This week has been an adventure! Not that living in China isn't an adventure, but when you're working it's easy to become bogged down by routine. Teach, plan, eat, teach, plan, eat, explore, teach, teach, plan, eat. On Sunday afternoon I travelled back to Hangzhou and met with some people I know, where we began our visa trip to Hong Kong. I arrived at the hotel after about an hour at the company receiving my itinerary and directions to the airport shuttlebus. Then it was a really good long catch up chat with Michelle, dinner with her and another foreign teacher and an early night! Sod's law gave me the most hellish migraine resulting in my not so great company. However, I awoke refreshed and excited at 4.30am as we got the bus to the airport. ... read more

I've been reading a book my Mum gave me before I left; its by Peter Hessler and it's called They Yellow River: Two years on the River Yangtse. I started it back home and although interesting it was a little difficult to read. Now I understand why. You're probably thinking 'that's a strange way to start a blog' but let me explain. The book is about Hessler's life as a teacher in China, he spent two years teaching at a college quite far from here, and although each province differs from others and each city is by no means the same. I think my experience so far echoes his. It can be quite lonely here sometimes, having not been here long and there not being any other foreigners at the school it can be difficult. I'm ... read more

So I've been in China for just over a week now! Yes I know, one week away from British soil! How on earth am I coping! Well, if truth be told I think I've had more ups and downs in the past few days thana yoyo, but i'll come to that later! Last week was a bit of a blur as I was gently immersed into a way of life completely different from my own. Then last friday I was bused of to Huzhou to begin my life as a foreign teacher. Friday was great, if not a little overwhelming; the trip from Hangzhou to Huzhou is truly spectacular, it is all mountains and cliffs. Seriously beautiful countryside! It is not green in the way England or Ireland is green, it has a more humble and ... read more

My first few days in China have been so overwhelming the scale size and noise of everything make me feel like Alice and I have just tumbled down the rabbit hole. I want to describe Hangzhou (pronounced Hanjoe) to you all but I dont think there are the words to do it. When I arrived at the airport I was met by Wintohou, who took me by bus to downtown Hangzhou. The bus trip was possibly the strangest I've taken in a very long time. The buildings we past were beautiful, 8/9 storey multi-coloured palaces; purples, greens, pinks, red and golden hues. They remind me of dolls houses, fairy castles! The city is constantly shrouded in fog, it lies on the lake and surrounds the tower blocks rise up out of it like mountains! The city ... read more

Hey up! Well for those of you who don't know (where have you been), I'm off to China soon and I'm starting this blog to keep in touch with everyone back home in England. Today is just a quick Hello from me and I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing! T-minus 5 days to go until I fly to China and I'm totally fed up of packing! Trying to cram 22 years worth of my life into a baggage allowance of 20kg isn't easiest thing to do! My bedroom at the moment looks more like the burial ground of clothes and shoes than a peaceful place to sleep, and keep having this re-occurring dream that I'm trapped underneath mountains of clothes with a nothing but a stilletto to dig my way out! ... read more