Nanshan Hotel Longkou

Sorry guys! I realized it has been a while! I am doing great in Weihai, been into a routine latley. Usually I wake up around 7, Breezy and I biked (bought a used bike for $12) this morning to the market and had breakfast which is either warm sweetbuns(so good) or a pita with egg, tofu, lettuce and chili sauce. The funny thing is there are not really a distinction between foods. Usually ...

Monday morning and ready to meet my students!!!! The schedule is we have class everyday from Monday to Thurday and possibly Friday from 9-noon. Which for the last two days have been going by very quickly. Had 3 students meet me today and they took me out to lunch. They all speak very good english and are so kind. Jugal and Emily joined and we went to a small restaurant and had them order whatever they thought was good. Ended up having a big bowl of yummy noodles ...

Woke up to a damp and wet Seoul morning which I didn't mind because we were leaving today. Went down to have breakfast and could NOT believe it when I hear my name called by an unfamiliar voice from across the room and it was Liz Choo, a girl I went to Jr. High with who just happened to be in Korea! Such a small world! We had until 3 o'clock until the bus left for the Incheon Port so we packed, had my first Pumpking Spice Latte at Starbucks for Fall ...

... all. For that reason, they are barely letting us out of the hotel, we are not allowed to eat food anywhere else, and we can't even walk the two blocks to the beach. It's so strange since this definitely does not seem like a dangerous area... there are barely any people around at all. So today Er Dong and Da Dong took us out on a shopping trip. We first went to what looked like a jewelry department store. The place was huge and the sales people were desperate for ...

This morning we woke up way too early in order to board our big coach bus one last time and make our final trip with our guide, Stone. The drive to the Beijing airport was only about 40 minutes long and we arrived just in time to check in and get everyone organized. In our matching red China 2006 shirts and grey zip-ups, we paraded through the airport with our large suitcases and garment bags. Basically, we are a spectacle everywhere we go and the Chinese really ...

After climbing a mountain and gauranteeing our long life we decided we needed a bit of r & r as well as a scope on potential retirement locations. With this in mind we enjoyed a lovely train ride to Yantai, no air con and no seats (some did become available) made you think that the further you get away from the main cities, the more luxurious things get! After 8 hours we arrived. The hotel we wanted, ie the cheapest one in town, was fully booked, so we used our ...

... ll miss all the children - it's been such a pleasure working here. Friday night was spent drinking beer on the terrace with a bunch of friends, before trying out a Chinese nightclub called 'Babyface'. Quite plush although bordering on over glitzy - think sparkle, mirrors and an over-dressed staff force! My camera was 'confiscated' after I took a picture - apparently no photography is allowed inside (sounds as dodgy as the people in there look!) It's free to get in but ...

... whisked away to talk to the students - on the walk from one building to the next I was informed that I would be giving a 10/15 introduction about myself and England - thanks for the notice! So, somewhat nervously, I was seated in front of 70 kids (yup, 70!) whilst the headmaster said something in Chinese - and then it was my turn! Actually got through it fine - just babbled (slowly) for awhile whilst they all stared their hearts out. Then ...

... the teachers have sadly headed back home :( Not a lot of people left now, so in a way, I'm looking forward to moving on. However, still love China and have had a great time all in all. Have had some really good nights out in Havannas over the last couple of weeks - especially the night of Daniel and Paul's leaving do as pretty much everyone was out - sadly no camera, so no piccies of it. Think the people at the gate are looking forward to Mhairi and I ...

31st May in China is officially 'Children's Day' - all the children at school have been preparing for it for the last month or so. On the day, a show for the other children, parents and staff was performed on stage. The show was really impressive - all sorts of dancing, little sketches (I presume they were good, because I didn't actually understand them, being in Chinese and all), speeches ...