Yeah, its been ages. I don't know why the web-logging stopped after religiously doing it weekly for most of the year.

Lots has happened far more then I could possibly write about.The most memorable things have been the "Christian Singles Coach tour" to Yangshou. Which was a hoot! soooo much fun, the river rafting/water fight was one of the things that sticks in mind.

My last teaching week was last week. Which I rounded off the year by doing  scavenger hunt. Tasks included hopping in the middle of the football field singing "Yellow Submarine"; doing a conga through teachers offices; teaching the secrurity guards some English; getting my students to invade other people's lessons and teach them random words. It will go down in memory for the school as nobody has ever tried anything like that. Somebody commented that it will stay in students memories (the activities) long after the calculus has faded from their thoughts.

Not sure about how my summer will progress. Trying to negotiate with the school for next year. If things are significantly changed around here, then things could get very interesting...

I've not used the Xanga as a personal thoughts page before, but I'm just gonna put this out there... Why do I hang back? Not have the 'assumptiveness' to do certain things? This [China] was never out of my comfort zone...there was no way I couldn't handle it...its other things things that I'm scared of.

More camping

This time in the new territories (Hong Kong) in fact a wholly nicer experience, purely for the fact that there were less people around and the beach had better waves and restaurants not far away. Hong Kong really offers more than just the island with all the skyscrapers skyline that you typically see in the pictures.

The territories are green, clean and extremely beautiful. There are also well marked trails, that lead all around the coast. we were following part of the more well known trail called MacLehose. The camping was awesome you're allowed to pitch right on the beach, we found driftwood and had a nice fire. The second night was a more windy, so meant a a midnight ramble through the scrub. Pitching a tent in the pitch black is never much fun. We also left a trail of belongings, as we hadn't zipped up the tent properly. These were luckily retrieved the next day as we were about the only people staying over that night.

Really want to go back, as there are many more possiblities for hiking and camping on other trails.

May Day Holiday!

Didn't leave Guangdong province, but had fun all the same.

Took a bus till the end of the line. Took a taxi till the end of the road. Took a boat until we couldn't see any civilisation and then stopped there.

We [Margie, Katrina and I] had bought a tent, that morning and after much wrangling finally found ourselves away from the whole of China. Well almost, when we arrived on our "deserted" beach we were passed by a group of hikers. But after they had left the beach was truly ours.

Awesome awesome time.Had our little campfire, which was relatively easy to light, but required much tending and was more for effect then anything else. As it was warm enough for a t-shirt and because of the full moon we didn't need it for light either. Did the whole tribal warpaint thing and gave ourselves names. And all the campfire shennaniggans, that go with it. Throughly pleasant, waking up on a beach to the sound of waves. Instead of: EEEE, ARRRR, SANNNN, SSSSSI, WUUUU, LEO (1,2,3,4,5,6 in chinese thanks to the 'morning exercises') or the drone of the air-conditioning.

Wanted to stay longer, and tried to...but was moved on by people with a red sashes[commie]. The girls went home, I stayed my first night at the senior campus. And was shocked to find my senior 2 students were already back on campus. After their 3 day "holiday" I thought  they were to be given the same 7 days as me.

Been a while since I last wrote here. Been busy visiting Hong Kong and other things...nothing special really.

Got some time off over the May day holiday, though still not certain I'm going to go anywhere, or at least not out of Guangdong province anyway. Thinking about finding a beach somewhere to the West of here and pitching a tent and staying a couple of days. The last couple of weeks have  been manic, even by my standards. Hadn't really noticed or thought about it. But I don't ever seem to find the time here to cook or clean. It seems I never seem to be in my appartment [room] I'm always on the way to a meeting somewhere. Just the fact of going shopping at the supermarket just doesn't  happen. Weird. Trying to think where I spend all of the time. It is a fast city.

Classes are great, we're really in the down hill stages of the year, and an easy run out until June. Plans....well, I like to see how things pan out here. Obviously moving away from teaching. Though, Spencer has asked whether I'd considered it [being a teacher], saying that I have the right qualities for the job. I can't see it myself.

Exams next week for the students, which means I only have 2 classes next week! Plenty to do down here though on trying to prepare some things.

I don't know if there comes a point where you start to accept the fustrations of being here, or whether it remains with you. There are always times when you are left wondering why, something is done a certain way. Or why they don't change something. There are almost undoubtedly reasons behind it. One of the biggest and most noteworthy things to mention is the concept of "face" and "losing face" it controls so much of the way people behave here.

Why don't people object to being forced to have lessons at 8, when they could easily ask to have it put back later in the day?

Why if something that the school has provided for you, gets damaged through just normal wear and tear, would you not ask for a new one?

There are so many to mention, but I keeping ending up with one answer: we're right, they're wrong. It may seem as though, I haven't learned anything if I think they are wrong all the time. But perhaps the truth is you learn to accept that certain things won't get done, you just have to know which fights to fight. That way it just saves alot of time effort and also face...