Another month soon in the books

Geeeez..I just taught Eric our taxi driver that word..I was using it to express my extreme frustration with the banking system and bureaucracy here..

I lost my debit card and my credit card had a wrong pin number..I had maxed out my money on Bank of China...so I needed some spending money

I had to fill out a form......another of their forms .........because on my form from this institution it said Darryl Ralph Walls and the debit card request had only Darryl Walls...wooo hhhooooo...and that just would not do

I phoned my credit union in Herbert...tiny Herbert.... not to be confused with large Beijing where the financial denizens of the world live....simple...we will either take out the money in US dollars or RMB.....well RMB didn't work so they sent it the first day in US dollars to Beijing.......2 days later (a Monday) it was in China....now the story gets good....I checked the ATM at the school daily until Thursday...no money had been transferred......so I went to the supposed accountant who really isn't....... at least not in most people's eyes...who said OH, you have to take this ( a paper written in Chinese ???????) to the bank and they will give you the money........brain surgeon material......


I contacted Eric the cab driver and asked if he would accompany me to the Agricultural Bank of China and help with any transactions that would be needed....on my lunch break...

I stood in line with my little piece of paper, which I assumed said $430 American had been transferred into my account and I would be able to access it....the lady swiped my card and it said it only had RMB12.89.......I knew that...but of course...I had to look foolish and after standing in line for 15 minutes, I was not impressed.....Translation......You will have to go to another Agricultural Bank where they do these transactions....

Next Bank......I forgot the little piece of paper.....so one of their guards brings a Western Union form to allow me to bring money in to China.......I said I already had it here......left the building a little pissed and just wanted to go back to the school.....We went and got the piece of paper...walked back to the ABC and talked to the teller....I had to sign a piece of paper...she made a copy of it....then sent another sheet through a machine......I think we were up to about 7 pieces of paper by then......then said I would have to take it in US dollars..because they can't convert it and put it in your account.....fine give me the cash....which she proceeds to withdraw from ...get this.....a sports bag that was sitting on the floor....I get 4 100s and a 20 and 2 5s.......yes... and I leave....that means I have to go to another bank where they will accept this money and change it to RMB and then transfer that $ into my account......a trip to Beijing.......we leave....after 15 steps outside the building, we are pursued by one of the secrity guards and he asks us to return so that we can fill out another form in the exact same from as on the sheer of paper that they have....I do and I leave the building for the last time......we drive back to Tuanli and I am in time for my after dinner classes......wooo hoooo

Still don't have any money in my account and none until I get into Beijing where I can exchange it......works out that one of the young interns wants cash in foreign bills so she is not seen as leaving China with RMB's.....soooooooooo...I will give her the cash and she will give me the RMB's on Wednesday after payday...which is when I won't really need it

DON'T lose your source of income in China.....debit or Credit card.....unbe(swear word)lievable...

And that's where Geez comes in

How did you like my cute grand daughter?????Beauty eh????Good day eh??????

Biked all the way into Beijing today.....2 hours in and 2 hours back.....Jenny..the New Zealand girl who had joined the Mountain Bikers of Beijing (MOB sters) was going in so I thought I would go along with her.....left at 5:30 and left her school in Tongzhou at 6:00....were into Beijing at about 7:45...while there I went to CIS the other school and shot the breeze with one of the golfer teachers....Fred Savoy...we get along famously....then biked back.....

Took some pictures around here and hope to put them on the site as they are of the local market and the new school and hospital that is being built...

Talked all the family today..Mark was visiting Jennifer......all is well with everyone it seems....Jax and Jayda are growing and Kenzie is already bigger by a pound....cuter than her gramps.....have recieved orders for more purses and maybe golf clubs.....we shall see.....need to get my Skype camera working so that they can see me and not just me seeing them.....

Weather here is now turning hot.....and it will only get hotter......I am running in the morning now.....3 times a week so that at least is done when the heat is the least....may run in the 1/2 marathon or 10 k in the fall if I am still here.....

Am looking to work as a volunteer here.....Henry is looking into it for me....he may be able to get me some translation work.....sounds like a possibility.....

Looks like we will be joining the driving range.....about 12000 balls for 3000RMB and it will be split 4 ways.....750 each person....and I don't think I can even hit 3000 balls ... that is 30 trips to the driving range.....well it should help my golf.....or wear me out trying.....

Went out today just for a ride on the bike...wanted to just relax....no one else around..2 hours.....this place is amazing.....I actually found a place where there were hardly any people....a trail by the river.....there were some fishers....but after the long ride, found another city, just apartment on apartment on apartment for kilometres...I still get a lot of looks.....I am the foreigner and big time foreigner....was wearing a helmet, and some shorts.....lots of stares over that.....

Got SlingBox rehooked thanks to Mark...still no web camera...I think I will get a new web camera...the same one and then will have two cameras with the same startup disk for both of them....

