Life's adventures....part 23rl
March 15
Well, the heat goes off in China today...doesn't matter the weather....someone says turn it off and there it goes...so we are no longer being heated....the weather is cool but not cold....so it will mean blankets probably for a few days.
Had a meeting with some of the one English and 3 Chinese committee and am not sure if I am well liked....I said how far are you willing to go to make these kids learn English?...a little unnerved....we do not have students moving but teachers moving to very spartan and poor rooms with no displays on the walls..but this is the student's home so we are coming into their territories...we want to turn that 180 degrees but I don't think that they are too receptive....so what's the point of reorganizing the English Department if nothing changes where it really matters...told them an English building or an English "Floor" where only English is spoken is a priority....well maybe not for the administration...
Saturday we pick up our golf clubs...hope everything goes well....there is about RMB 37,000 being exchanged...52 sets and probably more to come.....4 for sure and another 2 on the order....
Signed up for a trip to Tsingdao...a place where they make a lot of the beer for around here....flight there and back, hotel, and grub and all the stuff that goes with for about $450.
Not sure what I am doing for the May holiday....we have 7 days..may go to Heinan?...it is considered China's Hawaii....maybe sit on the beach, a golf game or two, who knows....Chinese Culture club has a trip planned too...not exactly sure where....Leaping Tiger Gorge......where do they come up with these nice touristy names.....supposed to be beautiful.....we travel all over the world and don't realize how beautiful our places are....just because it is somewhere else, it has to be more beautiful than ours....just like an expert is a man from another place....go figure..
We are going out to celebrate St Patricks day on Saturday....after our clubs get sorted...I think I may wear my tux with the green bow tie.....Am trying to get Don to go as well....if not ...well it may be one guy in Roughrider green bowtie at Durty Nellies or at Nashville.....we'll see...
Got some of my income tax receipts and will send a letter to David Anderson to see how and if I can fill them out when I get back because I think the stuff I need is still back in Canada...not sure if I brought it all...may fill it out anyway and then pay the penalty if I do it incorrectly...we'll see
Happy 91st Birthday Mom......I miss our nightly tea and politics meetings....keep your mind sharp as I will be back to test it again in July....
My attempt at a new moustache....darker..... has been cut short....nice way to say it....the chemicals cause a little skin irritation....and I did look so cute.....70's Hippy man....oh well, move on....I think the Fu Manchu is coming off soon.....can't see the Fu in it because it is so sparse and grey/white/ transparent..ok quit laughing.....
Well St Patricks day is over..we got all the clubs straightened out....but it was like a scene from the movies...we started out early in the morning...went for breakfast....two guys would stay behind with the money...Bob and I would go and get the clubs and check them over.... good ....went to the Silk Market...picked up the nephew and two sets of clubs minus the bag....1/2 hour later we were told we had to go to the Yashow Market to finalize the rest.....went there and were told only 1 club was needed...nephew John phones Uncle John.....then he took 40 minutes to get the club....a stalling tactic I think as I am not sure that they had all the sets....then we were given directions to send our van for the pickup..in the middle of nowhere...an empty vacant lot off the beaten trail....we travelled there and were told that uncle John would be here in 3 minutes.....18 minutes later..voila Uncle John with 25 sets of club in his van....and he just wanted to make the swap...from our van to his...Nothing doing...we checked each one...... and labelled them so that when we got back here, we would know whose was whose.....there were about 8 problems that we had to rectify to our satisfaction...uncle John had to make two more trips back to the "place" to pick up the rest of the clubs...he then forgot how many had gone into our van so had to recount....48 and he had the four remaining back at the Silk market where we originally started.....all the while our two guys with the cash were waiting in Beijing for the word to come or go or something...by 2:30 I was on my way with the clubs and Bob was on his way back to the market to pay off and get the clubs....Bob said as he was counting out the money, uncle John was nervous..the whole row of shops was listening.....and when he got to 33,000..John got a little giddy ..were Bob's words.....and started almost laughing when he got to the final total...but another adventure....
That night we went to Durty Nellies for the St Paddys party....Don jammmed out so I was the only tuxed guy ..but with green tie and handkerchief and cufflinks too....had a good time...a couple of dances and sang couple of happy birthday songs..and some green beer and no cocktails....still never made it to Nashvilles.....the crew stayed there until the end...got home about 2:30 for most of us...next day had a little sleep in...don't know why....
Then Steve and I got Eric to take us into Beijing to get some sets of clubs on their way...and ahv some dinner....and we did...got home at about 5:00 and got some work done from the school.......another lonely weekend in Beijing..??????
Talked to Jennifer....she is getting anxious to have a beer and her baby...not sure which she figures is most important......just kidding...but she is getting ready that's for sure.....am going to miss not being there but she is a trooper and I know the morphine will be sweeeeeeet......she says she will not be worried....and Doug is supposed to stay in the parking lot just to listen for the screams....hahahahaa.
Well, I better go as my computer I find out is on its last legs....needs a new battery and a plug for the power cord...I need to download some files but I don't know which and how...and it doesn't matter which order either....so I will get some experts to help me out...
Don and Eve and I and some CIS people will be flying out on Saturday morning and flying back on Sunday evening and will start another week...woooohoooo..I might even have some pictures.....
Byeeeeeee
Well, the heat goes off in China today...doesn't matter the weather....someone says turn it off and there it goes...so we are no longer being heated....the weather is cool but not cold....so it will mean blankets probably for a few days.
