Holidays

Thought you might get a kick out of this one...Chris took this from the first birthday party with Bob...forgot exactly what it said......was quite funny at the time..... but this is a condom dispenser in the washroom of the restaurant we were at....at the time I didn't even, and still don't know how much it cost.....I think I was putting in about 1/10 of the value....















Some down time so I can get another message out.

Saw a fight yesterday off the campus...just on the roadway......I caught the tail end of it and apparently there were two older women having a go at one and other....when I arrived, and I stayed on the other side of the road, they were still arguing and shouting and some pushing.....I stayed there for about 10 minutes and then left...this was at about 2 in the afternoon....alcohol was involved too...

Had a bit of a birthday party and after test bash on Friday..to Hell with Winter and Sex on the Beach all in one....Angie was the bar tender and she mixed some powerful shots...a little music and some birthday cake and a good time....was finished by about 11:00..go figure...the rest partied until about 1:00.

Internet access has been quite spotty here since the earthquate severed the cables....some stuff we get from the US seems to take forever....but our connection here is poor too so that doesn't help....

Finallly met up with my acquaintance from the Mongolian trip and we agreed to meet again..I said I would like to go to a professional sport game and he suggested basketball so I am going to get tickets and meet him in Beijing to watch it...















Took a bike trip out of the compound for about an hour and saw a few more local sights....the continual work is amazing.....you really notice the difference after a week or so...some of the housing projects that were startedway back when are now nearing completion and they just keep building.... looks like one of the ones that was hidden behind the green mesh is actually going to be a stadium....will go and check that out soon....they have stopped the river except for a small rivulet.....while they do some repairs on the underside and along the bank..just pile up the dirt and go to work....saw two accidents while I was out driving....apparently if it is just a little one, you come to an agreement who was at fault and settle up right then and there with cash or something like that...if it is a little more serious, you phone the police and then the details

Have just about all the details for the trip to Thailand....Merle arrives on Friday and then we are off to Thailand and then to Harbin for an Ice Festival ( will meet one of the students there, as it is her hojme town and she wants to show me some of it. Hope I can contact her)and then to Xi'an (another stdents home) to see the Terra Cotta Warriors and then about a week around Beijing...there are lots of sites to see...Mark Chapman and I had an idea....there is a driving school here and we thought we could get to drive the 3 wheeled vehicles.....you see them everywhere...if we can it will be a hoot...they are the mules of the trucks...espcially when you see stuff piled so high that it almost blocks out whatever is even close to being behind it...

Have had some trouble getting to sleep lately...don't know why...I just try to read and that will usually get me tired enough that I at least get nod off until the book hits me or the bed....the pollution here has been bad this winter....so bad that a couple of the staff got the masks..at least it stops the particles from getting into your lungs...hopefully it will get better in the spring and summer as the people don't have to use the coal to heat everything..am already noticing the days are getting warmer and longer...it will get hot soon enough

Don't know what I will be teaching next term as 40 students go to Canada and about the same number return in Grade 12..that means there will be some combining in 11 and I think I am losing 2 English classes and poicking up an environmental science class that is supposed to be a 2 year project.....and I may not even be staying....also may be the sub for any sick people..not going to get my knickers in a know aabout it until I find out for sure....can't even start to prepare anything...who knows

Have been able to keep in touch with the kids....J is getting a little chubby as she is expecting in April and Mark always was (hahahaha)...Mark is also moving into a condo in the Hat and moving out of his house that he was renting....

Don and Eve and Brenda and Ron (from CIS) went to a restaurant the other night called Browns.....was a nice restauarant...but missed out on a real chance to drink...it was their first anniversay and aafter 9:30 drinks were free..Angie and I thought about it but we had to teach the Saturday so we decided against it...but did have some good food...a steak...even ordered a couple of drinks...one was called Too Blue and the other was called a Screaming Orgasm.....we sure had a couple of good laughs over that...a little potty mouth talk.....will go back there sometime as it was a nice baar and had a good dance floor.....

Also had an unusual thing happen...we had to teach on Saturday...unusual, yes..it was supposed to be for all the failures to give them a chance to pass...to make up for all their lesson that they didn't hand in or if they blew a test....well one of the kids.....one who is going to Canada came up to me in the staff room and said...and they have different ways of using expressions..."you are the best teacher I have had and the kindest man" and presented me with a big bottle of Cognac Hennessey Grand Champagne....blew me away..I don't recall doing anything special...he just sat at the back ...didn't say much all term...had to do the makeup work...and then does this. He said that he wasn't going to see me before he left so he wanted to give me this gift....you just never know how you affect kids....

