Knobcottage in China

This week has been the conference in Tongren.   I must admit I am not enjoying it much.   Maybe my own fault.   I was asked to prepare stuff that would help Chinese English teachers change the way they teach.   I did. I was not prepared for the fact that many of them could not speak any English and they really didnt want ot or know how to change the way they were teaching.  They were also being worked increadibly hard.  So, I am not writing about the conference. On one of the days, I had a bit of free time.  I got a message from Wendy. " Hey Mike! would you like to come over and see my school?  My freind will pick you up in shortly!" Shortly afterwards, Wendy messaged and the gril who we have now named Jolene was there.  I had been told to look out of a large orange car.  This was a monster truck.  I climbed in and off we went to Wendy's new school.  We double parked in the middle of a small street and climed out....

When I arrived at the hotel, I went for a walk.  Right besides the hotel was the Swiss style area I later called Chwitzerland (Chinese Switzerland)  I can't explain how weird or out of place this was, but  I'll show you a series of pictures, maybe you can make up your own mind!

 As soon as I arrived at the hotel and looked out of my room window, I knew it couldnt be too bad.  There was a pool, a leisure pool with huge slides!  So on day one I was in the pool!  The first thing I noticed was that not many could swim.  Nearly everyone wore lifejackets AND just about everyone had their mobile phone in a waterproof bag arounf their neck and was constanly on WeChat or playing games!  Seems really strange. The view of the pool from my hotel room window. This is the BIG slide. You go down this four-up on an inflatable...or at least most people do! I spent a good few days there. Eventualy the staff were offereing me a season ticket! Haha! Anyway after the first day, I decided to use the slides.  I tried all the small ones first and then went to the big ones.  ON the small slides I used a sort of sleepinf mat with handles, and almost surfed out of the pool!  As I approached the first big slide, the drop slide,...

If any of the three regular readers wonder why there are no updates, there are two reasons. 1. I am teaching at a Conference for Chinese English teachers and it is like pushing water uphill.  Therefore I'm not much inclined to write about it. 2.  Secondly, I have lost my English to Chinese plug adapter and despite there being over 100 academics here many of them locals, no one can tell me where I can buy such a thing in Tongren.  China.

Today I had to review my stuff for the conference and Immediately starting to get fed up with it now.  The lesson times keep changing, more details are being trickled down and lots of mistakes are being made....and nobody cares.  That's China, or at least Jiangkou.  Take today for instance.  After having already issued a 'final' timetable a few days ago, last night they issued the another ' final' timetable. I checked it.  It was full of mistakes, again.  I discreetly pointed this out to one to one of the bosses, so we have another one today.  I'm not sure what I am teaching or when and can't be bothered to sort it out because it will only change again.  I don't like that.  Plus, it seems that many of the teachers have a very poor standard of English.  It might have been good to know that before the lessons were planned! Moan over. Anyway, in the middle of all this, restaurant boss lady asked what I was up to.  I had already told ...