Birthdays have always been of importance to me, not only mine but of those near and dear to me as well. After all, our birthday is our day and celebrates each of us coming into this world. Something definately worth remembering! Despite a number of interesting variations around the world in the way birthdays are celebrated, it seems there are a number of common factors that transcend many cultural barriers: the birthday cake with candles, birthday card, birthday song and ,of course, birthday presents! My students inform me that, in China, they celebrate their birthday twice, once on the day and the other at New Year, where everyone celebrates the start of another year. Children are given money in red envelopes and treated to new clothes as well. I have asked them all to write their ... read more

As part of my contract, Taizhou College will be giving me as many opportunities as possible to get "out and about" in Jiangsu province. Our first trip was to Nanjing the provincial capital to celebrate the annual Plum Blossom Festival on the slopes of Zijin Shan (sometimes known as Purple Mountain). Our group consisted of Victoria and Bobby (my colleague and her boyfriend), myself, Arthur (my boss) and Vivian (our Chinese co teacher). We were joined and "hosted" in Nanjing by Tracy, one of the Nanjing Normal University teaching staff that teaches in Taizhou during the week. Zijin Shan is the location for many of Nanjing's historical sights: Sun Yatsen Mausoleum, Xiaoling Tomb, Linggu Temple to name but three. However, as the others had visited these previously, this was not to be the focus of this ... read more

Food, one of my favourite topics! None more so than when I am travelling through, and in this case, living in, a new and exciting place. Taizhou is located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, about 3hours NW of Shanghai, one of the most fertile and productive regions of China. Consequently there are always lots of fresh ingredients available. The cuisine here is generally considered to be of the “Eastern School” although with the variety of fresh ingredients and condiments and the increasing mobility of China’s population, many styles of cooking are gaining popularity. In my short time here I have been given the opportunity to try a wide variety of local dishes. Surprisingly, peanuts seem to be a very common ingredient, usually fried whole. They are not only used in appetizers but other ... read more