Going out to the 1001 Arabian Nights restaurant this Wednesday..good food, I think Lebanese, supposedly the best so far...and they have belly dancing.....woo hoo...will also go to a massage place and also pick up my pictures that I left there to be framed.....Bob wants to go out on Thursday as well, after payday, so we will see

Going to be a deserted place after Friday...several going back home.....others to New Zealand, Japan, Vietnam, India, some to Thailand too, Bob's off to Florida to golf....

Was thinking of taking a Yangtze River tour....The Three Dams project...I think that is what it is called..biggest project in the world..won't know what the environmental impact will be...it is 6 days though and I don't know when we would get the time off..also have a Tibet tour that gets you to the Himalayas to see Mount Everest....

Look like we will be making another golf purchase soon....maybe another 7 sets or so....our man John will be tickled pink to make these sales....Bob thinks we will be golfing when he gets back...not sure about me...I may start running again for the Wall Marathon..but I will be only doing 5 or 10 k.....

Will finally get my telephone back to see how it works here..probably not worth all the trouble to get it here but you know how determined I can be at times...also may get to finally use Marks computer as my music box as I needed some upgrading and the Windows 98 to get things going....also Merle is doing a bit of a grocery run....green leaves....some snacking cakes....a new supply of Smirnoff Twisted...and some other stuff ....enough apparently to fill most of a suitcase....but she will fill it up with other stuff on the return trip so it is a trade off..I may help her bargain..

Thanks to all of you who have been responding to my blog...nice to hear from you wherever you are...I like to know what is going on in your world....heard that they are considering closing Chaplin school....so there will be the good fight....don't know if the expansion at Sask Minerals is a go yet....I keep in touch by CBC on the internet....don't know how a person got news from before...can you imagine months waiting for letters from home????....shudder

Take care...will see you in the summer for sure...well maybe not all of you but I will be returning after classes are done....I think it is July 14th officially...and that will only be about 4 months after we get back from out holidays...whew time flies when you are working...

Just before the holiday

Couple more shots of Shanghai...the crowded streets was what I expected in Beijing but it was more prevalent here.....fish market where the fish are still alive in small tanks...they take em out plonk em and scale them right there....eels, crabs, just about anything.....the beggar here stayed ther all day...and in that position.I saw another guy just like him about seven blocks over...I dn't think they get a lot of $ but they are sure dedicated....no movement at all...wonder what they do at night?...many beggars too sometimes with little kids....women mainly or people with disabilities or disfigurements.....I don't know if they are looked after at all by the health or welfare system...if they have one....

Just some tidbits from the stuff going on here. Had an interesting idea and will try it out. I am going to have some of my stuff framed here. The trip to the wall in the fall when I golfed off it, I will have that picture framed and some stone put on it and the little plaque somehow mounted on it as well...Will make it a 3D type of picture. Then I intend to do the same thing as well with my Marathon stuff....picture, certificate, medal and maybe my number somehow mounted...we'll see how that turns out...

Seems like I am losing it.....I mean ...somethings....but I've found it.....Lost my favourite CD and and then remembered that I had given it to Monique....Whew...Lost my flash disk with alot of information on it and I want to put all my pictures on it...found it....too...had put it in my knapsack....Maybe I will really "find it" someday....right Dale.... haven't lost my sense of humour though

A writing project for my best class is to write lyrics to All my Lifes A Circle by Harry Chapin.....I modelled it and had a line "If I stay here next year". Several students were surprised....and one even said you can't go back!!!!!! I said oh yes I can and may get tossed out or jailed or whatever...they just laughed....but it is nice to be appreciated....They are doing something interseting re the classes..some students are going to Canada so there are some classes that are getting smaller....so they rearrange the students.......... hopefully by ability and you start with different groups next semester....we will see how that works....

Pulled a fast one on the kids today...took two out an tole these two that I had promised to give them a movie if the rest of them were good and worked hard and tried to do English...but if not, no such luck....but told them they could not talk to the rest of them either in English or Chinese....well both of the classes failed to get a movie....the one girl came up after the class and said not to choose her again because she was getting a little p'd because the students were slacking off and she couldn't do a darn thing about it....told them after, what I had planned and maybe the next time we will have more cooperation...they like movies....we will see.

I get a copy of the Running Room sent over here thanks Renee and read it ..at least the parts that interest me...end up givingthe copy to a student who ran with me from time to time when I was training for the marathon....he said he enjoyed it but some of the writing was a little difficult to read...told him it is for me too. Caught one of my better girl students (Aivi) sleeping in class and gave her a missed class slip...you have to make up missed classes....she came to me and asked how she could make up the class...she had to give a two minute speech ..the topic...The benefits of Sleeping in Mr Walls' class...she did a great job...we had a good laugh.....she got her make up....

