Knobcottage in China

I decided to go to school today to meet and talk to teh kids there.  So I walked in.  On the way I met the same boy that I had met the day before.  He was a student at one of the schools I had visited earlier.  He was ouit running. We stoped and chatted again.  I know the kids in the school that he goes to like to have aphoto with me, so I offered.  He jumped at the chance!  I  then took his mums Wechat address so I could send him the photo. I carried on into school and went to the food stret at eh back of the campus.  I was hungry so I got a big breakfast.  While one guy was serving me another waved some money at me.  I smiled. At eh end I went to pay, he shook his hand as if to say no and pointed to the woman.  I asked in Chinese (how good is that) if she had treated me and she said "Yes, we are friends!",  I said thanks and she got on and  her scooter and drove away.  I hadnt really noticed who she was!...

After a hard day of work preparing for a conference, it was time to get osme fresh air.  I went for a walk, the opposite way to usual, down teh street opposite my flat.  There were people in the street repairing long metal apex roof sectioins with firbreglass, an few broked cars gradually being stripped by a garage for parts.  The nxt part of the street had what appeard to be the usual 'aunts' dancing, with an older lady with platted blond hair.  I waved, she smiled.  I caarried on walking ans spoke to a few others.   I rounded the corner and went to the few small shops near where I work.  There was a buch of 'aunts' geting ready to do their square dancing. 'Gannnies' getting ready to dance. Instead of just walking past, I went over and talked to the woamn in green.  I asked if they were going to dance.  She asked me to join in when they started!  Meanwhile some kids joned me and started trying to talk to me.  two o...

Today I got into school early so I could walk around and chat with the kids.  It is not part of the job description (what job description) but it’s a good chance to talk informally with the kids.  They get to see you, you get to see them and it builds relationships.  As I have mentioned before, I occasionally get given presents, such as a boiled egg of some tofu, little food trinkets to add to my waistline!  Today was a bit different.  I was walking back to my office when some one called my name.  It was Linda from senior 2 she is eighteen years old.  A lovely girl who is always happy and keen to impress, she also helped me out with some class singing one day: music is her major and I often see her in the mornings with her friends in teh music room.  The kids are very open, but really innocent at the same time.  When I first arrived, a few offered to hug me.  I accepted but discussed it with my boss later.  Apparently, its norm...

Well its about time we had a coaption competiton.  Here is one of my photos, if you have an idea for a caption,email it to me or send it via WeChat.  Comments have been disabled on this post! #chuckle However "Year of the Pig!" deserves a mention as does "A large green rooster and a cock!"  you shall remain nameless, but I know who you are!

  The rolling up of the tee-shirt ( aka the Beijing bikini) There is a strange phenomenon here, I've called it 'the rolling up of the tee shirt', but since heard it called the 'Beijing bikini'!  It happens when the weather is hot, and unfortunatley it only happens to the male of the species.  He gets hot, so he rolls up his tee-shirt.   From the pictures you can see that this isn't a narcissistic thing whereby you show off your six-pack, it's just something that 'happens'.  It puzzles me because I sweat via my armpits, and every other piece of skin, but rolling my tee-shirt up under my armpits doesnt strike me as the best of ideas.  Anyhow, its one chinese phenomenon that I dont think I'll emulate!  Peanut Milk   Peanut milk.... I love it!  It's milk, but made with peanuts!  Yes please!  Favourite cars Apart form the really tiny ones I've already included, here are two of the more unusual usual cars...just include...

Just as I was going to my last lessn of the term, my phone rang.  I ignored it.  Just as I started to teach it rang again.  The distinctive 'WeChat' ringtone.  The kids were impressed.  Teacher has WeChat!  I apologised, left teh room breifly and checked the call.  It was my boss Jamie.  He was taking me outto diner..where was I.  I told him that I was teaching and that I would see him later.  Lesson ended, back to my office and there was anothter message. He wanted to know where I was becasue he was at teh school gate waiting for me and Anna. I changed into dry clothes and met him at teh school gate.  Off we went to the restaurant opposite our house.  Beef hotpot!  Sounded good, but beef is a losse term around here.  Beef usually means it comes from a cow, usually meat, but not always meat  other items are included in the term beef!  This was no exception.  It smelled and looked good but there were...

