Saturday morning 0820............................................
Saturday New Year's Eve lunch
Saturday 31 December 2016
Tuesday 27 December 2016
China - Day 338
Tuesday afternoon 1330 - 1600 StarSplendor New Year party - not unlike a party back home - party games and short plays and dances and charades - this mini-play is about the Emperor's eunuch selecting suitable concubines for his master
This one is a bit like a drinking game where the first one to slip up has to take a drink..........................
This next one was a bit excruciating and I am pleased that I could not understand one word of it..........
I think that the performers (teachers and managers) were told to dress in black. I was about the only person present that was not dressed in black
Monday 26 December 2016
Sunday 25 December 2016
China - Day 336
Christmas carols in the car on the way to work
Christmas climbing of rocks
Christmas dinner in the evening
Saturday 24 December 2016
Friday 23 December 2016
Thursday 22 December 2016
China - Day 333
Recording session didn't go well today because my voice wasnt up to much so got home early and we went out to the BBQ restaurant for some R&R
The joy of cucumber
The secret of cucumber
Wednesday 21 December 2016
Tuesday 20 December 2016
Sunday 18 December 2016
China - Day 328
Saturday 0823. The fruits of my course on 'documentary'-making - my star pupil - teacher in control of his class
Saturday 0848 - teaching prowess all a-shrivel - not my star pupil - teacher not in control of his class
Friday 16 December 2016
China - Day 327
Tomorrow the class that has been doing an intensive Entertainment course with will review Movies and I will get them to make a documentary using the camera on my phone; they will rehearse a self-introduction in English and then I will film it - prize for the best film i.e. best spoken English. To model what they will need to do I interviewed myself this morning.....
Thursday 15 December 2016
China - Day 326
Morning meeting with the owner of the school and all the staff involved in the Everybody Up! program to discuss new ways of working and protocols. In the afternoon I spent time preparing for classes and at 4pm went with Steve and Joel for a meal at a local Korean restaurant. Back home now and time for an early night with a couple of paracetomol.....
Tuesday 13 December 2016
China - Day 324
Tuesday woke up with a stinker of a cold. Lemsip capsule import came in handy! Baozi for breakfast after my Chinese lesson
Coffee and Chinese homework while the maid was cleaning the apartment and doing the washing - I like to get out of the apartment on Tuesday afternoon so I don;t get in her way
China - Day 321
Saturday grilled chicken and steamed rice for lunch
Saturday night fried chicken and rice for supper!
Friday 9 December 2016
China - Day 320
On Friday Steve had a graduation ceremony for his Everybody Up! class - I taught these children for a few weeks while he was off sick so I popped in for a slice of celebratory pizza
Tuesday 6 December 2016
China - Day 317
Bought some mitts and protective front weather gear to furnish the bike, now it looks real hardcore north china. Did some prep work first thing this Tuesday morning (on my day off) as there is no prep time during working hours this week. In the afternoon went to my fav cafe and did some Chinese grammar homework.........