Phoned the principal of the CIS school and let her know that I was interested in a position there....don't know how it will play out....who knows.....

Long week here....we will teach on Saturday and Sunday as if they were Tuesday and Thursday......go figure...... And guess what...now they have changed our Friday schedule to Monday...why because on Friday they had only 2 classes in the afternoon and then nothing for the students to do as most of them leave for the weekend....So Monday is a full day, including night classes soooooooo Friday got changed to a Monday. Confused...... in this cycle of 8 days we will have ......Mon, Tues, Wed Thurs, Mon, Tues, Thurs , Mon....and the last Monday is a test day......then a week off....until the final push to the year end in July.... the message on our bulletin board says "If today is Tuesday, what day is tomorrow?????"

Am still enjoying the place..

Am waiting to get my debit card..after that fiasco with the transfer...will be much more careful with this one....have a list of 10 things to do when I get it back...including some stuff to send home...gifts and all..

Going to post this now and will get another out with some pictures from around here, I hope.

Go Detroit Red Wings....yeahhhhhhh...we survived the first round. Jay it was the Denise Linton syndrome.......

It's me again and one other

FOOLED YA

Well I am back but not with pictures yet...I did get some on eventually and that was good.

Great news....If I haven't told you before...oh well even if I have.....my daughter Jennifer had a baby girl on April the 6th....at something like 4:00 in the morning...Kenzie Kaitlyn...(special K)...and she is as cute as her grandpa.....no about a million times better than that....some ime in the future she will probably be upping that number......I won't tell her....all are doing well and I h even have a picture from J..maybe I can get it on here.....I'll try

Had an interesting afternoon.....a lady (Coincidence....her name is Jenny ..short for Jennifer) who I met at the New Zealand embassy ( a fellow teacher who lives in Tongzhou) and I met for a coffee ....damn near got lost again (on my bike)....spent a couple of hours and had lunch .....she showed me her school and then we biked over to mine....also showed her those townhouses that are going unlived in......prior to our coffee we were walking to the shop and there was a store doing some activities with their employees...one was a slow bike race.....they invited me to try to do the activity.....centre of attention......right up my alley.....well, I actually made it through the course...you would have thought I had won an Olympic medal...pictures with the boss, a couple of pictures with the organizer and then much to my surprise, they presented me with a small gift...a stainless steel tea mug....just for a few minutes of "FAME"...funny....god, there was clapping and yelling..non English except one guy who asked "Where you from?" Jia Nada....(Canada) must have made their day....actually made mine.....

Found out that Softball season starts on May 13th....have found another glove and I bought the bat...so now I hope I can find someone who catches and maybe get some reps in....no one seems to play it here....weird....the top guy here lent me his glove so I can at least play with two....we will see how this all plays out...punny

Tickets for the Olympics went on sale today...Henry told me about them....I registered on line and put in for the opening ceremonies and softball semi finals, volleyball mens semi final and some wrestling...you are allowed up to 10 diffeerent venues....so far with all of that, I have spent a whopping $200 approximately....but no guarantees..... and it will be a lottery if they have sold out events....I am trying to get schedules for the games so I will know when Canada is playing an then I will go online to try to get tickets for those games.....I am going to use up my 10 but have not actually sent the request in..you have until June 30th and then the decisions come .....

Had an email from one of the students who I met at Ottawa, Warren Pinto...he was aneat kid....well not a kid anymore....was keeping up with me on the blog...Hi Warren ..I asked you to send me somoe details....don't get lost.....

The football officials in New Brunswick are saving me a spot on the roster if and when I return...a great bunch of men....

Red Wings into the playoffs...wonder how far they will go..maybe with Hasek in net ..who knows.....with initials of DRW, they have to be winners????...

There will be no NFL game here this year....I guess there is a spat going on about trade and pirating and pulp and paper....so that went out...

Finally got finished with Rogers....

Bob has had to have some comfort food....guess what....Kraft Dinner and I have two boxes left....Merle also brought over many (thank you , thank you, thank you) snacking cakes and we have been having those every so often....just a taste of home.....when I go home my return will be with food....a grocery run....

Spent one evening listening to Connie Kaldor (ok J, you can stop laughing now) and the songs about Sask.....sniff, sniff....A Sky with Nothing to Get in the Way.....and it is true....you don't realize the beauty until you leave and see what others don't have.....will just sit and watch the sunset when I get back....and maybe a couple of Smirnoff Twisteds...Still have a couple left....they are for very, very, very special occasions.....

Have had a couple of bar nights....they are interesting.....you can stay out until 4 or 5 in the morning....I don't usually stay out that late...but midnight is not out of the questions....some don't even shut their doors....took Angela and Laura to Maggies to see a diffent kind of bar....they were the only two white women in the place...lots of men looking for their lady friends..nod, nod, wink, wink, say no more, say no more......