Caught my first smoker.....they try to smoke in the washrooms...walked in and there he was puffing away..you can'toverlook it so I took him to the principal and let him deal with it....was a little late for a class but I taught them the workd ironic.....the fellow I caught....puffing his lungs out with all that krud that goes into it was, get this wearing a mask when he went outside into the pollution...sucking all that stuff in and then is worried about inhaling the smoke from the outside world....the students got the meaning of Ironic.....

Eve and Don are leaving for New Zealand during the break....they said we can use their bikes if we nee them...Also will look after their fish....Students are playing basketball outside in the cold with T shirts on....even at night....with the lights....maybe a little like our hockey kids...there are some kids from Korea here right now...grade 5 and 6 checking out the place....gave two of them a hard time this morning saying that they were a little short for the classes.

Looked into volunteering for Olympics...but you need to know some Chinese....not me ...maybe I can work for some Canadian organization doing the groundwork for them prior to them arriving in Beijing.....

WE had an inservice today from a lady from the Dept of Education in New Brunswick....telling us about the evaluation techniques that will be used to show the students levels on their English Second Language Assessment...lots of overlap from any kind of evaluation.... They do feed us well on the days that we have these and Western at that....had good Pizza and then for supper we had wings and veggies and desserts...cool

Will be heading into Beijing tomoorrw to get some stuff out of the way..framing, paying for trips, maybe checking out a bar or two and then back home...Got an email from Rodrigo Patino a student from the Experience Canada group...he is from Mexico but will be travelling to France next year...nice to hear from the group now and then

Am finishing up some details for the trip to Thailand with Merle and will finalize some stuff around Beijing...lots of stuff to see....

Had a talk with the young guy I met going to Mongolia...we are going to meet in Beijing tomorrow to try to get some arrangements so that he can show me around Tongzhou....sure hope I don't get lost....will be nice to have someone to go with to some places where you need an interpreter...I am hoping to go to a Basketball game or some sporting event and am hoping that he can find out about it....we'll see

Went to the World of Suzie Wongs...a bar/nightclub...was an interesting time...said in the brochure an opium den with modern lounge characteristics....it was very nice bar with some nooks and crannies to sit in....then went to Maggies....Bob said it was run by the Beijing Police force..lots of women there and not a lot of room...but the smoke sure gets to you.....you really notice it...and the girls all seem to smoke....maybe it is a status thing....I don't know....the music was ok but loud.....cleaned out my wax out to the eardrums....was able to navigate my way home with the taxi....at about 3:00.....getting a little old for this????

Weather is starting to change...more hours of sunlight....less smog....at least I hope so....this week will be the last teaching week....the students write their Chinese exams on the Wed Thurs Fri and then we get them for a few days (those who failed) to get them up to standards to pass...if the little buggers had just turned in all the stuff that they were supposed to they may all have passed..oh well, they are the same all over the world...some days you're the windshield, somedays you're the bug.....

This may be the last until after Thailand and I will have some photos of that place I am sure...take care and think about me basking in the sunshine....I know that you will all be feeling sorry for me for having all the time off and having to go on holidays, but hey somebody's got to do it....hahahahahahaha

Darryl

Shanghai pictures and the Great Hall

I am beginning to not like this site....a real pissoff....I can't get pictures to paste into here.....



Notice the built in gloves on the scooter.....not an unusual sight either. The tower on the right and the view of the convention centre from a different angle.

I give up. This is the fourth frigging time I tried to put some more pictures in this darn blog and darn is a real strenuous word right now...it take about 4 minutes to get one darn photo and then I lose it and then I don't know where to go except back to the original place and start all over again....I had 3 that I wanted to put in but maybe there is a limit to the number...anybody know???? Not only that I had a great set and then hit one button ..don't even know which one and ...pooof ....all gone...nice......





Above...the Great Hall of the People...we went there to watch the Russian ballet doing Swan Lake but it is used as their parliament...left picture...we were sitting way up at the top...centre picture shows the actual place where the politicians sit..I missed a chance to actually go down and stand on the floor..silly bugger....the third picture show the size of it and the next level that wasn't filled....


The three pictures above... an intersection with a whole potload of motorbikes...this was not an unusual sight...ever light woud have this many and more sometimes....The center picture is the needle and the big convention centre with two globes at either end....I think it holds around 5000 people at convention time....the right one...this is bamboo scaffolding and it is used in a lot of the lower buildings...not in the really high stuff at least not what I saw.

I hope to return to the site with some more pictures.....Enjoy the ones I was able to put on...there are a couple that I would like to put on...TTFN

Chinese New Year

A couple of photos.

This one has a coujple of the weird buildings....the one in the middle is the third highest in the world...the one in front of it is basically an advertising billboard at night..see the set below to notice what they do with the buildings at night....the one coming out of my head is a tv tower and looks weird....the other one shows the contrast as it is of the British design I think....I am going to put the rest of my pics in another blog and just give some comments on them there.....



