Saturday 3 December 2016
Friday 2 December 2016
Wednesday 30 November 2016
China - Day 311
Very busy day back at work today. Lots of new December classes to prepare for. Tim has left at short notice so we have all had to pick up some extra work. I have signed on with StarSplendor for another year and made it clear that at the end of that time (end of January 2018) I will be leaving for pastures new
Tuesday 29 November 2016
China - Day 310
Left the hotel and went to YingYing's auntie's place, stopping off for some Baozi on the way
Monday 28 November 2016
Sunday 27 November 2016
China - Day 307
Big teaching day. 5 classes in the morning and then a Thanksgiving Party for the children in the afternoon
Thursday 24 November 2016
China - Day 306
Another day in the office - big day tomorrow - six classes in the morning and then off to Manhattan for AmericaTown - then straight on to the train to Shenyang - so I need to pack this evening. Meanwhile the phone has resuscitated itself so all good
China - Thursday
Spent the day in the flat, ventured out once to the bank, Watched a few movies thanks to YouTube - including Outland (1981) and High Noon (1952). Tomorrow morning I can get the phone looked at and maybe I will be able to upload some more of my own movies onto this Blog
China - Wednesday
My phone died today. It was just sitting on the sofa quietly uploading this video onto YouTube so that I could transfer it onto my Blog and it just deceased. Battery fine but I cant start it up despite my best efforts. This vid is the usual Wednesday teachers meeting
Tuesday 22 November 2016
China - Day 303
Tutorial day today from a company that sells resources to supplement the Everybody Up! classes that we run. Boy did she know her non-verbal augmentative communication - known in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) as Total Physical Response (TPR)
There was definitely a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it
Sunday 20 November 2016
China - Day 301
The drains have been blocked off and on for a few weeks now and so it was good to come out the front door this morning and see that someone was on to it
China - Day 300
Cold today and I was hanging around outside a school branch in LingHe waiting for class and the sweet potato seller (yes he was sweet and he was also selling sweet potatoes) invited me to warm my hands on his oven so I bought one (delicious and warming)
Friday 18 November 2016
Thursday 17 November 2016
China - Day 298
Up at 0800. At work by 0850. Wrote an activity for the Thanksgiving AmericaTown on Sunday. The kids will end up with a strange Sino-US food-simulation on their plates comprising turkey, potato, pumpkin pie, gravy, onion, garlic, chinese cabbage and corn. This will be accompanied by 'you be mother/father' and 'please may I have some.....' dialogue. All good fun. Had an early supper tonight. YingYing and I biked it over to Steve's in Manhattan for a modest barbeque - no-one was really hungry but it was a chance for the three of us to hang out for an hour.......
Wednesday 16 November 2016
China - Day 297
Back at work today. YingYing volunteered to make some dumplings for tea. They were just a bit good
China - Day 296
Tuesday was a fun day. It started with a Chinese lesson
Then we bought some train tickets and had some wonton and went to the zoo and then went to a pool hall
The clerk in the ticket office smiled on one occasion. I am not sure why this occurrence took place but it was some time in the summer of 1987. Maybe it was just the wind
Sunday 13 November 2016
China - Day 294
Teaching a class today and this is the first time we have met. Reviewing and consolidating what they have learned so far. Pretty much the first thing I do is to create teams to make it fun. Winning team gets a prize at the end of the lesson
I try to move around the class as much as possible to give everyone a chance. We are waiting for the large flashcards to be made and until we have those, no-one has a chance! What does a crocodile look like?
What does a coconut look like?
China - Day 289
I had my weekly Chinese lesson with Winston at ShiYan and then went to JinzhouNan to meet YingYing off the train at 1556
Sunday 6 November 2016
China - Day 287
Every weekend I meet Vicky at WilliamTown pub to have a half hour Chinese lesson and to give her a half hour English lesson. Vicky is the Activities Co-ordinator at StarSplendor. WilliamTown is a good choice - it is quiet and comfortable and deeply unfrequented so we always manage to get a good place to sit
Friday 4 November 2016
Thursday 3 November 2016
Wednesday 2 November 2016
China - Day 283
Because Steve is off sick I have been taking his classes, working with Cathy - on a program called 'Everybody Up!' - the idea is that it is a multimedia based program complete with teachers guide, student workbook, interactive whiteboard, the children attend twice a week and there are four discrete parts to each Unit and with the review of the last class and the presentation of the new material, each class should progress through each unit at the rate of one unit per month - it should be possible to teach this program (to groups of between 3 and 10 children) without using Chinese at all
China - Day 282
Due to massive demand from my blog reader here are some very nicely posed photos of YingYing aka Crystal including one with her cat oh wait a minute its a dog
YingYing looking sophisticated
YingYing gently smiling
YingYing looking like it might be a bit parky outside
Monday 31 October 2016
China - Day 281 - Monday 1st November 2016
Halloween party today for the children at StarSplendor so I worked the day in exchange for an alternative day off (on this Thursday). I had a red devil outfit with a face mask so I stood on the steps at the front of the building to spook the kids
It got really noisy with 70 children in a small space so I was quite happy when some of the kids left early.
