Seeing in the New Year in Wuhu

So celebrating the Western new year in Wuhu not quite as I imagined the rest of the population unsurprisingly seemed to be not in the least bit bothered about the New year. The westerners and various other foreigners were determined to at least try and celebrate.
A group of us arrange to meet at a Japanese Restaurant at 8.30 for a meal which includes free drinks we have negotiated a price of 130 rmb per person which includes all the food you can eat and a selection of free drinks including Plum wine and saki.
Have to say the food was great varied and plentiful not a great fan of saki so get stuck into the plum wine which is fine.
Normally lots of restaurants etc in Wuhu all close at 9.30 ish but we have managed to get the Japanese to stay open till 10.30 which we manage to stretch to 11.00 by basically refusing to leave.
at 11.00 we all pile into 3 taxis and head off to the New club (which is not new now its been open for months but is still referred to as the new club)Any way 12.00 arrives we have a countdown and wish each other a happy new years the club then continues as any other evening and New year is a decidedly anti climax and very low key.
Maybe Chinese new year in February may be lively.
Any way Thursday morning dawns do not feel at all hungover which makes a change for new years day.
Get a phone call from Lily a Chinese girl I met a few weeks ago and we arrange to meet near to wall mart she wants to show me around Wuhu so mid afternoon we meet and wander down food street to Zhe Shan Park. I have been here previously but from the other side next to the Buddhist temple so this area of the park is new to me we wander around and in one section there are lots of Chinese exercising outside on the park equipment.
We wander further into Park and I see a sign saying Portrait of MAO which actually turns out to be a statue of Mao not sure the sign translated very well.
We have a pleasant afternoon and wander off to have some food at what I call the Spring roll restaurant which is open 24 hours handy when you leave the club and want some food or in some cases more beer.
Later we make our way to Walking Street where one of the malls has reopened and is doing a promotion of spend 150 and get 200 to spend free.
So i take advantage of this and buy a watercolour painting and 2 iron art pictures
so i am more than happy with my purchases which makes the flat seem more like a home.
So the holiday is drawing to a close have to say next year i hope to travel elsewhere and not see in the new year in Wuhu too quiet for me.

Christmas week in Wuhu

So Christmas week dawns have to say I don't feel like it Christmas at all apart from the odd sighting of Christmas trees and decorations and Santa hats.

As this is a normal working week I revert to normal hours 8.30-18.00 on Christmas day I work until 12.30 (first time I have ever worked on a Christmas day)and take a half day off to get ready for the staff Christmas meal at the evening.

So most of the staff turn up at the Rose Hotel including the part timers and peoples partners. Luca has been cooking an Italian dish from his region as one of the dishes for the meal.
This is called Fricule and proves to be very popular although Luca says it is better when it is hot.
The main meal is Chinese food which is good along side jugs of Sangria made by Kit and this seems to be well liked even by people who don't normally drink.
After the main food we two types of Italian cake provided by Kit and the hotel have allowed him to use the kitchen to make some English custard which is very popular.

Also Kit has made 2 large Trifles which every one seems to enjoy and most people seem to be enjoying the evening.
Thanks to Lydia reminding me about the lyrics to Santa Claus is coming to town which I gave her in the morning it is suggested that I sing the aforementioned song are you serious (anyone unfortunate enough to her me sing will understand why)
Any way Kit sporting agrees to sing along also and we enlist Luca to help not sure how good or bad it sounded but we get through to the end of the song and some polite applause.
At least it feels a bit more like Christmas and it was a successful evening meal and a chance to relax a little.
After the meal we head off to Bar Street which sounds grand but there are only 4 bars that i can find on there we go to a little Bar called DOORS which is fine and later we head off to the Overseas students bar as some colleagues are in there having a drink.
We finish the evening in the club and its a nice end to Christmas day.
So although it felt nothing like Christmas day it was an enjoyable evening and the meal was the highlight of the day
update unknown to me Christa took a video of us singing not a potential pop release by any stretch of the imagination.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Taxi Strike and English Job

Monday have taken Monday Tuesday off work to sort out things needed for my new abode.
so off to Auchan the new french supermarket to buy a DVD player and kettle toaster and iron ironing board.
So eventually over the 2 days manage to get everything I need plus a water dispenser so I don't have to keep buying bottled water far easier.
So Wednesday its back to work European time however i get a phone call from Amy at the school who wants to set my schedule with me for my part time teaching so i have to take Thursday afternoon off to go to the school to meet with Amy and collect the books etc i need.
The only thing making my navigation around Wuhu easy is the cost of taxis 2km for 5.00 rmb which is approx 50 pence and makes life very easy.
Wednesday afternoon I decide at my break to go home with Stanley to fix my DVD player which while I have connected it correctly( i think) IE white lead to white socket no volume from speakers.

