Back to Lingxi!

Chris and I had been meaning to go back to our old town for months but we finally got the chance, we booked the train tickets for friday night and then back on the sunday in the evening. We went straight to the station after class and got the train back without any problems, arriving in the old town was strange, it seemed much smaller than before! the old town has also changed so much!

Eamon helped us to book a hotel we could stay in, originally we planned to stay in Nora's aunties hotel, getting used to the relationship system! but she was fully booked so we were recommended another hotel, newely opened, near the school.

We knew the name and so just walked from the station as it was only a 10 minutes walk, no problem. When we arrived and checked in we found it was the strangest hotel! it was shaped oddly for a hotel, a bit square building, with lots of rooms arranged in a crazy layout throughout, most of which with no windows and entirely inside the middle of the square! It was nicely laid out, and at 200rmb a night for a big twin room, it was pretty fair. 

When we were arrived and checked in we called Eamon and agreed to meet up, it turns out there was a 'communication day festival' that day! all the centre of town was filled with food stalls and thousands of people from many places around the province! we met near the festival in a shop selling soya bean juice and tasty snacks, Chris and I had some tasty snacks, and then with Eamon we walked down through the festival, it was crazy! so so many people! and we ran into a few students, I also put out a notice on the Chinese microblogging service, Weibo, and on qq, the chiense messanger, that we were back, and were soon inundated with messages and calls from students and teachers! 

After a walk around town and a chat it was pretty late so we headed back to the hotel, the next morning we got up in time to make it to the school before they finished for lunch, and after a quick meeting and a cup of tea with our old boss my lin, we split up and went around the classes to say hello, to much rejoicing and a hugely warm welcome.

I miss the students and they were very happy to see us back, going round the classes, taking pictures, it was lovely. 

After them we met up with all of our old teacher friends, and went to our old haunt, goteago, for a big meal and a chat. We had a great time with them talking and laughing, it was just a real shame Elaine couldn't be there, so we will have to have a real meal with everyone as soon as possible! 

All through the meal we were constantly barraged with messages about where we were and when we could come to the school, and so after a while we did, met up with our old students and went to the school for a bit, then went back down town to the food street and communication festival again. We met an old student Melody, who I used to play tennis with, and walked together down town and visited Chris's old art school, before going to a new cafe that just opened up nearby. 
In fact the cafe was the same chain as a cafe we really liked in neighbouring Pinyang, and after we left they opened one in Lingxi! Typical! we had a nice pizza and some very nice coffee with the student there too. I liked the place to I posted on the microblog about it, and the place replied saying thank you, their first foreign endoursement! haha! 

After we ate i really wanted to meet my old student, Rolo, he was a really nice kid so I really wanted to catch up with him, unfortunately i didn't know that the school dormitory closed at ten pm! 

At nine thirty rolo texted me and told me he would soon be locked in for the night and asking where I was, I was on the other side of town! We tried to find a taxi but because of the fair taxis were few and far between, so we walked as fast as we could and made it back at twenty past ten, not bad for right across town but too late to see rolo the door was already locked! Damn it ! Then the student we ate with told us actually he was staying in this dormitory too! he was also locked out! Luckily his uncle was friends with the doorman and so no problem, he can come and go as be pleases! Another example of how having connections is so useful!

We retired home for a social beer at home and some tv in the room.

Sunday morning we went for breakfast in golden bowl, another of our old haunts and after around eleven walked over to the school again, on the way we heard a huge bang, and saw a huge cloud of colored smoke from the next intersection, as the plume got bigger we thought about going to see what was going on but decided instead the smoke looked very suspicious and so we walked quickly away, it didn't look like anything I wanted in my lungs!

We went to the school again and met up with lots of our old students, chatting and talking with them and taking lots of pictures! I the afternoon we went over to the school again and went around each of our old classes saying hello and good luck, for Chris with his twenty classes it took a while but I did the full two years and so went to all fourth two! So many students! One of our students, rabbit, was a special favorite of ours and so we really wanted to see her, we met her friend Wendy and asked her and she told us rabbit was at the art school, the same one we went to yesterday! So we quickly grabbed a taxi down to town and met her for a quick photo! Then with Eamons help we taxied to the station and got the train back to ningbo, a very busy and tiring but successfully weekend trip! Of course we didn't get away without promising to visit again when we had time! Which we fully intend to do, they are lovely people there, a perfect first stop in china!