Sunday 30 October 2016
China - Day 280
Sunday - spent the day moving between StarSplendor sites - working hard on class preparations and teaching - had a great session at TaiHe with a class that I saw for the first time - 1300-1345 with Catherine (local Chinese teacher) everything went really well with stimulating conversation with the group and almost completely cutting out any Chinese from the classroom - Catherine was able to watch without being tempted to translate into Chinese - felt I had nailed it and then went to show a sort movie at the end of the 45 min session and the IT let me down! Oh well - no class is perfect
Thursday 27 October 2016
China - Day 277
One idiot in the compound waving across the yard from his kitchen to his new colleague Joel who lives on the fourth floor across the way and comes from Kings Heath, Birmingham
Wednesday 26 October 2016
China - Day 275
I have been thinking about moving from StarSplendor when my contract expires at the end of January. If they want to seek to renew my contract then they have to make me an offer before the end of November. I was thinking about moving to Bonding English in Shenyang. However, Tina told me on Monday that there is no current vacancy there. So I need to have a rethink. Went back to work today following a fabulous weekend in Shenyang. I prepared in the morning with Cathy for a lesson that we delivered at 1340. There was a timetabling clash today when the two Uni students turned up for their IELTS practice at 1300. I apologised to them and we proposed a double session tomorrow so everyone was happy in the end.
Back home at 4pm. I have started watching CCTV news on the TV. Chinese and East Asian focus to the news. I get alternative news from Radio 4, BBC website and YouTube (all via the internet). Tonight I will give Crystal an English lesson (via WeChat - a Chinese version of WhatsApp) and watch the third US presidential debate (YouTube)
Back home at 4pm. I have started watching CCTV news on the TV. Chinese and East Asian focus to the news. I get alternative news from Radio 4, BBC website and YouTube (all via the internet). Tonight I will give Crystal an English lesson (via WeChat - a Chinese version of WhatsApp) and watch the third US presidential debate (YouTube)
Tuesday 25 October 2016
China - Day 274
After tennis, Tina took me to a fab restaurant and after that I took the taxi back to the hotel to meet up with Crystal
Saturday 22 October 2016
China - Day 272
Every few weeks StarSplendor puts on a special event called AmericaTown (and I dont know why it is called AmericaTown). But it is always off-campus and usually good fun. The emphasis is on completing an activity in a new setting within an English language context. Today it was 'let's make a cake' and we took 10 children and their parents to (pretend to) make and bake a cake and then to (actually) put on the topping and decorate the cake
Friday 21 October 2016
Thursday 20 October 2016
China - Day 270
The school has agreed to help a couple of mature students prepare for their IELTS exam on October 29th. They will be tested on their proficiency in English language reading writing listening and speaking. I see them together three times per week at 1pm
China - Day 269
Back to giving classes today - Steve is off sick so I will be covering some of his classes over the next couple of weeks - including this one
Tuesday 18 October 2016
China - Day 268
Peaceful lunchtime reading spot by the South river. Nobody ever seems to use this beautiful spot -it's at a dip in the paving so its a great sun trap as well - not used by the locals but which is none-the-less kept spotless by "the council workers"
The street stalls just outside my fav coffee shop close to the West gate of Bohai University
The street stalls just outside my fav coffee shop close to the West gate of Bohai University
Friday 14 October 2016
China - Day 264
The Sizzler - I have been to this eatery many times with Steve. He calls it "the sizzler" because in this eatery the food it brought to the table on hot plates and the food is still cooking as it arrives - we pretty much always have the same dishes - beef and onions - caramalised chips - washed down with beer - delicious!
Sunday 9 October 2016
Saturday 8 October 2016
Friday 7 October 2016
China - Day 254
Everywhere I looked on all pavements and kerbs and parks and roadside stalls....................................
Saturday 1 October 2016
China Day 249 - David
David lives just across the road from dad and so I am staying with him while I am in Romsey. David told me about a portrait of him that hangs from the wall in his living room. It is not a lounge
I like Miss Moody's Tudor Tea Room in Romsey
China - Day 248 - Swanage
I rang Mike Parsons yesterday and he explained the relationships to me. So dad's uncle, Harold Parsons, had some children, including two sons, John and Harry (dad's cousins). Cousin John's widow ("Auntie Mollie") lives in a flat overlooking the beach, and Cousin Harry's widow ("Auntie Doreen") lives in a house that is so close to the beach that if you are sitting in the wrong chair in the lounge you can't hear what is being said because of the waves breaking on the shore. We had tea and cake with Auntie Mollie and her daughter Caroline.
