Blogs from Zibo, Shandong, China, Asia

It’s 13 months since we left the uk and now we’re counting the days till we come home ON THURSDAY. The last 3 months has been very different to our first 8 in China... We’re the first foreign employees in our company and we've got used to answering to "Charlie Laoshi" and "Tristan Laoshi" (Teacher Charlie and Teacher Tristan). We have been training big groups (up to 250 at a time) of kindergarten teachers. We've been away from our apartment a lot having travelled to train in more than 10 provinces and loads and loads of cities. Tristan and I’ve spent most of the time apart travelling with our translators but we met up for some free time together in the best places- Guangzhou, Xiamen and Hohhot. Travelling seperately has been a completely new experience. We’ve ... read more

Week 1 Howdy there my lovelies!!! I thought I would take a moment to drop a line to say a huge thanks for all your support as I made the move to China. Has been an interesting few day with heat, smells, monsoonal rains and toilet phobia!! All in all is going ok I am in a (we shall "kindly" call it 2 star) hotel and so I have a little sanctuary with air con, internet, instant coffee and my own toilet (if you put a towel on it you do not even notice the crack in the seat!!) Everyone is very friendly and I have had a few "hellos" from the local, though I think maybe a few more mandarin phrases would have been a good idea but the phrase book assists and the lonely ... read more

Lantern Festival is the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations. For us it was a better night that new year's eve! New years is family time. People stay in their homes; only going outside for a few minutes at a time to set off fireworks. Lantern Festival is all about being out in the street with your friends and family. We went with three members of Brad's adult class to 'Government Square' to watch the official firework show. The streets were completely rammed with people all walking in the same direction, just like after a football match (or how I imagine it to be after a football match). The fireworks lasted for ages and were the best we've ever seen. There were some that exploded in the shape of hearts, smiley faces and ... read more

Happy new year! We arrived in Zibo about a week ago- the final destination of our 'journey to the east'. This is the place where we're going to be living and working until the end of August! It's the second city of Shandong ('East of the Mountains') Province and it took us four hours to get here on a speedy and slick train from Beijing. Our apartment is fab. A gigantic lounge and two double bedrooms (would you like to come and visit?). The only disadvantages are plumbing (smelly), wiring (terrifying) and the fact that it's on the 6th floor (no lift). Did you know it's the first time me and Tristan have lived together? We've bought a netbook and we have internet access here so it's brill (and hence the record-breakingly long blog entry). The ... read more