I arrived in Shanghai this morning after an overnight train from Zhengzhou. Actually, I was a little sad to leave the dusty, god-forsaken hell hole and I was especially sorry to say goodbye to Wojciech, Xiao Fu and all the other people who have not simply wanted to practice their English with me. I had my last lesson with my summer course class on Saturday morning (I say lesson, we actually just watched Spiderman [although I made them do a dictation from one of the scenes where the number of explosions did not exceed the quantity of dialogue]) and a number of students gave me some gifts, which was very nice but as I received each present my luggage conundrum increased in difficulty.
As I said, I took the overnight train. Unfortunately the combination of all the vodka that Wojciech and I shared in the Korean restaurant in (what I imagine to be) a typical Polish farewell (....or hello, or congratulations, or consolations etc.), and the large quantity of tea I then drank made it particularly hard to sleep. But it wasn't so bad.
Shanghai is bloody hot: it may be so hot that even the mosquitoes have given up which is why I haven't been pestered by any so far. From what I have seen of the city in the hours I have been here, it is, for a Chinese city, extremely developed. However, this has not stopped them, in typical Chinese fashion attempting as much building work as possible. I don't really have any plans here apart from spend a few days wandering the city, not spending too much money and eating as much Chinese food as I can before I go.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Long Time, No Blog
As my father has reminded me on numerous occasions (his ability to nag spans continents) I have not written a blog for quite a while. There is not much to say to be honest but to satiate his (and other's) desire for knowledge here is a brief update.
I have been teaching a class of high-school students who have signed up for Wojciech's summer class. It is pretty much the same as the teaching I have done before except that my students English is at a reasonably advanced level so thinking of stuff to teach them is a little more difficult. Apart from that I have been trying enjoy my last few weeks in China. I have been to the tailors for my cashmere suit (for it's completion, I anxiously await!) and have been trying to pick up all the stuff that I either cannot buy in England or that is particularly cheap out here.
Yesterday I went walking/scrambling/climbing in Songshan, the mountainous region close to Zhengzhou. The Shaolin temple is in this area although we did not visit it. In fact my student, his family, friends and I spent about 7 hours trekking a fantastic (although, on occasion, worryingly hazardous) route round the mountains. It ranks among some of the best experiences I have had since I left England and my legs are feeling the burn today.
I am off to Shanghai on Saturday to fit in one last city before I return home, my time is coming to an end.
I have been teaching a class of high-school students who have signed up for Wojciech's summer class. It is pretty much the same as the teaching I have done before except that my students English is at a reasonably advanced level so thinking of stuff to teach them is a little more difficult. Apart from that I have been trying enjoy my last few weeks in China. I have been to the tailors for my cashmere suit (for it's completion, I anxiously await!) and have been trying to pick up all the stuff that I either cannot buy in England or that is particularly cheap out here.
Yesterday I went walking/scrambling/climbing in Songshan, the mountainous region close to Zhengzhou. The Shaolin temple is in this area although we did not visit it. In fact my student, his family, friends and I spent about 7 hours trekking a fantastic (although, on occasion, worryingly hazardous) route round the mountains. It ranks among some of the best experiences I have had since I left England and my legs are feeling the burn today.
I am off to Shanghai on Saturday to fit in one last city before I return home, my time is coming to an end.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
23 hours on a train being harrassed by a small boy
Sorry, I couldn't think of a catchy title.
I have made my triumphal return to Zhengzhou, which is as dusty and crap as when I left (something that I find strangely comforting). I have returned for a brief trip to help Wojciech, my friend and saviour, with a few of his crackpot teaching schemes. These mainly involve chatting with Chinese students and attempting to steer them away from the ever occurring questions such as; 'How can I get into Harvard?', 'How can I get into Cambridge?' and 'How can I get into MIT?' to which one can only really answer 'Be really good at stuff'.
Not much has changed since I have been away apart from the weather and the progress of construction around the city. Two days ago, fortunately before I arrived, it hit 37 degrees centigrade, which as far as I'm concerned is close to the temperature of the surface of the sun. The pace of construction is clear once you take a short break. Like a teenager's growth during puberty, seeing the buildings after one month shows incredible work. It seems that the solution for lazy inefficient builders is simply to hire hordes of them to work their lazy, inefficient shifts 24/7.
I have made my triumphal return to Zhengzhou, which is as dusty and crap as when I left (something that I find strangely comforting). I have returned for a brief trip to help Wojciech, my friend and saviour, with a few of his crackpot teaching schemes. These mainly involve chatting with Chinese students and attempting to steer them away from the ever occurring questions such as; 'How can I get into Harvard?', 'How can I get into Cambridge?' and 'How can I get into MIT?' to which one can only really answer 'Be really good at stuff'.
Not much has changed since I have been away apart from the weather and the progress of construction around the city. Two days ago, fortunately before I arrived, it hit 37 degrees centigrade, which as far as I'm concerned is close to the temperature of the surface of the sun. The pace of construction is clear once you take a short break. Like a teenager's growth during puberty, seeing the buildings after one month shows incredible work. It seems that the solution for lazy inefficient builders is simply to hire hordes of them to work their lazy, inefficient shifts 24/7.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
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