Then we went across the lawn to see Auntie Doreen and spent a few minutes chatting with her
The view from Auntie Doreen's balcony
China - Day 246 - Cornwall to Birmingham
Today I drove up to Birmingham for lunch with Angie at the World Famous Sacks of Potatoes and then I went to my lock-up at Big Yellow across the road and downsized it before I went for a well earned curry with the World Famous Tony in West Heath
Thursday 29 September 2016
China - Day 241 - lunch with Mike Parsons in Lee On The Solent
this painting has been in the family for more than a few months
and this one has only just arrived
and this one has only just arrived
Friday 16 September 2016
China - Day 235 - Back in Birmingham again
Spent the morning travelling back to Birmingham from Bury and then spent the afternoon with an old friend helping her with her dog and her housework, in the evening went to stay with Tony and played snooker at Bournville Cadbury club for the last time before I go back to China
Monday 12 September 2016
Saturday 10 September 2016
Friday 9 September 2016
China - Day 227 - instructional
Made two documentaries about Birmingham City - need to choose one of them when I get the opportunity to review the vocabulary and content of each
The idea will be to use one of these in class
The idea will be to use one of these in class
Monday 5 September 2016
China - Day 225
Left China with a first world problem that I thought I could solve in England. Cleaned out my bank account of cash with the idea of taking 10K out of China to pay for my holiday in England. Beijing airport offered me £1060 and I thought nah I can do better than that in England. Heathrow offered me £918! Picked up the hire car and drove up to Birmingham. No culture shock coming back, it's like putting on an old pair of slippers driving on the roads
China - Day 224
Had a good afternoon yesterday and enjoyed my interview experience. I am hoping that I can work with these people at some point. Took the train to Beijing in the morning and went shopping for presents in the evening
China - Day 223
I was late getting into Yantai yesterday so we had to move the meeting at the University to today. I had already decided that it was impossible to accept a job there but I was still keen to look around
Later that morning I took a long walk along the coast. Yantai is actually quite fun, a bit like a giant Brighton - 7 million people
Later that morning I took a long walk along the coast. Yantai is actually quite fun, a bit like a giant Brighton - 7 million people
China - Day 222
The next morning we took a taxi down to the docks
I met someone in the departure hall who helped me
We upgraded to a cabin which had six bunks in it and a snorer so I was unable to grab any sleep
China - Day 221 - Thursday 1st September 2016
I handed in my notice yesterday and Party A was not happy. I have been told that I cant work in October and I have to pay back six months rent. Steve has advised me to (reconsider and possibly reverse my decision and to) cancel my trip to Dalian. I said I was going. I met Liu Yu at the station in Dalian and she helped me to buy a ticket for the boat next day
China - Day 220
Robert is being deported so his wife has to sell all his things to pay the airfare - Steve is helping by selling his bike - a poor buy on the roads of Jinzhou - built for flash - low slung so difficult to get on and off the pavements - fast (at the expense of manouevrability which is essential on the crowded roads). We spent the morning uncovering where the bike had been shipped to
Wednesday 31 August 2016
China - Day 219
I have had a bit of a lazy day today. After breakfasting on a single mooncake from the freezer (not like yesterday's breakfast - see vid below) I packed for my trip round NE China (Dalian - Yantai - Beijing) and (on 5th September) back to the UK. I can't really believe that this is ALL I need but still......
Monday 29 August 2016
China - Day 217
Today I left the Shenyang flat and walked the 1km to work with my luggage. After a day at work, Tina drove me to Shenyang train station for the 1855 and I was back in Jinzhou by 2100 to watch MOTD and have beers with Tim
Saturday 27 August 2016
Friday 26 August 2016
Thursday 25 August 2016
China - Day 214
I am trying to book the sea crossing from Dalian to Yantai, It is not possible for a foreigner to do this online because the booking system will not accept a foreigner's style of ID number
Tuesday 23 August 2016
China - Day 212
Packed in the morning and then took the train to Shenyang. Tina met me off the train with her boss and they took me to my new apartment (at least for this week).