However this coincides with the Taxi drivers in Wuhu striking as the local government want to increase the number of taxis on the roads which will impact on their earning potential.
The DVD player is sorted by Stanley who can obviously read Chinese you don't connect the white leads to the white sockets !!!!!!!! any way I now have music but cant play DVD on TV yet.
The impact of the strike is soon apparent as it takes me one and half hours to get back to the office by bus having waited 45 minutes for a bus for a journey that takes 5-10 minutes by taxi depending on traffic.
Thursday still no taxis and i have to go to the School for a briefing this requires 2 buses which cost 1 rmb approx ten pence regardless of distance unbelievable price maybe the UK should try a fixed price travel on transport may help solve the congestion problem.Any way manage to get to the school by bus without getting lost so quite pleased with my self.
Ive often considered just getting on a local bus and see where i end up might be an adventure may just try it in the holiday period.
My schedule for the school is set as Friday 7-8 Sunday 2 lessons 1.35-3.15 3.35-5.10.
Which is OK by me apart from missing the Friday meal with my colleagues I should still be able to attend the activity.
Friday still no taxis in the morning however by mid afternoon taxis seem to be back on the roads one thing really noticeable is how quiet the roads were without the taxis almost deserted.
Some taxis did work during the strike but were charging a minimum of 15rmb for 5 rmb journey so it was possible to get taxi if you waited long enough. H ave to say at 11.00 pm on Thursday night and no buses and faced with a 40 minute walk I quite happily paid the 15 rmb to get home.

So Friday night I commence English lesson it is called English Saloon so no set criteria we play a game then discuss Western food versus Chinese food and finish with a version of Hangman in teams of 6 I really enjoy it think the kids are ok with it. The odd thing is that 4 of the parents stay in the class throughout which helps with translation still need to speak slower.Which sounds easy but can be more difficult than it sounds.

The upside of my new apartment is i can make toast for breakfast which is great also my weight is still going down Ive lost 13 kilos (28 lb or 2 stones in weight)in the 3 months since I got here my trusty jeans for the UK no longer fit me and my waist is 4 inches smaller IM LOVING IT EAT LOADS OF FOOD LOSE WEIGHT I LOVE CHINA. However i would still like to lose some more weight and in February plan on joining the Gym when hope fully I may have the money to pay for the subscription.

New Appartment and the joys of renting property

As previously stated I have been flat hunting in Wuhu at 2 locations both close to site of our new office which kept get changed depending on the negotiation's with the landlords and letting agents.

So after at least 5 attempts to find a flat, I find one location near to our now decided office location which has gated entry,lakes and trees and fountains.And is allegedly only 10 minutes from the new office on foot.
So on Saturday Luca,Lydia and my self go to view an apartment to rent in the complex block 3 13th floor.

Renting in China means dealing with the agent and the owner both have a different standpoint which leads to lots of negotiations and compromises.

The apartment is in very good condition 2 large bedrooms one big bathroom with a wet floor type shower no bath and no shower cubicle one massive living room and dining area and a kitchen.To the front of the apartment is a balcony big enough for 2 chairs and a table for coffee in the mornings when the weather warms up a little.
The quoted cost for the apartment is 2000 rmb per month plus utilities plus management fee.This by UK standards is very reasonable however as I am no longer earning UK wages its not so affordable.However if I can share with someone it is within budget.

Decide to think about it overnight and work out the costs involved.Late Sunday Luca decides the flat is not possible for him as the timing is too quick I decide to go ahead on my own which would mean Luca can move into my old room which will make his life more comfortable.

So on Monday Jaquelyn is asked to help me arrange the letting however we discover another agent has the apartment listed at 1800 per month so we call them its the same flat so we say OK lets meet to finalise the deal.
So next day meet the agent and the wife of the owner who then realises we are the same people who viewed it Saturday at 2000 rmb net result she wants 2000 plus 6 months in advance. Jaquelyn tries to negotiate but this woman is not playing ball at all so we leave.

The next day we go to view another apartment in block one however this although in theory is the same size 100 sq mt rs the apartment is not as nice.
So we try again with the agent who talks to the landlord and the first agent also contacts us to say she will also try at 1800 per month.

So eventually it is agreed at 1800 but 6 months up front and all the missing items ie washing machine fridge dining table and two air conditioning units which also provide heat which given the outside temperature of minus 4-5 is most welcome.
Although most Chinese just wear layers and layers of clothes to keep warm and see the air conditioning as expensive and unhealthy.

So we decide on Friday 2 days away to meet and pay deposit and sign contract.
Friday the contract is signed and it is agreed I can move in on the 15th which is next Monday.
However on Saturday Ginny gets a call to say that on Sunday we can sign for the apartment and pay the balance so in total to move in has cost me

deposit 3000
advance rent 10,800
agent fee 900
cable TV one year 135
total 14,835

So Sunday at 12.00 we meet at the apartment it is as promised 2 new air con units one new table 6 chairs one new washing machine and one used fridge but in excellent condition.
It takes a little while to get everything signed then I have the keys so can move in today which means packing up from my previous apartment. I arrived in China 3 months ago with one large bag and a camera bag.

When it comes time to pack i have one large bag one camera bag one new suitcase one new holdall plus quilt plus heater plus new clothes plus bedding.
When everything is packed I have 9 bags in total cant believe how much i have acquired in such a short time.
Thankfully dong dong arrives back and with his and Lucas help we get all these items down 6 floors to the street and grab a taxi to my new apartment.
Thanks guys for all your help it would have taken me 3 trips at least so by early Sunday I'm in and unpacked.

Have to say that the location of my new apartment is not as convenient as my previous one but the surroundings are more pleasant so its a balance between convenience or comfort ill take the comfort of my new apartment over the location.

So i am now in a very nice apartment with plenty of heating and tons of hot water pure bliss mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Thanks to LYDIA, JAQUELYN,GINNY, DONG DONG, LUCA for all the help in making my move happen.

