Yuhua Hotel Yizhou

... FAME FAIL*. On the plus side, at least I was on the add for the TV station! Just a close up of me saying; "I watch Dalian number 23 broadcasting and television company! You should too!" I also said "And I drink Pepsi" after it, but that was edited out =[ (BTW I hate Pepsi, it was just the first thing that popped into my mind. Probably because Jay Chou endorses it). So now I endorse: English Corner at the school, and a broadcasting company! Woo road to fame ...

... Yolanda kept txting the hole time, then left near the end, and afterwards was like, "Wow that was such a good movie. I really enjoyed it". Shes such a mystery that one.

So while exploring Dalian on the weekend, we went for a walk around DUFE University pronounced Doofey, which was very interesting to compare to DUT (the other university in Dalian). DUT has a giant Mao statue, while DUFE has a wee statue of Confucius (OMG cant ...

... are headed by their glorious LCP, Jerry, a tall and lanky young man who likes clapping games, and is a legend at those dancing games in arcades. The AIESECers here can be a roudy lot, who are quite hilarious. Anna J's buddy, Yolanda, enjoys galloping like a horse when she runs every now and then, and is never seen without a peace sign, (Hey Yolanda, you look like **** today... *Peace Sign* Hey Yolanda are you okay after tripping over that chair? *Double ...

... immeasurably dull - like radio 4's "You and Yours" on a bad day, or a particularly soporific edition of Gardener's Question Time - but, apart from the subject matter, I've been unable to put my finger on exactly what the main oddity is. But I've now realised that it's the lack of irony in the presentation. Being British, I suppose I would say this, but there's something about those American accents of the Chinese and the Have-a-nice-day smiles ...

... time it didn't seem to work. I resorted to a combination of desparingly answering "yes" to whatever they were saying, and being dragged over to point at things on other people's tables. What eventually arrived looked like a small botanical garden on a tray, and a large cauldron of water with a few bits in it. I think it was this lack of substance which, in hindsight, explained the troubled and then giggling reactions on the waitresses' faces. I promptly ordered ...

... were within a fenced complex), but some dogs were even caged in what looked like bird cages. I'm no vet, but one dog in particular looked particularly unwell and seemed to be constantly shivering.

I've just had a stroll around the night markets which are situated along the perimeter of the old walled part of the Ming city - which area I will tomorrow explore properly, and which will perhaps one day put Xingcheng on the map.

Kittens... in cages... Also, a new and horribly creative way to kill frogs.

It seems that the government has definately decided to block Twitter and Facebook. Very strange. It's almost as though they want to stop people from sharing information...

... for our return to Haicheng Senior High School. I taught English to two classes. One striking thing to me is that teachers teach bell to bell (or music to music) with no down time for student socializing at the end of the period. We gathered in the meeting period for a question and answer period with the Chinese students and teachers. Gabe answered a question about what it took to build a robot and Ms. Yakym was asked her adivce on how Chinese students could improve their ...

... danced to Aaron's mouth percussion.The high point was the sharing of Chinese painting, calligraphy and knot making, Each of us left with a beuatiful gift created by the students on the spot. We posed for pictures one after the other, but were glad to do so. All of us were overwhelmed by the affection. Spirits are still high for our students. No homesickness that I am aware of.

... buffalo down the road. Few people in the Nanning area have cars, so there were a lot of buses and trucks on the road. There are a few interesting road translations that I would like to share with you: Rear end zone, stay safe, Do Not Drive Tiredly, the Carriage Way (right hand lange, and the Overtaking Lane (passing lane). It was unsettling to see street sweepers sweeping ...