It is absolutely filthy but I was able to make a start on cleaning it this evening and I have got most of tomorrow morning to make it habitable before I walk along the road the 15 minutes to the Bonding English school where I am expected at 1200. I have two classes tomorrow late afternoon early evening
China - Day 211
Spent the morning preparing for the rest of my time in China before I go back to the UK. Here is my itinerary - Tuesday 23rd back to Shenyang (teaching at the kindergarten there) - Sunday 28th back to Jinzhou - Monday 29/30th Chris Hinton to visit me in Jinzhou - Thursday 1st September take the train to Dalian in the afternoon - Friday 2nd take the boat to Yantai to meet the staff at Yantai University and talk about the job on offer there - Saturday 3rd at Yantai - Sunday 4th take the train to Beijing - Monday 5th fly back to the UK
I met Steve and a dragonfly for lunch at Story Coffee and chilled out for the rest of the day
I met Steve and a dragonfly for lunch at Story Coffee and chilled out for the rest of the day
Sunday 21 August 2016
China - Day 210
Walked to work from the hotel and it took about 45 minutes
Had breakfast on the sidewalk
Took the slow train back to Jinzhou
China - Day 209
led a couple of demo classes today for the kindergarten kids, and in between times spent time in the office where there was a bit of a drama over the laminator
moved to a cheaper hotel
China - Day 208
Had breakfast of rice porridge, pasty and spicy noodles in a restaurant just along from the plush shopping centre which has Bonded English on the second floor
Thursday 18 August 2016
China - Day 206
Spent the day organising what I am going to do between now and when I come back to England on September 5th. Everything is open to change but I want to see LiuXiaoMeng so I booked some tickets for Dandong next week and lined up a job interview in Shenyang for tomorrow....
China - Day 207
Spent the afternoon at a language school in a shopping centre in South West Shenyang
There is a big salary on offer and accommodation close to the place I would be working
The agent drove me back to my hotel after the interview and the lights of Shenyang sparkle at night..... .. .. .. . . . .
China - Day 205
Back in China - arrived at 0130 so slept in arrivals for a couple of hours before joining the queue to get through immigration
One thing I noticed immediately was that there was much less obesity here in China - then I remembered all the Dunkin Donuts and McDo outlets that I had seen in the Philippines - then I thought about how hot it was all year round and how the streets are so hot, dirty, dusty, uneven and difficult to navigate and how no-one ever walks anywhere there. But we have McDo here in Beijing (just starting up). Fatboy Fat was in there today while waiting for the train to Jinzhou - enjoying the aircon and a fudge sundae...... .. .. .. . . . .
China - Day 204 - the journey back from the Philippines
Spent the day coming back. Stopped off on the bus with time for rice cakes at a service station
(vid to follow) Got to the airport in Manila with plenty of time to spare. Chaos at the airport as there was no information available on the boards. I got the impression, from listening to the announcements, that there were plenty of Chinese people achieving 'last call for _' status as a result of the chaos
(vid to follow) Got to the airport in Manila with plenty of time to spare. Chaos at the airport as there was no information available on the boards. I got the impression, from listening to the announcements, that there were plenty of Chinese people achieving 'last call for _' status as a result of the chaos
Monday 15 August 2016
China - Day 202 - Cebu
Flew to Cebu early in the morning and spent the day in a massive shopping mall
just people watching
Before flying back to Angeles that night
just people watching
Before flying back to Angeles that night
China - Day 200 - Siquijor
The weather was too rough for snorkelling so we went to the local shopping mall
We drank fruit juice
Where nothing ever happens
We drank fruit juice
China - Day 199 - Siquijor
Julie learns to snorkel
We met a couple of her friends who work in finance
Her friends gave us a guided motorbike tour of the island
I found the perfect rock for Steve on the perfect beach
China - Day 198 - Siquijor
Julie and I went to Siquijor
Hired a motorbike and went to see about a snorkelling trip next day
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