An Italian in Wuhu with a Green Hat and cooking with Friends

PICTURE OF LUCA WITHOUT THE INFAMOUS HAT !!!
This week saw the arrival of our new Italian colleague Luca who is to share the apartment with dong dong and I.
As I am working European time I'm not about when Luca arrives Tuesday evening but have arranged on Wednesday morning to take Luca for some food and show him the route to the office. Luca is not too comfortable in the upstairs of our apartment have to say I don't blame him as it is very basic with a window at above head height and no decent storage.
Anyway we head off towards the office and for food we go to a place near the apartment called a Little Flavour which is some sort of franchise but is always good very fast and approx 16 rmb or approx one pound sixty pence don't you just love a place that will feed you good food for under two pounds.
Decide to walk to the office down walking street to show Luca a little of Wuhu in daylight.Luca is not due to start work till tomorrow but will spend the afternoon with Kit who has arranged to show him around Wuhu and let him recover a bit from the jet lag.

Luca has however a GREEN HAT which attracts quite a bit of attention (Consider the green hat. The phrase "wearing a green hat" in Chinese sounds like the word for "cuckold," so a green hat on a Chinese man is said to mean that his wife is cheating on him) However Luca takes all this in good spirit and is totally unfazed by the attention paid to his hat. Not that we need to attract attention as we do tend to stand out a little from the crowd as it is.


Saturday we have been invited to Lydia Echo and Christas apartment for some food and we all end up helping a little with the cooking and I get to cook two dishes with lots of help from Echo Lydia and Christa Luca did a superb job of chopping vegetables and meat as directed by the three girls.
The food is superb as usual and a very pleasant way to spend Saturday lunchtime.

Saturday evening is good we meet up with friends for a drink and go to the new club is busy and we enjoy ourselves without consuming too much alcohol.
Sunday we have been invited to visit the weather centre in Wuhu by the retired gentleman we met at English Corner on Sunday a few weeks ago.
So Sunday morning we grab a pancake from the stall on the corner which is 1.5 rmb bargain for breakfast then get picked up by Ginny & Kit to go to the weather centre. After guided tour of centre we walk back towards the amusement centre in Wuhu Fangtewild Adventure park we then head for a restaurant advertising good Chinese food don't suppose they would say anything else would they.The meal is as usual good lots of different dishes have to say the food here is always tasty and varied.
After Lunch to English corner with Luca which is a little busier than normal Luca it turns out also juggles which is an added attraction for people to enjoy not just the conversation.
I wont post anything else regarding Luca as he wants to publish a post on this blog so you will have to wait for Lucas guest blog.

Nanchang recruitment and train journey and shopping.

Off to Nanchang for a recruitment day on the Saturday. Nanchang is located 60 km south of the Yangtze River and is situated on the right bank of the Gan River just below its confluence with the Jin River and some 40 km south of its discharge into Poyang Lake.
Nanchang has a population of 3,934,445 people and a metropolitan area consisting of 4,990,184 people.
So Friday morning at 10.30 meet Jacob and head off towards the train station for the journey to Nanchang the train is delayed by 45 minutes which in my limited experience for trains in China is rare they are normally on time, any way we board the train we have seats in one carriage but it looks busy so we sit in another emptier carriage and hope no one has the seats booked.
The journey should take 6 hours 30 minutes so we should get to Nanchang about 6.30 pm Friday evening.
The train is clean comfortable and the views of the countryside are interesting and varied. My only problem is i have had no breakfast so need to find something to eat on the train.
The food options on the train are fairly limited but manage to buy some snacks to get me through the journey.
I am amazed at the amount of cotton growing in the fields as I have never seen a cotton field before its a strange sight to me.Also the amount of people beavering away in the fields is quite something to see.
After a couple of hours on the train a guy starts a sales presentation for a metal puzzle maybe he thinks the captive audience have left common sense behind on the platform. Later he tries again with socks apparently this is normal on trains and the brand of socks is famous in China now and they have the monopoly for trains.
Hopefully Richard Branson wont take up the idea or God help the travelling public if he does.
Arrive in Nanchang at 7.00 pm on Friday have to say the journey was good one thing i wanted to mention was that every ones id cards were checked and I was asked in perfect English where I was travelling to and from.
Book into the hotel a Jin Jiang Inn nice room clean comfortable.
Jacob and I meet up to go for some food and eventually settle on a hot pot restaurant near to the hotel. Food was fine a little spicy but very nice although we did not go for the hotpot and ordered various dishes.Afterwards we go into a jazz club adjacent to the hotel for a beer a and to chill out a little.
Saturday morning early start we have to be at the Job Fair at 8.30 so quick breakfast in the hotel of coffee and toast and jump into taxi to the job fair.
The job fair is similar to one one I attended in Wuhu but a little bigger.The job fair is fairly busy but as we do not Fresh Graduates the amount of potential recruits is limited.
At 1.30 we call it a day and pack up and head off into centre of Nanchang Jacob is off to see his friends near to his old university.So I decide to wander around the shopping area I have plenty of time as our Train is not till 9.45 Saturday evening.
Grab a quick coffee at K F C the coffee in KFC is reasonable and always available so a good option if you are struggling to find some coffee in China.

