Crouchingtigerhiddenginger

My legs ache with a dull and heavy throb. My ears buzz with the echoing sound of 240 excited students. Today was the Autumn School Trip. I am officially exhausted, not one drop of energy is left in body. We walked from school about 7km to a new park on the far side of the city. The children following their class flags. Although it was not so much walking as running and by the time we got there I already had enough and wanted to sleep. Then the students gathered in their classes and performed for each other; comedy routines, circus tricks, singing and dancing. The day was grey but the children brought an excited light to park. Passersby stopped and smiled watching them play. Lunch brought oily vegetables and tough meat , one reason I'd ... read more

盼星星盼月亮, Pan xīngxīng pan yuèliang The above is a chinese proverb and my title is its translation. This proverb is said to be the inspiration for the Chinese flag, a symbol of state and people. The flag is a field of red and in the top left corner sits a large gold star representing saviour state and sitting pretty around the largest star are four smaller stars. The four smaller stars are said to symbolize the four classes 'the peasants', 'the workers', 'the petty bourgeoise' and 'the patriotic capitolists'. Now you're wondering why I'm rambling about the Chinese national flag aren't you? Well National Day has passed with a pride and patriotism I have never experienced before. We Brits are not a vocal bunch when it comes to expressing love of our country, we are not ... read more

When I arrived back from summer travels life seemed to slow to a standstill. The days trudged by with the weary acknowledgement of routine. With Chris and Eric back in America Teresa in the land of Oz, my travelling companions venturing to exotic and undreamable lands I slowly sunk disheartened into what felt like groundhog day. Luckily school began and gave me a stronger sense of purpose. My energy became focused on my new grade 7 students who seemed both bewildered and excited by the prospect of a foreign teacher. As I learnt their strengths and weaknesses, the mischevious, the shy and the uninterested my loneliness began lift and was replaced by a determined will to be a competent and interesting teacher. My whole week became devoted to finding new and interesting lesson plans, creative games, ... read more

Marc Maron once asked "Have you ever had one of those moments when you look up and you realize you're one of those crazy people you see on the train talking to themselves?" I have a horrible feeling this was me! Travelling across the Giant that is China comes with its challenges, and I don't mean those of the squatting persuasion. In my travels I went from the east of China, to it's mid point and then headed south before returning eastbound.This meant too many hours on trains, and here follow some journal excerpts. On the train to Xi'an 'Chinese children are not so cute when they're screaming at 1am, 3 am and 4 am' Xi'an to Chengdu Leaving behind the dusty clay of Xi'an and Shanxi province countryside, we travel through the night and awaken ... read more

I made two trips to Longji and spent about four days here in total. As previously mentioned my first visit was with a quick day trip three Dutch lads, who let me slow them down (I apologise for my lack of speed) hiking up to the view point. Thanks for letting me join you guys, and for drinks in the evening :-). The second trip was a hiking trip to fill a little time inbetween Guilin and the hostel I had booked in Yangshuo, and a little bit of an addition to my itinerary after a little arm twisting by Caro, a German girl from the hostel in Guilin. However before I begin my tales of Longji I'll give you the Conniepedia profile. The Longshen Rice Terraces (Chinese: 龙胜梯田, pinyin: Lóngshèng Tītián) also named Longji Rice ... read more