teach in the International Studies
department (not the foreign languages department) and so instead of
English Majors I teach the less abled students who study business for
two years in China before travelling to Canada for a year to finish
their studies.

The classes seem split into 4, with classes 1 and 2 being at a much
lower level than 3 and 4, not bad as long as you are ready for it!
Just like teaching in the two schools back home, the material plays
out very differently! I miss my old students and still speak to some
of them online with is great, I will try to go and visit at some point
soon!

O.K. enough writing, I will throw up some photos of the last month and
then try to get back into the swing of blogging again when things come
up, more soon!