I wander into a shopping mall with no real idea of what I'm looking for just mostly to browse around on the 3 rd floor is the luggage section and as I want to replace my bag which I carry my day to day stuff and camera in. Find a bigger bag which will hold everything comfortably priced at 675 rmb before discount.Eventually agree price of 425 rmb, the one thing different in China is you don't pay in mall at the point of sale you have to go central cash desk and pay then return to the section and collect your goods.

In this mall we go from the 4Th floor to the first at one pay point i pay 300 rmb and then at another 120 rmb not sure why and how complicated can you make paying for something!!!.
Anyway I'm delighted with my purchase so much that i empty my previous bag and start using the new one immediately.

Leave the mall and head off towards a central square called Bayi square the second largest public square in China, after Beijing's Tiananmen Square. please see attached pictures In 1937, it became famous when on August 1, Zhou Enlai led an uprising against Chiang Kai-Shek’s nationalist army at Nanchang before retreating to the nearby Jinggang Mountains to form one of the first armed forces of the Chinese Red Army. Today, the anniversary of the uprising is celebrated each year in China as the day the People's Liberation Army was founded.
Wander off down main road to see what else I can find spot a monument on the opposite side of the road but can cross without using the underpass which aren't just for getting from one side of the road to the other in China they are full of little shops and what I would call cafes you could spend hours under the roadway shopping and eating to your hearts content.
Eventually make my way to the monument and take a picture please see link to Nanchang pictures on the blog.Continue along and spot a shop selling ipods which is of interest as i want an ipod to load some Chinese lessons on to after much bartering agree a price of 1,500 rmb includes charger and leather case for an Ipod Nano which i am delighted with.
By this point its late afternoon and i decide just to go down some side streets and see where i end up unfortunately it decides to rain so spot a coffee shop opposite a park area which sells coffee so settle down in a seat at the window to watch the world go by and enjoy my coffee.
After several cups of coffee i decide to do some more shopping and find somewhere to eat before my train journey towards the centre spot a belt shop and as my belts no longer fit me decide to buy a new one try unsuccessfully to barter and end up paying 99rmb which if I'm honest is OK belt seems good quality.
Decide to go for the safe option of Pizza hut however as usual a packed waiting area suggests this may not be so easy but as its just me reckon i can get a table for one quite easily.After 15 minutes and having seen people come in from outside and be seated i give up and head back to the coffee shop of the afternoon and eat there.
Later meet up with Jacob for the return journey to Wuhu which means we arrive in Wuhu at 4.45 am Sunday the sleeping section is fine and i do get some sleep.

Sunday get up late and go to English corner nothing really of note chill out Sunday night then back to work Monday.

Random observations and More shopping

My second week of European time passed very quickly still not keen on Friday but its worth it to get back on normal time before the weekend.

Not sure how to explain the following but here goes
To offset my tax i can submit receipts and get the money refunded so this month I paid tax then got 500 rmb back so effectively paid no tax.
Did you follow that because the concept to me is strange to say the least.But I'm not complaining its a benefit that in the UK would probably be stopped or abused so much they have to stop it.

Day to day in WUHU
food costs me no more than 40 rmb ie under 4.00 pounds
cigs cost me 3.5 rmb under 35 pence
general food coffee soap shampoo etc etc 70-80 rmb 8 pounds
so my entire week costs approx 400 rmb maximum 40 pounds
I still cant quite believe how cheap the prices are.
The part time work I am looking at pays 300 rmb for the weekend so nearly covers my expenses.
The day to day living expenses include eating out twice per day I have still to cook any food myself and in fact apart from buying coffee have never purchased any actual food to cook.Why would anyone when you can eat out for such a small cost.
The most expensive meals have cost no more than 50 rmb per person for a proper resturant which is superb value.
This weekend i had arranged to teach english at 10.30 sat morning which was ok but still not prepared properly.
The 16 kids all aged 10-12 were hard work for 1.5 hours but good fun i really enjoyed it not sure what the kids made of it.
Sat afternoon flat hunting again this time near to the amusement park in wuhu very nice flats but very expensive so not really in the right price range for me.
Sunday have arranged to go to Nanjing clothes shopping so early Sunday morning meet Ginny and then her college friends who have agreed to drive us to Nanjing.
Only one problem driver does not quite know the route from outside Nanjing to the town centre so we circle the ring road for 30 minutes and stop on the hard shoulder to ask directions from person walking down the hard shoulder!!! only in china.
We follow the directions and eventually end up in the city centre still easier than the bus or train.
The car was an american car but built in China very nice and comfortable,any way we start to shop 4 hours later still no success at finding larger clothes, we meet back up for lunch part of the arrangement for the lift was we pay for lunch. Believe me in China this is not as onerous as in UK or eleswhere very reasonable for 5 of us to eat.
Back to shopping after another 3 hours we are told of some shops elsewhere so Ginny and I head off in a taxi.First shop they have one pair of Jeans with really wide legs not my style so we pass this up and move on to another shop further down the road.
Success trousers that fit so I buy 4 pairs so that makes the trip a sucess get back to Wuhu at 9.30 sunday evening quite pleased with my purcahses and total cost 400 rmb.

