Another weekend in Suzhou

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Stories from my weekend are enough to cover it this week so here goes, it all started on Friday afternoon when I was invited to a grade seven class party to celebrate growing up. This was lovely. Kids got up and showed their artwork, sang songs, read their writing, played musical instruments and performed comedy skits. So nice to be in a place where achievements go beyond those of the sporting variety! These people actually value culture and try to impress that on their youth, rather than that other thing we do at home where if your good at sport it doesn't actually matter that you can't read!

Anyway, don't get me started on that one! This was all good and well except that I had to be somewhere that wasn't close by so attending the party left me in a bit of a rush. It was Helen's birthday dinner and I had said I would bring beer, so after the party I rushed over to the convenience store to get some. As I approached the store I noticed many students hanging around and decided that although buying 2 longnecks was not going to be the best look, I really was going to have to live with it as I had a bus to catch.

So I walked into the store and started perusing the beer. As I did this I heard some of the students behind me. I turned around to see 3 year 8 boys, who were ready to tell me all about how China has great beer and help me make my choice. It was at this time I looked more closely and noticed that they each had open cans of beer in their hands. Well, I thought, here is my opportunity to 'save face' which is the done thing in China. So I commented on the fact that they were also drinking beer. This was meet with a cheeky, 'yes, but please don't tell others' To this I agreed with a quick 'ok, I don't see you, you don't see me' See, even in China kids will be kids and even in China I am the coolest Teacher that lives! (such a shame I hate working in schools so much, I get on great with the youth! Like them I cannot keep the stupid rules and I guess that says it all)

Anyway I made to Helen's birthday on time and all was well. On Saturday I meet Helen and Elaine in the city for a foot massage and a look around. We meet at Starbucks and I was early. Believe it or not as I was sitting in Starbucks, drinking real coffee and watching the people drift past the window the writers block I have been suffering for sometime just suddenly slipped away. Of course I didn't have pen and paper on me so I got out my phone and started typing. I now have a novel under way and hope to return to Australia with part of the first draft completed. Now I see clearly for the first time in years that high levels of stress and not seeking closure on emotional events are the 2 things that halt the creative flow. The emotional thing is a work in progress and the other thing, well leaving my last job has solved that and not taking on a similar role ever again should see that my future is clear of creative blocks. What a story though, my writer's block clears whilst sitting in a city starbucks, about the most uninspiring place in the universe!

After having a fabulous foot massage and doing some window shopping (too close to the end of the pay cycle for the real thing) We headed home to watch a DVD. Milk is a good movie if you have the time by the way.

Next day it was up at the crack of dawn again, as I had been invited on an outing with some school Principals and other delegates. We were taken to Tai Hu Lake, to lunch and up a mountain. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect! I also met some more lovely people and now have more friends in China. I got home with 25 minutes to spare before the family who I met by chance came to collect me for dinner. After this I went back to their apartment and spoke English with Annabella, the daughter for some time. I finally made it home at about 10. All in all an excellent but exhausting day.

Monday was a public holiday here. So we decided to travel to the small water town of Mudu just outside of Suzhou. This place was charming and again, perfect weather. We visited many tranquil Buddhist inspired gardens and even got to see a bit of Chinese Opera. Once again an awesome day but this week I am so tired I could sleep all day!

This Saturday I intend to head back to Starbucks with my draft (which I transferred to paper last night) and work on some character development. It is payday this Friday so I will have cash to go and get a couple of the things I saw last week, mainly gifts now as I am preparing to send my first box home in a couple of weeks when the weather is totally beyond winter and I can get rid of a couple of coats etc.

In other news I went out again last Wednesday, but paced myself and had a fun night teaching some Chinese people to play scrabble. I will pop down for a beer tonight and see who's there but as I am pretty buggered from the weekend it will be a quite one and there probably won't be a story this week.

Also I've lost my f@#*% sim card. Not happy! It ran out of credit last Friday (of course the week before payday when funds are low) so I took it out and put in my Optus sim in case of emergencies. I know I put it on my bedside table except it's not there anymore! I have tried pulling the room upside down and inside out and have searched high and low last night, when I discovered it was missing but I cannot find it anywhere! Will look again tonight but pretty much thinking it's gone. Not a huge deal as it has no credit just annoying as I now have to try and get another one which was a long and painful process the first time! Am hopeful that it will turn up before Friday so I can top it up rather than replacing it! Not happy jan! Keep your fingers crossed that I find the bugger!

Anyway on that note I'd best go visit my supervisor and politely remind her it is pay week as they are pretty good at forgetting that here and as I said funds are low. I don't like to use my stashed cash as I don't want to run out later when I'm trekking around the place so am literally living from month to month on my grand salary. Doing well to I might add. 2 days out from payday and I have just enough left for a couple of wednesday evening beers at the bookworm!

Well thats about it folks. Promise to upload some more pics soon. Especially of Mudu!

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