Blogs from Dalian, Dalian, Liaoning, China, Asia - page 4

After a fun-filled four days in Hong Kong, we returned for three days of classes before the New Year’s break. We decided to be lower key this weekend and booked two nights in at the Kempinski hotel in downtown Dalian. Almost like booking a hotel in your own city but comparing downtown Dalian to Manjiatan is like comparing night and day. Classes were out at noon on New Year’s Eve so all the staff could attend the gala New Year’s party. It really isn’t a party, it’s a stage show featuring the staff in various song and dance numbers and the odd skit. It’s mostly in Chinese but still enjoyable. The enthusiasm and talent of “ordinary” staff members is incredible. After the show we rushed out to the school gates where our trusty driver Jack was ... read more

I worked hard to bring Christmas to China when I was packing for this journey in the summer. I sent a box that had a stocking, several familiar ornaments, and a box of Stovetop stuffing with gravy; I downloaded Christmas CDs and stocked up on red pillowcases and tea towels (I'm slightly Martha Stewart). I pictured using a plant as a Christmas tree. As it turned out, Christmas is alive and kicking in China, from the pop-up Christmas cards in Trustmart to the Elf-clad waiters in Pizza Hut (which, by the way, I never entered, but saw from the outside). I bought myself a 5' tree (just slightly shorter than myself and a wee bit tilted), lights, ornaments, and garlands (which I wound around the bannister). My place looked festive like no other place I've lived ... read more

Some random topics that don’t necessarily fit into a blog of their own…. Several people commented on the washing machine stories. I thought I would include a picture of the facility. My streak of washing machine events without a problem was cut short at one. Carrying the machine into the bathroom (I don’t like to wheel it on the hardwood floors) I managed to knock the drain hose out of its clip and it leaked all over the floor. When I clipped the intake hose onto the sink tap I obviously didn’t secure it properly because when I turned on the tap, the pressure blew the hose off the tap and the water hit the bottom of the sink and ricocheted all over me and the bathroom! You can’t buy fun like that! The next few ... read more

It's been a while since I've written, and the reason for this is due to the frenetic pace of the classes (and marking) that we've had as of late. The classes are starting to feel more comfortable to me (despite the stress of the end of term and first report cards looming). I've finished teaching one full term of art and drama and now the kids in each respective section switch to whichever course (art or drama) that they haven't had and I teach the whole thing over again until next semester when I get a whole new group of kids. I'll be sad when I'm finished teaching (some of) these kids! We had the halloween dance party for the students last night. I hadn't been expecting much (the kids had sounded somewhat uncertain about it ... read more

This rather belated entry in the blog describes our first foray into the Chinese countryside away from the school. The entry was delayed partly because I have had more than a few problems since my PC packed it in, the most recent being trouble moving files around on a PC running Vista. Sigh… The Chinese wife of one of the teachers runs a travel agency, massage centre and computer repair shop (sounds like something out of M*A*S*H). She organized a weekend bus trip to PanJin about two hours north of here. Twenty or so hardy souls loaded onto the bus early Saturday morning and headed off. As this was our first trip, even a stop at a roadside service centre seemed like an adventure. Figuring out how to access the washrooms (“You’ve got to love the ... read more