Inpromptu English class and random observations

In an effort to catch up i am going to summarise 2 weekends other wise it just becomes difficult to stay ahead on the blogging.
This was my first full week on European time ie
mon- fri 2.00 pm-11pm and Friday 8.30 am -6pm have to say the days when I start late are ok but i still get up too early so its a long day.
The one I Don't like is Friday because of lack of sleep.
Friday evening we go to the eat as much as you like buffet which means lots of meat and some beer.Afterwards we had planned to go to English corner but due to it raining we miss it out.Which is a shame as I no longer go to the one on Wednesday.
On Saturday i met Pearl who had arranged for me to come to an English class she teaches,however when i arrive she asks me what I am going to teach whoa hang on I was coming to observe but anyway we start not sure it was very successful but the kids seemed happy enough.We had an intro section and word skills, then played some games and finished with musical chairs without music had to bang a drum instead not so effective.But a good laugh for all the kids.
Saturday afternoon do some shopping so nothing exciting and then go to interview Chinese teachers. For some strange reason we have 4 candidates but 2 of them come as a group not sure i can cope with that so elect for a girl who really wants the job.
Hopefully that means she will turn up at the right time and wont disappear on me.

Sunday morning had arranged to view an apartment near to our existing office which was for rent at 1500 rmb per month for a one bed flat.The appt is at 10.30 so as is my usual I'm early 10.25 owner turns up at 11.00 typical. The one bedroom flat turns out to be a studio living room/bedroom combined like large hotel room. With a massive flat screen TV in a tiny room thanks but no thanks.
Anyway undaunted the agent suggests another flat 3bedroom for 1600 rmb sounds good so one taxi ride later we get to the complex. 15 minutes later another agent turns up and tells us it has been let OK do you believe because I don't for one minute.
However they have a 3 bed for 2300 which as we are there we go to view. Its massive and has a view of the ferry terminal and river. Very nice but too big and too expensive.
Anyway he also has another flat near to our new office location so another taxi ride and arrive at a very secure location lots of guards and electric gates.
Inside the complex is some fairly new blocks surrounded by gardens and lakes very nice.
The apartment is great nice size just missing one or two items it would be perfect but again the price is 2200 rmb and that means I would have to pay at least 1000 or 1600 myself if no one shared with me.So we rule it out for now.
By now I'm a hour late for English corner and have spent the best part of 4.5 hours on flat search which was not productive.
English corner has 5-6 people plus a few english speakers so not bad at all spend just over an hour there then head off to the appartment for a rest before eating.

My second week of European time is looming so after food go back to appartment and spend some time chatting to Arif in the uk by JAHJAH gt service and so cheap and easy to use so catch up on a few things.Nice to talk to him.

KTV Thai food English corner and job offer

As all my weekend was spent in Wuhu I thought i would add a picture of one of the many signs that are placed in public areas this usually causes me to read it at least twice.But normally it makes me smile Chinese apparently doesn't always translate to well and vice versa.
Last Fridays activity after food in the top floor of Wall mart(asda with attitude) we all went to KTV or Karaoke to most UK people.
The main difference is you book a private room with sound system etc and then sing in private. So none of the public humiliation associated with this in the UK.
Also no body was drinking and they do take it very seriously sensibly i opted not to sing which was just as well for those attending.
On Saturday my boss and his wife invited me out for a meal at a Thai Restaurant to try it out.Very nice decor and surrounding's which explained the prices however the food was superb although not convinced about the Thai part not a lot of Thai dishes but what we had was great.
One dish was fish which was very nice and a dish of Wuhu Chicken which was similar to Peking duck with crispy skin plus one noodle dish. All very tasty afterwards we had planned to play Majong but couldn't get a fourth player so we settled on scrabble.
Which only proved to me how rusty my spelling is (no spell check on scrabble board)
Sunday we had planned to meet near to Mirror lake in Wuhu at
Jiu Zi Square which is a patriotic square is filled with statues, the centerpiece of which is an impressive 20-metre-high bronze pillar depicting Chinese phoenixes, surrounded on all sides by fountains. In the morning the park is packed with old people practicing Tai Chi although i haven't seem anyone yet maybe too early for me.
The idea behind Sunday was to try and establish an English Corner in day time as due to work I can no longer attend the university on Wednesday.Also it was in my mind to do some volunteer work possible with kids at school.I mentioned this to one of the people who came on Sunday called Pearl who teaches English and she invited me to come to the school next Saturday.
Our new English corner had 3 students plus 6 pupils from Pearls school so not a bad start plus Reuben a Spanish guy studying Chinese most westerners or foreigners seem to be either studying Chinese or teaching English.
Any way we will have to see how many attend next Sunday.I mentioned the offer from Pearl to my Boss who told me about another school who was desperate for Foreigners to teach English,Are they so desperate that they want a teacher with a Geordie accent.
Any way after English corner we hopped a cab to the School and met with the Principal and our contact person Amy.
So less than 40 minutes later having been into 2 classes to see what goes on I'm offered some part time work starting at the latest in December and more unbelievable is that they will pay me.
So my weekend draws to a close and due to my new working hours IE I now start work at 2.00 pm - 11.00 pm I have a later night then usual to try and get into some sort of routine.
I have now been here for just over 6 weeks and am really enjoying my time here and as an added bonus I am losing weight so far just over 9 kgs (19lbs) so that is good wont tell you how much i hope to lose but still have some way to go.

