Blogs from Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, Asia - page 11

So the day of reckoning finally came and we were pretty much flung in at the teaching deep end by having to take a one and a half hour class of twenty one boisterous 5 – 7 year olds and their parents! To say we were nervous is an understatement, especially when we couldn’t even have a conversation with them to build up a bit of a rapport. Sign language only goes so far, and some of them were so nervous a little reassuring pep talk would have helped, but never mind. As it turns out, the kids responded really well to us and the language barrier wasn’t as big an issue as we both thought it would be. We both have a Chinese teaching assistant in the class with us, so that makes it a ... read more

It never felt real to me before I set off. The enormity of what I was about to undertake didn’t fully hit me, I still don’t think it has, and even as I got into the car it just felt like I was going on holiday, or back to university (which I was in a way). Yet 15000km, 25 hours, 2 flights and one £8 pint later there I was at the immigration desk in Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, hoping that I hadn’t gone wrong on my visa form, that all the numbers matched, that I’d done everything I had to do. I had the same feeling that had hounded me at every step along the way, the feeling that I had done something wrong, I wasn’t supposed to be there, it had all just been ... read more

Just arrived in Hong Kong after a long flight from Almaty in Kazakhstan, tired but happy to be in Hong Kong. More detailed updates soon.... read more

Guangzhou airport in Guangdong Province in China, July 12, 2013. Waiting for my flight to Guiyang -- a 7-hour wait -- leaving tonight at 7:30 and arriving at about 9:30. I hope that Diane and Simon will be there to meet me. If not, then I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I decided to check 1 bag because the 2nd was going to cost about 200 RMB but when I went through security, I had a couple of aerosol cans of sunscreen and they wouldn't let me through -- I had to dump the sunscreen or go back and check the second bag. I decided to go back. It was relatively painless and I managed to get back to the front of the line at security -- it was worth the wait, I ... read more

Hong Kong - porto fragrante, agradavel surpresa Saio do metro esterilizado, condicionado e refrigerado, anti-septico e, ao subir das escadas com um mar de gente, pelas narinas e poros adentro entra-me um cheiro quente, humido e salgado de maresia. Sorrio, pois algo familiar me conforta. A dinamica da cidade, cheira a prosperidade. De olha-los correr ate fico cansado. Dos relevos, entre o verde, ver os barcos grandes de carga e os pequenos de passageiros cruzar as aguas do grande porto desta cidade maritima. Macau - paixao Apaixonei-me por Macau. Sonho nas ruas, nestes pequenos recantos mediterranicos, nas fortalezas, nas igrejas, nos patios e becos, na melodia do cantones, parece-me ouvir historias, de pessoas ou dos lugares, dos meus avos, ou numa exposicao do Museu Maritimo ponho-me a navegar na Historia, aventuras de mareantes... o territorio cheio ... read more