‘Welcome to China!’ Archives
Scenery…upon request. Part 1
As more friends and family and random Russian readers come upon my blog...I welcome all your comments and critiques, with love of course. I just got my first request in today from Toronto - where my dear friend is experiencing the same weather as me - sunny and cold - albeit I'd guess less polluted. He asked for more scenic pictures...and so [...]
Beijing #4 at #4 Banqiao. Christmas Edition.
Don't be fooled by the cute courtyard and drapery over the bed at 4 Banqiao Guesthouse. This was the title of the Trip Advisor review www.tripadvisor.com I just had to write for our latest stay in Beijing...and the following was the review: I thoroughly researched our options for a cute upper scale (i.e. not a hostel or cheap [...]
Beijing 1, 2, 3, 4…yes, I do, I want some more.
Beijing visit number 1 was all about connecting with friends new and old, shopping for fakes at Yangshaw market and western-style breakfasts at Grandma's Kitchen and Element Fresh....yummm!. Solo Beijing visit number 2 was all about being the tourist during the day at Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City and the night in the dark corners [...]
TEDA = Vegas?
As I walked home from our hump night dinner at the Dublin Irish Pub a few weeks ago - yep, you heard that right. Irish Pub - they are everywhere in the world and they are really homogeneous. As Roland said, Ireland should really have franchised the concept - that would have kept the country in the black forever! Anyhow, that is not what this [...]
accepted truths
*This post was originally drafted on October 26th and just finished off today. While I admit it goes off on many tangents, I enjoy the parts too much not to post the sum;-) History is written by the victors...isn't that the saying? Was it only in Churchill's time that this was finally acknowledged? or just said out loud? There are many [...]
Today is one of those days
that I am definitely developing a intricate plan for my escape - out of China! The kids are handing in really shitty homework with no effort the week before their first term exams - so why should I be putting any effort into something that I never intend to make a career out of ? I am busting my butt marking and preparing 4 Level Exams by [...]
marching for education
Well, it seems one of the perks of living in a communist country is that you never know when the government is going to call upon you to celebrate it - thereby giving me a day off! Not only do we have Sports Day this Friday...ah how I loved the Sports Days of my elementary school years...competition with all the fun and none of the [...]
Day 38: Friday September 25, 2009…H1N1 threat-down
Home sick with the flu today...the school is all but closed down with an H1N1 threat (surgical masks, ear temperature readers, and unidentified liquids being sprayed in the classrooms were regular sights in the last 3 or 4 days) which means I did not have to get anyone to cover my classes...I don't have that flu ....but whatever I have is nasty [...]