Barbecue and look at small Mountain

I really need to post more because as time passes you forget what you have been up to the weekend was started by trip to Hefei and I spent the day with Pavel from work.
Went to Hefei by train in the morning left Wuhu at 8.30 and arrived in Hefei at 11.50 jumped a taxi to go and meet Pavel near to his family home.
Pavel had kindly agreed to show me around and we started the day with a meal in a local restaurant, we were joined by his fiancee his parents and their friends.
Had a superb meal with what seemed like lots and lots of dishes.
Went with Pavel to his home and he was good enough to show me around his 2 floor apartment nice and spacious.
We then went for a walk around the river which surrounds the inner city section unfortunately it started to rain so we headed by taxi to the commercial centre.
Where Pavel was convinced I would be able to purchase clothes that fitted me.
Well 3 hours later and 4 shopping malls no such luck.
So back to his house to rest for a while before the bus the bus was more comfortable than the train but cost 4 times as much although it was only 48 rmb which is approx £4.00 the train cost a pound. Bearing in mind the journey was 2 hours 30 minutes not sure of the distance involved but still a bargain.

Pavel was a star looking after me all day and the hospitality was first class and it was nice to meet his family and fiancee.
Arrived back in Wuhu at 10.20 in the rain have to say China in the rain is no better than UK and I don't have a car so on foot. I know own a much used umbrella.

Sunday some colleagues and their boyfriends had invited me to a barbecue at a local area beside the river i wasn't convinced it would be a good day for it.
We all met at walking street then we caught a local bus a first for me it costs 1 rmb which is now just over 10 pence can you believe the prices.
After 20 -30 minutes on the bus we then caught a small taxi to the scenic area and attempt to light the barbecue eventually it works and over the next 3 hours we eat lots of food cooked by the 3 girls mostly who are by the way all very good cooks and enjoy cooking a rare breed if they lived in the UK.

We then wander around the area and take more photos all in all a very good day for all.

Really enjoyed it my day and got to see more of the area.

Have published some photos of the day on the Picasa link.

Mahjong and Golf (not at the same time of course)

The weekend after the trip to the Mongolian restaurant our Friday activity was KFC followed by board games, So i got to play mahjong which was a first for me.
After a couple of games of mahjong it we decided to go to English corner at AUTS so although the weather wasn't great it was busy with at least 5 English speaking people.
The English corner here seems to be the most popular amongst the students and is always well attended.
Saturday dawns sunny and warm and after depositing some cleaning,which includes my first VIP card VIP card seem to be very popular in china you either get a discount or you prepay 300 and get 400 to spend so the seem like a good deal.
In the afternoon meet up with some work colleagues to play badminton near to the Stadium in wuhu I play for only a short while then decide to go and take some pictures outside.
Over towards the stadium there are a group of what i take to be Freshman students who are taking photos one of the group comes over to ask if they can take my photo.
In the end it takes 3 photos to get all the group on so not sure what the students will do with one random picture of a European.
After the badminton we spot a sign for Golf driving range which appears to be in the Stadium we wander over and sure there are golf driving bays which face down the Football pitch.
Everyone has a go and we get some help from the Golf Professional which does help, I am a bit rusty but eventually start to hit the ball OK. Will definitely go again and may do it one evening after work.
Saturday evening I go out for a drink to a bar called Doors on bar street in Wuhu not too bad nice atmosphere although the beer is 15 rmb instead of 10 at the Overseas students bar but as 15rmb is approx £1.50 its still not expensive.
Afterwards along with an English guy and 2 French people we go to a club on walking street.Very busy but perversely the beer is cheaper at 10 rmb and you get one Free beer for your admittance cost of 20 rmb. After 2 beers decide to head off apparently the dance floor bounces up and down about 12 inches so you just step on and you are moving up and down,Have to admit i didnt try it.
Sunday lunchtime I go to a buffet restaurant which is 30 rmb with VIP card eat as much as you like one hour later and overdosed on meat which included duck chicken beef etc etc all barbecued along with salad or vegetables absolute bargain.
I plan to post about working in Wuhu soon as it is different in lots of ways from UK.

First week back at work since Golden week

Well the first week back at work after the Golden week holiday went quickly,forgot to say in my previous post during the Golden week I had a foot massage which was a first for me.
Never before having had a foot massage it was incredible my feet felt renewed after the experience lasted 1 1/2 hours and including having my nails clipped cost 60 rmb which is approx £5.00 superb value for money and I cant recommend it highly enough.

Also before returning to work went with my work colleague for a hair cut which cost 8rmb and included having my hair washed and a head massage so all that for approx 70 pence unbelievable I used to pay £7.50 minimum for a hair cut. So one tenth of the cost and a more than reasonable haircut.

During the week the IT Manager wanted to visit his old university in Wuhu so on Wednesday we jumped in a taxi and heading to the university.
The university has a corner called English corner where students go to practice speaking English to people who have English as there first language which in theory means me complete with slight Geordie accent and an ability to talk very fast not a good combination.

In previous weeks I had met 2 English teachers from the UK called Rick & Steven who teach in Wuhu. So at 8.00 pm I am deposited at English corner by my colleague,However it soon becomes apparent I am the only English speaker there and am soon mobbed by lots of people who want to talk.
One young freshman girl asked questions for about 45 minutes as no one else seemed to want to ask me anything.
Thankfully Rick and Stephen appeared and my group of people became more manageable and easier to talk to which was then more enjoyable. We stayed till approx 10.15 and I repeated the process on Friday evening with my boss his wife and their baby this time we were the only English speakers so we had a fairly large crowd some of whom I had met on Wednesday.
I will definitely go again but perhaps only once per week possibly Wednesday as we normally have a meal and activity on Friday after work and I feel that i am also learning to speak more slowly which is good for me to practice.

