Danz - Daniella Wilkie

Intrepid traveller - America 1999, Europe 2000, Africa 2001, Vietnam 2005,
Thailand and Laos, 2006.
Short stop in Melbourne, Australia, early 2007.
Living in China, 2007 - 2008.
Uluru (Ayers Rock) 2009

I love travelling and can't wait to continue to explore this awe-inspiring planet.

My favourite places: The ocean. Nature. I recharge and find peace in nature. There is so much I want to experience in life and who knows... one thing I do know is that I have many more adventures awaiting..........

September 2009 settling down with a baby?? You just never know what is around the corner. But travelling wont stop with me and a little one... planning to return to China in May 2010.

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Joined on: August 9th 2006
Last Login: August 30th 2009

Blog Entries: 23
Photos: 322

TB Code: [blogger=21845]
Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by Danz, order by Date newest first.

By Danz
September 15th 2008

Back to Yulara Oceania » Australia » Northern Territory » Uluru

Yep, it's still there

Ever since I left Yulara, the suburb next to Uluru (Ayers Rock) at the beginning of 2002 I have dreamed of coming back. There is something about the red earth, the wide open spaces and the silence and whispering from the winds that gets into your soul. Now my dream has come true and I have returned as a Tour Guide. I am fortunate enough to get ‘on the job’ training. Hopefully I have escaped the chains of office work for good as I embark on a new career. I have been in training since I arrived here on Wednesday and [View Full Entry]

By Danz
December 1st 2007

A way of life in rural China Asia » China » Hunan » Hengyang » Anren

5 minutes from my apartment

Time in An Ren with it's one main road, motor bikes, lorry trucks passing through with incredibly loud horns beeping at everything and anything even if it's 200 meters ahead; With my kind grandma neighbour and her grandson who bring me chestnuts by the bowl full weekly and just recent brought over freshly made Chinese pancakes; To the kind lady who cooks us as close to a homecooked meal as we get here; To the husband and wife who own the dumpling store on the corner, where we have been saying yi ger jou zer asking for a serving of dumplings, [View Full Entry]

By Danz
September 10th 2007

Anren, Hunan Province, China Asia » China » Hunan » Hengyang » Anren

Military training
Year 10 students learn how to march and fire rifles before a week before school starts.

Abroad. Adv. at large; in a foreign country. On my side of the world life is quiet, relaxed, manic, surprising, overwhelming, fun, nerve racking, homely, pure, interesting, old, traditional, fresh, littered, tasty and I am definitely attending the University of Life! Many people in this tiny rural town have never seen a foreigner so our every move is watched with intrigue, confusion and curiosity. Today we had a line of at least 10 people follow us around the supermarket while trying to do some basic shopping. Everyone stops and stares while we are walking down the street and when w [View Full Entry]

By Danz
August 18th 2007

Anren No.1 Middle School, my new home. Asia » China » Hunan » Hengyang » Anren

The sign welcoming us to the school

I have been invited to teach in a small town in Hunan Province (Chairman Mao's birthplace). My small town is called Anren. The students have never had a Foreign teacher and many people have never seen a foreigner. So I will not only be representing Australia, but every Western Foreigner. I am sure my quirks, mannerisms, personality and character will be looked upon with a magnifying glass and thought of as the norm for foreigners. I arrived at my new school which is in a very rural area. We (Dana from The USA & I) were driven 3 hours off the [View Full Entry]

By Danz
July 16th 2007

Travellin Beijing to Guigang Asia » China » Beijing

Our first taste of Peking (Beijing) Duck - in Beijing

We started off early on Sunday morning to catch the bus to Guilin where we would catch our flight to Beijing. We got to the bus station early but the bus was booked out. So back to our home for a morning nap and by 11.30 we were on our way. The bus trip was SO long but we arrived in Guilin stepping off the bus to ladies pushing lists of hotels in our face. We bargained like usual and ended up staying in a modest hotel 5 minutes from the Bus station. Guilin, our first taste of decent western food [View Full Entry]

Gate of Heavenly Peace entrance to the Forbidden City, Beijing

By Danz
July 14th 2007

Big Trouble in Little China. Asia » China » Guangxi » Guigang

RECOVERED

Life in China has been going along very nicely. Although Damo and I had ‘officially’ finished our classes at our respective schools, we have been kept very busy with private lesson, kindergarten lessons, school registration days, promotional days, pre-semester training and the judging of a very auspicious English competition. We have had some time to relax and have fun though. We’ve been hanging out with the locals that live in the building next to us. They are building an 8 story building and many of the workers live on the ground floor, even though it is no more than br [View Full Entry]

By Danz
June 25th 2007

End of a semester Asia » China » Guangxi » Guigang

Morning Excersice
Every morning from 8.20 - 8.40 the kiddies are hurded outside for their morning excersices.... Speakers blaring with Yi, Er, San, Si, Wu, liu etc....

Guigang in the morning is wonderful. Life is a lot slower, the air seems to be cleaner and there is a relaxed smile on peoples faces. A morning stroll is well worth while. But within the school grounds it is go, go, go. The students get up for a quick wash and some hot noodles for breakfast, then they have 2 lessons and it is time for morning excercises. The kids look like they hate it, but I think they are just trying to be cool in front of their friends and pretend they dont like it. Every morning from [View Full Entry]

Grade 7 girls came over to cook me dinner

By Danz
May 31st 2007

Bei hai - oh what fun Asia » China » Guangxi » Guigang

sunset Bei hai

Its been a month since my last blog. Times goes fast when you’re having fun - or when you’re in China anyway. Bei Hai was interesting. It is the most popular beach for the Chinese in China. The reason may be that the water is constantly below your knees for as far as you can walk out, or as far as you can be bothered to walk out. Many Chinese I spoke to couldn't swim so this may be ideal to sit in the water and not be scared of drowning. The Chinese are quite modest, I was the only [View Full Entry]

By Danz
April 27th 2007

China, a personal account Asia » China » Guangxi » Guigang

mah students

There are 5 stages of culture shock. 1st stage is the honeymoon stage where people enjoy the excitement that arises from being in a new place where everything is interesting, one is constantly experiencing a mild ecstasy, traveling to new and interesting places. Then there is the 2nd stage, this is the actual shock. Realising that one is REALLY living in a new country. With patience I hope to jump quickly into the 3rd stage of culture shock which is plunging into the life of the new country and immersing oneself into the new way of living. Fourth stage is [View Full Entry]

By Danz
April 9th 2007

Detian Falls, China / Vietnam Border Asia » China » Guangxi » Guigang

Gorge on the way to China / Vietnam border

Well, it has been a month since my last blog. What has happened? Every day I am learning as much as the students I am teaching. I have absolutely wonderful students who are eager to learn. I walk through the school grounds and hear a hundred "Hi Dani, how are you?"'s or "What are you doing?" or just "Dani" with a big smile and wave. Even the students I don't teach will say hello as I pass them by. Damo arrived in China on 24th March for a holiday and quickly grew to love the friendliness of the people and [View Full Entry]

Peaceful, walking through the gorge near Viet nam border

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