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

I made it to Dalian. I arrived very late at night and was greeted by a man holding a sign with my name on it who spoke no English. In CQ one of the secretaries picked me up and showed me around – not this time. Oh well. My first night in Dalian sucked. My apartment that they gave me is disgusting. There was some sort of insect genocide right before I came because there were dead flies and other critters everywhere. EW. Its also really muggy here so things kind of smell funny and mold is a common sight. My blankets stink too. Ugh. The next morning my big brother came to see me. He has been living here for 4 years and one of the big reasons why I moved to China in the ... read more

Our second year in China is quickly coming to a close- time has just flown and when we see friends and colleagues packing boxes and crates, we have mixed feelings. With the education system cutbacks in both BC and AB, not much chance of working there; so we might as well take advantage of the opportunities here. Therefore, as most of you know, we have signed another contract, with different positions in the school. It will be a real challenge for both of us and neither of us will in the classroom - Rick as vice principal and me 2nd in charge of the ESL. But Jim and Carrie, Peter and Dianne, Linda and Lynn - we will miss you so much - our potlucks, singing, going out for dinner, card playing group! It won't be ... read more

The crew has finally checked in for the night. Jet lag caught up finally at 8pm which is 7am Houston time. They looked liked they pulled a all nighter. Aunt Amana started talking in a deep slow voice at the table and my mom was nodding off in mid-sentence. Carolyn hit the sack at 6pm. Uncle Leslie he running on fumes still talking about running the streets we will see. A recap of the day...... It all began at the airports I hear. Carolyn decided to travel with a giant and heavy carry-on this caused major issue for the DFW team. So they call the Houston team to get cell phone help about what to do. They made it to LAX but major drama happened in the security line again Uncle Leslie escaped it all by ... read more

Our Sleepover in KaiFaQu Our last minute flurry of travel before we leave China began with a simple overnighter in KaiFaQu, the development zone of Dalian. An early Qinggui into town got us to The Real Eddie’s for brunch, one of our favourite activities. Their brunch is a bit different from most. Rather than a massive spread with a lot of different choices, brunch consists of the regular menu! For a fixed price, you can choose anything you want. The portions may be a little smaller and may not be quite as elaborate as when served as individual dishes, but the fact that you can choose as many as you want makes it superb. The items are cooked fresh rather than sitting in chafing dishes. Because you don’t heap your plate with a little of a ... read more

I wasn't going to write about our winter holiday but changed my mind. It has been a while since I wrote anything and there were some noteworthy happenings during our visit to Canada, so here goes. Of course, the main reason for going back during the holidays instead of going south to warmer climates is the six grandchildren. Other family members are great too, but they know us (maybe too well). Maintaining the relationship with the grandchildren is important. Skype helps, but there is no substitute for being there. Probably the most significant happening since I last wrote was Dianne's decision that this was her last year at Maple Leaf. It was a tough decision because she really enjoys her work and we have had a great time in China. But time marches on and she ... read more