On the subject of Friday meal and activity this week it was decided to move that to Saturday so we could visit a Mongolian Restaurant for a meal and then we could fish in the lakes.
Saturday we all met up at the Mongolian restaurant which comprises of small tent type areas to sit inside and eat the pictures show it better than I can describe apparently they are authentic and from Mongolia Have to say i cant comment on the authenticity but the food was good and it was an enjoyable experience.
We then move on to the fishing and armed with 3 rods and some live worms we start fishing after a while I come to the conclusion that I do not have the patience required for fishing and I pass my rod on to someone else.
Nett result of all our combined fishing activity one small fish and one shrimp caught not sure that counts but any way it was a good day and an opportunity to try some new experiences, which is one of the reasons I came to China so all in all a successful day.
All the pictures mentioned in my post can be found by following the link on my Blog.

Pictures

Finally managed to add some photos.
Will add some more over the next few weeks

Office view

Golden week holiday

For the uneducated IE me and all non residents China has an autumn break called Golden week and nearly all the country has a holiday for 7 days.
Nett result big queues for train tickets and the streets are very busy did try to take a photo of walking street in Wuhu to try and capture how busy it was but not sure i quite captured the overall crowded chaos of lots and lots of people in one place all trying to shop for the bargains in the stores who offer discounts up to 80%.

My week was fairly uneventful wandered down to new park on the side of the Yangtze river which is nearly complete now and looks great and is very nice and if I ever manage to get the photos linked to this blog then you can see what I mean. There is an old tower and in the back ground a new building in the shape of a sail (shades of dubai just not so large).

Also earlier in the week went to Zhe Shan Park which has small amusement park a zoo and is next to the Guangji buddhist temple, spent a pleasant afternoon walking around the park and did go up on the Ferris Wheel for the bargain price of 10 rmb again did take some photos and next time plan to properly explore the buuddhist temple.

Towards the end of the week went to Nanjing by bus on Friday with my boss and his wife without who's help I don't think I would have managed the trip by myself they really took good care of me.
Had a good day in Nanjing did some shopping managed to buy 3 new shirts in my size ( don't think many shops stock larger sizes) which isn't surprising because how many 6ft English people are going to wander in through the doors of your shop in Wuhu or anywhere else for that matter.
We came back by train which was also an experience don't think I've ever seen such a large facade as the train station in Nanjing very impressive very busy but easy to navigate.

So apart from some typical English weather on Saturday ie it rained very hard and lasted most of the afternoon and evening that was my week off which seemed to fly by (doesn't it always) Also through the week had a meal and met one American teacher and his wife and two Chinese teachers for lunch so extended the people i know beyond work.

Next week back to work and during the week I have my first lesson in learning Chinese wish me luck.

Random pictures of view from office window

Hello from China

Well I made to China in one piece must say the economy class on swiss air was top class can highly recommend it
However the taxi journey from Shanghai airport to was an eye opener the only rule seems to be not to hit each other
and sound your horn at every chance you get.
So following a 14hr journey by plane and just over an hour by taxi I am then deposited at the bus station for my 6 hour journey
to Wuhu me and 36 curious chinese passengers. The bus stopped only once for 15 minutes at a roadside cafe (have to admit I didnt feel
brave enough to try anything)
Then on to Wuhu and to be met by 2 of my colleagues for the taxi journey into Wuhu which I was told
was a small city in Anhui province its a massive busy city to me but full of live and very crowded.

So on to my appartment 6th floor no lift so start of my healthier life deposit my bags and then attempt to get some
sleep but after 1 hour give up get showered changed and head out to get taxi to office armed with the address in chinese
and no idea where i am going.
Am introduced to all the staff and attend the friday staff meeting then we all go out for meal and activity which we apparently they do
every friday night which the company pays for activities include ten pin bowling /pool/ ping pong/ and wait for it KTV or karokee to
the likes of me.

My first weeekend was spend just finding my feet a little and getting settled in the Monday was a public holiday called Moon Festival
so on Sunday I was invited to go for a meal at some of the staff appt which was very nice.

My first week at work was mostly induction and training but on Staurday morning I was at a Job Fair attended by recent graduates very very busy
and noisy. Then on to meeting with my chinese language teacher (does she have any idea the task facing her) I currently know one chinese word
so a lot to learn.

Observations of my first 10 days in China

1/ Western people are rare so attract a lot of attention

2/ Crossing the road is a challenge

3/ Food is very very cheap and mostly very good and varied you can eat out twice a day for under £5.00

4/ Taxis if you need them cost 5rmb (apprx 45 pence ) for up to 2.5 klm and no tip required or expected

5/ dVDS CDS are about £1.00 each

6/ Random people will say hello but sometimes thats all they can say in english

7/ Weather is hot 35 during day drops to a chilly 25 at night

8/ Mcdonalds KFC and Pizza hut are expensive by local standards havent tried them yet so cant comment on quality.

9/ People are very friendly and welcoming and keen to talk to you.

Have to say I am absolutely loving it here

48 Hours to go

Cannot believe how much last minute stuff i need to do but given the finite time scale well it all needs to be completed.

