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Published: November 16th 2008
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So angelic!!!!
please take my photo..... Last week in Yangshuo
I thought i would write about my most memorable experiences -
Mixed emotions this week sad to say goodbye to the students well most of them, but also ready for the next adventure.
Monday at Mu San, and Tuesday Double bridge were fairly uneventful. Wednesday at Fung Lo is our favourite school including its position across a narrow concrete bridge with no sides and a very full river!! i had my most fun lesson yet
They are such a great bunch of kids apart from little miss attitude (who continually answered you back in Chinese- well i think she was being rude from the look on her face!!!)
They are so much more advanced than the other schools it's very rural so there's only about 10 to a class, they have good teachers, (who aren't asleep or playing very!!!! competitive game of Chinese chess)
They all want to speak English and the older ones 9/10 years can make quite good sentences. Today we played doctors/patients so they had to come to doctor Sue and say what part of their body hurt, then i would bandage that part (with toilet roll) and treat them to an M&M
Mu san
only 30 in a class! and a sticker (of course i have probably now created some very confused kids who will expect this next time they get ill.) But it was our last day there and i wanted it to be fun and it certainly was as you can tell from the photo (not the most flattering)
Thursday we couldn't get to Du Tao school because they decided to dig up the access road,
I must admit it is our least favourite so we decided to jump on the bus to Gulin. Much more developed than Yangshuo, I think we've been spoilt.
Our last session at the Vocational school was great, we only had the really nice class because the others all had exams. So we got to say a proper good bye they all seemed really sad to see us go and wanted to keep in contact (hope i don't regret giving my email when i have 20 Chinese students wanting to practice there English skills on me!) If we came back this would definitely be a school i would want to teach at.
The students and staff at Owen College hold some special memories for us especially Phoebe who is lovely.
Doctor and patients.
not very flattering but oh such fun. We had a particularly enjoyable evening with her when she Terry and Ken joined Gina, Steven and us for a 'HOTPOT' This started with a large bubbling pot of pork bones (placed on the burner in the centre of the table) that we ate first not a lot of meat buts thats usual for China (and a straw to suck out the marrow- a bit weird), then we cooked the vegetables in the soup that was left then; in case anyone is still hungry; you throw in the noodles. All this and a private room for 23 yuan each (about £2.30) including beer. You can eat out cheap if you live like a local, unfortunately our downfall (and most other Westerners) is that by the weekend we crave meat so end up buying a western meal which can cost anything up to £10 each because of course we drink more alcohol than the average Chinese person.
Whilst here we have also managed to fit in a private Salsa lesson courtesy of Christine and David, fellow travellers who used to run a dance school. I've just got to practice now, a lot!!!
I have just realised that many people reading this
Fung Lo Playground
Sorry kids playground out of bounds until the rice has dried. may think we only meet westerners; this is not the case nearly all Chinese people especially those wanting to study English have a western name as well as their original Chinese.
i have to mention Joe a young lad 10 years old who is amazing. His English is incredible he taught himself from the age of 7 using tapes and books. If ever a student deserved to go to Uni in later life, then he is certainly it. His family have very little money, so who knows what will happen to him but he is super intelligent even for his age. He definitely is up there on one of my most memorable meetings. I will always wonder how far he will go.
Our last 'party' night was Saturday (Gord's birthday) i thought i would write this as he doesn't remember much about it!!! Thanks Rich, Mark, Cheryl and Mary etc you certainly made it a night to remember (even if he doesn't remember it all) especially with the Vodka.
I have the evidence of him hugging some Chinese guy (who's birthday happened to be on the same day-did Gordon plan this?) who's meal he seemed to share and obviously
Little cutey
How adorable is she. that meant more drinks god knows what was in that glass. He obviously enjoyed joining n the singing even if he doesn't know what he was singing about. And he didn't fall out of the back of the tuk, tuk. which i was pleased about. So a great evening had by all
Our last special moment in Yangshou was the light show, we often try to avoid the manufactured 'tourist' things, but we were both really glad we gave this one a go. It was a spectacular show directed by the guy who did 'House of Flying Daggers' and he was the one who designed the opening of the Olympics (which unfortunately we missed ) but anyone who knows the quality of this guys work will know how good it is. It is a story produced on the River with about 600 locals, well worth seeing. We summed up our time in Yangshuo by saying we have to return there are too many beautiful things to see not to. Who knows maybe we will say that about the rest of our journey.
In the real world i might dwell on my least memorable experiences, but to be honest
Vocational class
so eager to learn. they are so few they're easy to forget. I count most of them as a learning curve for our next adventures.
For example i have now personally experienced a large communal toilet where the walls are only 3 foot high so you can see the persons next to you and instead of a hole in the ground there is a trough, a little uncomfortable especially when you are the only one with blonde hair. (it was about as you described the India experience Tracy so i think I am ready now!!!!). Also i am now used to sleeping on a wooden plank, well that what Chinese beds feel like, imagine taking a mattress off of a divan and sleeping on the lower bit, exactly. Oh for a 5 star hotel; well actually I'd kill for a 3 star...... The poverty in rural china can seem quite bad to some but the family's all seem happy and content, the children have food and thats all that matters, shoes aren't important and i know i have worse to come!!! We tend to eat mostly street food, don't even bother looking in the kitchens, if there is one. they are cheap and we
Vocational School
Time for exercise haven't had a bad one... yet!!!! I even tried to think of the positives to “what if we lost our luggage” but decided we are insured and its damn heavy to carry, so what?
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george
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I love the pics!
i love the pics! mum u look so happy in your class thats such an amazing photo the kids look great n the guys u've met look cool 2! i'm glad ur both having an amazing time!!! xxxxxxx