\Well I made it through to another year....and in China

I get to celebrate a real Chinese New Year.

But before I start some trivia....saw my first ever Number 1 bus....lots of big numbers before but this is my first number 1.

Had a good time teaching over the holidays...no days off....Christmas Day and then you are back at it. Jennifers Christmas package made it on December 26 so I wore my new Christmas tie for the 26th...kids loved the Christmas carols that the tie played.

Damn earthquake that happened off China created a little chaos as some hotel bookings and air flights were difficult to get..but we did make it to Shanghai. We left just the day that it first snowed here, a few centimetres and it is cold enough that it will stay around....but it did slow up the traffic a little...on the way to the airport, we saw that a bike had been hit by a vehicle. Didn't notice anyone around....Shanghai, the sun was shining, way less pollution and a lot warmer.....a much prettier city I think...Beijing is really clouded over with smoke...choking at times....many of the staff have coughs and flu and all sorts of little airway problems

It was supposed to have a fireworks spectacle...there wasn't. So in that regard it was a disappointment . BUT the skyline from the BUND, a place where the Brits and French used to have their offices, is spectacular.....I will probably put a couple shots in here and then put a whole bunch in my next one so that I don't spoil it with my talking....apparently they do some movie shooting here because the of the designs of the buildings...Angie and I took a boat tour of the harbour and got some good shots....as I said some weird looking buildings....

Get this....I was walking down the streets of Shanghai and passed someone I thought I knew...Seconds later, the next guy comes along and say "Hey Mr Canada" It was the guys from Argentina, Brazil and Paris who were out skiing with us in Nanshan...I had helped the French lady put on her ski boots...so she was Frenchie and I was Mr. Canada..Imagine in a city bigger than Beijing, I meet up with these guys again....hard to believe.... un petite monde

I was saying to Bob and Mark on the way from the airport to the hotels, that if you take the populations of Shanghai and Beijing, you have the entire population of Canada..kind of puts things in perspective...n'est-ce pas.

The week back has been a bit of a zoo....we are trying to get some exams ready, make up some lessons and get ready for some more forms that seem to be a way to keep people working...hey they even make the kids who don't pass stay an extra weekend just to cram some more stuff into their brains and then they write more tests....seems liike they don't want to have the kids fail because it would cause them to "lose face".

Confiscated a couple more cel phones last week...one kid, a good one too, actually lost his. Mom went an bought him a new one....about $800 touch....I wish I had a mom like that.....just kidding.....but I did tell him that if he wants a new one, he can lose his old one with me....

Am looking forward to the Spring Festival...Merle will arrive here on the 26th and we go to Thailand for about 10 days....that will be difficult and different because there will be not much to do and I think I need to stay active...maybe some snorkelling or bungee jumping...whatever....I will enjoy the time off teaching.....we also go to a Snow Festival in Harbin....from +25 to - 25 in two days ...may be tough to get adjusted....then to the Terra Cotta Warriors, in Xi'an...and then a week or so in Beijng...and then the holiday is up and I have to make a decision to stay or go...no ....I don't know yet....

We have been having issues with the school here getting our pay back to Canada....they have had all sorts of excuses...... from the African Summit to the earthquake but no one takes the blame if somebody messes up...seems like Buckpassing 101 has been perfected here...remember saving face.

New years was pretty uneventful...we had booked the tickets to a bar....an ex patriots they call them....English...70-90s music bust not much daancing...hell we didn't even sing Auld Lang Syne..I did bring My Smirnoff Twisted to the bar...asked them if they would keep them in the fridge and then Mark and I cracked them at midnight....We wore our Tuxesand got some strange looks...at midnight we went out to see if there was anything special and there wasn't..there were a heck of alot of people walking around..and so I did tooo until about three o'clock...at which time I was standing outside our hotel people watching and Bob invited me up to his room...he had just got back from the other side of the river...still can be by yourself... even in a big city...not really an event but certainly different place

Linda, a friend of Bob's from BCCSC has take some video of the trip and I have it on a CD....will show it to you if and when I get home....not in that order yet....

Have found a new massage place...will check it out soon....also close to there is a place where I can get some stuff framed....Marathon....Wall....my frame that was shattered....will get that done asap...

Saw an interesting thing the other day...a funeral procession with 4 guys playing some stange wind instruments in front of a truck carrying the body, I presume and a group of about 15 people all dressed in white walking behind...quite a spectacle....didn't get a picture as I didn't have my camera....not sure if that would have been a good idea anyway....

There are several places around here where you can eat western style breakfast and dinners so you are not as isolated as we thought. With the Olympics, I think there has been a plethora of places opening up to cater to the crowd coming for that.

Talk to ya later...one more probably before Thailand.