Fly from Manchester on Thursday morning to Zurich then Zurich to Shanghai so not too bad only one change
the other option suggested was Manchester to Heathrow to Bejing to Shanghai obviously some one with a sense of humour, Glad the more direct option was booked.

Will be in Shanghai at 06.35 Friday morning then need to get to Wuhu, Not sure yet if it is by train or bus but by then i will be sleep deficient so cant say i am that bothered which option just get me there!!

Also my baggage allowance is an unbelievable 20kgs so i have had to pack some of my stuff to be sent by sea freight at least its cheaper than the 50 euro per kg charge for excess baggage it only cost £50.00 to send 30kg by sea freight so if they don't make off into the sunset with my case its a bargain.

So bar any last minute things everything seems organised hope to post more when i am in Wuhu but not sure what the Internet connection is like, although i do know my apartment is on the
6th floor with no lift start of me exercise regime. Will have to get more organised not making that trip too many times unnecessarily.

6 Days to Go

Well my paperwork made it back from China in under 2 days by TNT very impressive so I was then ready to go to the Chinese Embassy in Manchester to get my actual visa.

Friday morning at 08.30 outside embassy only one other person in the queue ahead of me better than i expected only downside was the torrential rain I now look like a drowned rat.

08.59 Gates open straight to visa section hand over my paperwork was then told you need to photocopy some of the items and come back, By now the queue is 30 people deep but Lady says just come back to front of queue when you have your copies.

So off to get photocopies made how come when you don't need a copy place you trip over them after 15 minutes of driving round spot a copy place.

09.45 Back at the embassy and push to front of queue get some not so nice looks from some people but hand over my copies and told to come back at 11.30

11.15 back to embassy hand in slip and £50.00 and get my passport back with my Z visa well impressed with this super fast process.

So now i am just waiting on my flight confirmation which should be next thursday the 11th which means i will arrive in China on the 12th and then catch flight to Shanghai and then bus or train to Wuhu, which by my best estimate will be 24 hrs from taking off in UK without any delays don't know about jet lag but feel i might be looking forward to some proper sleep unless i sleep on the train.

Also not sure what time the last train or bus is to Wuhu so may end up grabbing a hotel in Shanghai on friday night and continue the journey on the saturday.

But at least my waiting is over and very soon I will be in my new job and new country.

Nearly Time to Leave

My paperwork is winging its way back from China, the paperwork in China took less than one week to process very fast, compared to the 2-3 weeks it took to get the medical stuff done in the UK.
Only need to go to the Chinese embassy in Manchester to get my actual visa which can be done on the same day and then my plane ticket can be organised and I will be on my way.

So my estimate of 8 weeks from when I started this blog wasn't a million miles out but it seems to have dragged on like for ever maybe I'm just getting impatient in my old age.

Plans to get to see some old friends before leaving are not quite working out as i thought but will still try to see as many as possible before i leave.

Funnily enough a very close friend and his wife are also getting ready to leave the UK for a new life in Vegas which i presume will be slightly different to my relocation but Good luck to them and I hope it goes well ( an invite for Christmas would be nice but not sure how practical that would be )

Well not a lot more to say at the moment still feel like I am marking time cant wait to get going.

Olympic Opening Ceremony

Olympic Opening Ceremony wanted to give this its own post just to say it ABSOLUTELY BLEW ME AWAY AWESOME

Medical tests etc

When I last posted that the visa procedure seemed overkill that was before I attempted to get the medical checks arranged in the UK.

Three visits to local GP one to local hospital and one trip to private hospital and over £200 lighter and having taken just over 2 weeks the information is now complete and heading to China and some how the rest of the procedure does not feel so onerous now.

So still hope I am on track for September just not sure yet when in September all i know is I cant wait to finally be on my way.

Have just purchased another hard suitcase so am ready for the packing just feel like I'm marking time in UK now and want to be in China getting stuck in to my new job and new life.

Have also upgraded my laptop and bought a digital camera to supplement my 35mm camera really looking forward to exploring and getting some decent photographs.

From what I've managed to find out Wuhu seems like it should be OK at this moment I am optimistic about the move and hope I can pick up some Chinese language skills along with some new friends at work and away from work.

There is a language school in Wuhu so I plan on booking some lessons and also keen to maybe do some volunteer work maybe I can make use of my English skills all be it with a Geordie accent not sure what the locals will make of that.

Visa formalities

Received today from my future employer a list of things to get done
Health check which sounds easy in theory but having now spent 2-3 hours on the phone to local hospital and then GP and back to hospital still no further forward will try again on Monday.

Also need to send my passport and eight passport style photos yes i did say eight I ask myself why so many?

Then our office in China will fill in the 3 forms and return my passport along with completed forms which I then take to Embassy in UK.

Maybe its just me but seems a bit of overkill.

Have planned this weekend to start clearing out clothes etc which I don't want to take with me need to be a bit more ruthless on this than i normally am.

Also my ex is going to take some household items of my and then i will dispose of the remainder to a local charity shop and by then i reckon i will be down to one large and one smaller suitcase. Which in some ways is scary that all my possession's will amount to two suitcases hope the air line don't lose them!

But I have to say as it creeps closer i cant wait to get started in my new job and new challenge really looking forward to it.

Getting ready to relocate

In less than 8 weeks I Really will be a Geordie in Wuhu does that make the first supporter of Newcastle United in Wuhu i wonder
Also I have to relocate new country new job , sure to have some trauma along the way but really looking forward to it