Had a meeting with some of the one English and 3 Chinese committee and am not sure if I am well liked....I said how far are you willing to go to make these kids learn English?...a little unnerved....we do not have students moving but teachers moving to very spartan and poor rooms with no displays on the walls..but this is the student's home so we are coming into their territories...we want to turn that 180 degrees but I don't think that they are too receptive....so what's the point of reorganizing the English Department if nothing changes where it really matters...told them an English building or an English "Floor" where only English is spoken is a priority....well maybe not for the administration...
Saturday we pick up our golf clubs...hope everything goes well....there is about RMB 37,000 being exchanged...52 sets and probably more to come.....4 for sure and another 2 on the order....
Signed up for a trip to Tsingdao...a place where they make a lot of the beer for around here....flight there and back, hotel, and grub and all the stuff that goes with for about $450.
Not sure what I am doing for the May holiday....we have 7 days..may go to Heinan?...it is considered China's Hawaii....maybe sit on the beach, a golf game or two, who knows....Chinese Culture club has a trip planned too...not exactly sure where....Leaping Tiger Gorge......where do they come up with these nice touristy names.....supposed to be beautiful.....we travel all over the world and don't realize how beautiful our places are....just because it is somewhere else, it has to be more beautiful than ours....just like an expert is a man from another place....go figure..
We are going out to celebrate St Patricks day on Saturday....after our clubs get sorted...I think I may wear my tux with the green bow tie.....Am trying to get Don to go as well....if not ...well it may be one guy in Roughrider green bowtie at Durty Nellies or at Nashville.....we'll see...
Got some of my income tax receipts and will send a letter to David Anderson to see how and if I can fill them out when I get back because I think the stuff I need is still back in Canada...not sure if I brought it all...may fill it out anyway and then pay the penalty if I do it incorrectly...we'll see
Happy 91st Birthday Mom......I miss our nightly tea and politics meetings....keep your mind sharp as I will be back to test it again in July....
My attempt at a new moustache....darker..... has been cut short....nice way to say it....the chemicals cause a little skin irritation....and I did look so cute.....70's Hippy man....oh well, move on....I think the Fu Manchu is coming off soon.....can't see the Fu in it because it is so sparse and grey/white/ transparent..ok quit laughing.....
Well St Patricks day is over..we got all the clubs straightened out....but it was like a scene from the movies...we started out early in the morning...went for breakfast....two guys would stay behind with the money...Bob and I would go and get the clubs and check them over.... good ....went to the Silk Market...picked up the nephew and two sets of clubs minus the bag....1/2 hour later we were told we had to go to the Yashow Market to finalize the rest.....went there and were told only 1 club was needed...nephew John phones Uncle John.....then he took 40 minutes to get the club....a stalling tactic I think as I am not sure that they had all the sets....then we were given directions to send our van for the pickup..in the middle of nowhere...an empty vacant lot off the beaten trail....we travelled there and were told that uncle John would be here in 3 minutes.....18 minutes later..voila Uncle John with 25 sets of club in his van....and he just wanted to make the swap...from our van to his...Nothing doing...we checked each one...... and labelled them so that when we got back here, we would know whose was whose.....there were about 8 problems that we had to rectify to our satisfaction...uncle John had to make two more trips back to the "place" to pick up the rest of the clubs...he then forgot how many had gone into our van so had to recount....48 and he had the four remaining back at the Silk market where we originally started.....all the while our two guys with the cash were waiting in Beijing for the word to come or go or something...by 2:30 I was on my way with the clubs and Bob was on his way back to the market to pay off and get the clubs....Bob said as he was counting out the money, uncle John was nervous..the whole row of shops was listening.....and when he got to 33,000..John got a little giddy ..were Bob's words.....and started almost laughing when he got to the final total...but another adventure....
That night we went to Durty Nellies for the St Paddys party....Don jammmed out so I was the only tuxed guy ..but with green tie and handkerchief and cufflinks too....had a good time...a couple of dances and sang couple of happy birthday songs..and some green beer and no cocktails....still never made it to Nashvilles.....the crew stayed there until the end...got home about 2:30 for most of us...next day had a little sleep in...don't know why....
Then Steve and I got Eric to take us into Beijing to get some sets of clubs on their way...and ahv some dinner....and we did...got home at about 5:00 and got some work done from the school.......another lonely weekend in Beijing..??????
Talked to Jennifer....she is getting anxious to have a beer and her baby...not sure which she figures is most important......just kidding...but she is getting ready that's for sure.....am going to miss not being there but she is a trooper and I know the morphine will be sweeeeeeet......she says she will not be worried....and Doug is supposed to stay in the parking lot just to listen for the screams....hahahahaa.
Well, I better go as my computer I find out is on its last legs....needs a new battery and a plug for the power cord...I need to download some files but I don't know which and how...and it doesn't matter which order either....so I will get some experts to help me out...
Don and Eve and I and some CIS people will be flying out on Saturday morning and flying back on Sunday evening and will start another week...woooohoooo..I might even have some pictures.....
Byeeeeeee
posted by 12thhobo | 5:34 AM
1 Comments:
Hey Darryl,
Love reading your blog, hope you're doing fine out there, and take a big swig of that beer in Tsingdao for me.
Take Care.
Warren Pinto of Winnipeg.
Post a Comment
<< Home