So, I was ill.  Probably a combinaton of heatstroke and dodgy food!  But I was not well.  sleeping wasn't curing me.  as I was chatting to restaurant boss lady one evening, she said she had some medicine and she would bring it over right away!  She did!  Within ten minutes she was downstairs waiting in her car.  She gave me the medicine and tod me to spary it on my belly often and I would sleep well and be cured.  No idea what it was, but it smelled like camphor and clerey with something sweet.   I sprayed it, it warmed my belly and I went to bed.  In the morning, I awoke but I wasn't cured!  Id taken the medicine tht Id got form the pharmacy, but it seemd to have no effect. I consulted a freind and they recommended a diferent medicine. I decided that I neede to get some, but I felt a little rough, so I guessed tha maybe later I would go out and buy some. Meanwhile, restaurat boss lady was enquring about my health, I sai...

Work is enjoyable, but as the Summer heat draws in, things are starting to get difficult.  Often teh tempoerature is over thirty degrees centigrade but it is the humidity that is tking its toll.  Ninety-seven percent humidity.  Fine if you have grown up with it, and most of teh school kids have, but for me I am constanly wet.  I walk into school just fifteen minutes, my cliothes are wet.  I change into my teaching clothes, teach, my clothes are wet.  Back to the office and change into my other clothes etc. etc.  I thin it had taken its toll.  Upset stomach.  So I put on my dry clothes and walked into town looking for medicine for my stomach and also to stop teh mosquitos biting.  Eleven bites on my legs yesterday, my legs were on fire.  I managed to get the stomach medicine, or at least that's what I hoped it was after I mimed diahorrea to he pharmacist.  Then my phone rang.  It was my boss.  "Where are you Mike, the...

So we drove into Jiangkou.  It was getting dark now.  Restaurant boss lady suddenly pulled up to make a phone call. This was a surprise for two reasons.  Firstly, no one bothers to stop their car to make a phone call here, and secondly this was just a random stop more or less in the middle of a lane.  She made her phonecall and we drove on and parked up.  She had rung ahead and checked that a restaurant was open.  I use the word restaurant loosley.  It was more of a big garage space with a, with a few first floor romms, a corrugated roof and a  few tables in the middle of the garage space. After the meal, restaurant boss lady invited me and the other guys back to her restaurant to drink tea.  I was tired out, half asleep but you can't refuse an invitation after such an interesting day.  So I went back. After about an hour she realised that it was time to go, as I was falling asleep at teh table!  however, in the meantime ...

After seeing the geese and visiting the house on teh way home, we drove off home.  We went back a different way.  I thought the way there was rough, but the way home gave Top Gear a run for its money!  But first we stopped besides at teh side of the road near what loked like corn plans but seemed to have no corn, just some purple stuff.  They all got out of the acr.  Walked into the field and came back with eth purple stuff.  Apparently some sort of ingredient for food or Chinese medicine.  I couldn't really work it out. Then back into the car, and off down the road. Suddenly, as the road was going through farming area there was a bit of excitement.  They were pointing out of the window at some plants that were growing by the side of the road.  Of course, we stopped, parked up, got out and picked them.  The roots were the important thing.  We got back into the car and drove off.  So f...

Maybe a mile down the road, we stopped, parked up and got out of the car.  We walked back down the road a little to a sort of rural building site with a very rural house behind it.  We walked down to teh house but everyone stopped first to wash their hands in a small stream. the path to the stream and the house The stream The house.  In the white boxes are freshly plucked geese. No ice.  Just geese.  30 degress C. The kitchen The building site in front of the house. After this, the farmer guy came, tok the geese back to his farm and we got in the car and drove off.

 We got out of the car.  We walked into the yard of the building....no triad bosses here.  Restaurant boss lady waved me to come over to her, she took me and the other two guys between a couple of buildings and to my suirprise, there were geese!  Just geese...it was a goose farm!  I later learned that she had wanted to take me somewhere unusal and that the uncle of one of the guys in the car, had a goose farm.  So she had called him and he was her guide.  Most of the animated conversation was because he was not sure of the way and she was getting frustrated! Anyhow, Uncle arrived and after a long discussion in Chinese we went to one of the buildings, drank sat on incredibly low chairs and chatted. The two guys, the farmer (in blue) and restaurant boss lady....and some geese Restaurant boss lady and the farmer.  And below, a short panorama of the room. After an hour or so it was time to go home.  Restaurant boss lady back...