Hello this time from Neu-Purkersdorf (near Vienna, Austria)! This is the fourth and final episode wrapping up my final semester at Taizhou Teachers College and Nanjing Normal University Taizhou College! Yes, I know, it's been a long time coming, but here it is with 100 photos to boot! My last couple of weeks were a whirlwind of farewells from graduation dinners for ex-students , special banquets from both my work teams, a few casual get togethers with friends and even a hen's party for our good friend Yama! It was such a fun time, but it made it all the more difficult to move on! So enjoy this and a big thank you to all my friends, colleagues and students for sharing with me this amazing 21/2 year adventure. Your friendship and companionship is sorely missed! ... read more

Hello from Riga, Latvia and welcome to the second installment of my four installment wrap up of my last semester in Taizhou. As always, it was a very busy one, with some very special events and always lots of variety! I will keep the text to a minimum and let the photos speak for themselves! I will be publishing fairly frequently from now on, otherwise my adventure will be over before you get to read about it! There are 17 blogs to date (I am currently about half way through my trip) , so you have been warned! To my wonderful students and friends in Taizhou, welcome back to another semester. I trust it is a successful one and I encourage you to keep in touch. Messages while I am travelling are very much appreciated and ... read more

This is the second of two blogs featuring my visit to Haerbin/Harbin in Heilongjiang Province in the NE of China. As previously stated, the main attraction for me to venture into these frozen realms during the coldest Chinese winter in 50 years, was to experience the Haerbin/Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, a series of gala events involving ice and snow carving art. The Ice and Snow Festival came into being in January of 1985. Initially the main events were the Ice Lantern Festival in Zhaolin Park and surrounding streets (particularly Zhongyang Dajie and the waterfront parks) and the Snow Sculpture Fair on Sun Island (a recreational area situated on the northern banks of the Songhua River). The festival lasted for about a month or so up until around Chinese New Year/Spring Festival Holidays. In 1999, ... read more

Finally, I can publish this blog after it being "almost" completed since January. So, for those of you who have wondered what has become of me, here is a synopsis of the last semester in Taizhou Teachers College! From the arrival of our freshman last September, through our Autumn Sports Carnival in November and the many activities and cultural events since, I hope you will enjoy this overview of my everyday experiences in Taizhou Teachers College. There are a large number of photos, so apologies to those of you who have slow internet connections! In coming weeks I will take you on a journey to the North of China to experience the Snow and Ice Festival in Haerbin, to the coastal city of Qingdao, famous for its beer and as being one of the top wedding ... read more

For those of you who actually look at the date on my blogs, you can rest assured that you haven't missed a heap of blogs! I'm back from my summer adventures and into my third week of my fourth teaching semester here at Taizhou Teachers College. It really is hard to believe I've been here for such a length of time and despite having a wonderful summer, it's really good to be back. I am especially relishing my own bathroom and not living out of a backpack! It's also great to catch up with friends, colleagues and students who all seem to have enjoyed their summer break immensely. Everyone seems relaxed, confident and full of energy, in marked contrast to earlier this year when facing the prospect of the Government Evaluation. At that time, everyone was ... read more