No news on my transfer to CIS but am hopeful.....

The Canadian Embassy has a big ball on May 19th....another timie to get my Tux out......even have a new tie...red of course...for it....should be a good time...when do I ever get to go to an Embassy ball...should be good....I think Don will wear his Tux with his Garth Brook's hat....I'll get these guys westernized yet.....

We have been trying to get the kids to stop speaking Chinese....we now give them pink slips of paper if they speak it in class...... and then they have to go to ESP...English Speaking Practise room to spend some quality time with a couple of teachers......it has worked to some extent...less Chinese anyway....and some very good coping strategies....

Computer still is not up to what it was before the disaster but I am getting some thinhgs back...

Am going to start running in the morning again...I think....if I can drag my sorry ass out of bed that early..with no objective (like the marathon ) in mind it might be tough to do...we'll see

Had a talk with Renee and Mom and Janet and Jennifer......Mom was worried since I had lost my computer that I was in Jail or something...had to phone her and tell her everyithing was allright....funny....

Have got all the clubs sent away......but my niece Marina wants to get a set and I think I could get a few more sets sent home.....maybe I can have a new business....who knows...still have 3 sets of left clubs to try out to see which one makes me the better golfer.....as if it makes any difference anyway....will bring one set home.....am going to golf a couple of times during my holidays from the May 2nd to the 9th....

Interesting.....a Chinese teacher of English asked me if I would go to his school of 8 years to talk to the kids....he would book the ticket and hotel and all I have to do is show up and speak and maybe play games with them...make them speak some English....he said they don't see that many teachers and so it would be a great treat for them.....so I think I will do it....it will be in my holiday time so it will break that up a little.....

Went to the job fair yesterday..many opportunities for jobs..some not that good at pay..but interesting.....translating....working with businesses to make their employees more proficient at English.....other schools, universities (who don't receive as much as we do)...not as many booths as I would have expected....

Lost my debit card.....not that is a real royal pain in the unowhere.....lots of hoops to go through now to get some money transferred over here ...not that need much but after spending some with the clubs, myRMB account is a little low so I will use some of the money from home until payday...my Visa won't give me money for whatever reason...says I am not using my right pin so that was a bummer....

Enough....

I have some work to do for tomorrow.....

HEY HAVE YOU ALL DROPPED OFF THE PLANET...SEND ME AN UPDATE ON SOME HAPPENINGS IN YOUR LIFE........I AM NOT KIDDING.....I WILL COME BACK AND HAUNT YOU......NO I SAID I WILL HAUNT YOU.....

By the way, people in parks and rec, I heard via Jennifer that Carol Brasok passed away...a bit of a shocker....

I am Back

This is right in a restaurant...you can [pick the fish that you want...or whatever it is that is crawling in the aquariums....they had two seals at the front of the store.....waiting to be fed fish for RMB 10...
This is our crew on the tour at the Tsingdao brewery..nothing too special...we didn't see it in actual operation but I have seen a brewery before....they have special water so that make it better than the other stuff.....and it probably is....note the bottles in the back...
These were oyster nets out in the bay...I am not sure if you can make them out....but suffice it to say that there were perhaps a hundred or so.....I am going to stop here and not push my luck and try to put on too many pictures.....enjoy

On the coast line...fisherman in the background..bought a fishing rod there...which you have to see to believe.....one of my better photos
A corner bike repair shop..this is very usual....and they are everywhere....a little unusual in Tsingda as there are fewer bikes because the place is so hilly...but there they are...earning a living...

If you look closely, this is Mao Tse Tung's bedroom...on our trip to Tsingdao

I had to give up my computer for some minor repairs.....turns out that they don't know how to do minor repairs.....I needed a new battery pack and the point where the power goes into the computer...the small pin was loose....a factory return job and they put in a new mother board and took off all my files and favourites and stuff...I don't even know how to describe it but they really buggered things up....not a happy camper...it is back and I am not going to give it up again....

Can't remember where I left off last..a lot of unhappy teachers here as the admin is pulling our chains regarding days off in the May holiday and when we have to teach....we will have to teach a Saturday and a Sunday to make up for days not teaching during the holidays so that we get 7 consecutive days off...but we do have a new bulleting board so that we can now advertise stuff that is going on in the staff room...before we had to ask for permission to put it on the board....petty

Played a game of soccer with some kids yesterday ( the staff plus some kids) we would have got our butts kicked but we had a couple of students playing...final score 3-2 I played net and didn't allow any goals on my shift...lucky and good...

Today Bob and I and Don went and hit some golf balls at the local driving range....rmb100 for 100 balls....about $14...a little expensive considering all the other things that we can do for less money..... they do have a deal for RMB3000 you get 12000 balls so 5 or 6 of us may go in on it and all have a few thousand to hit inexpensively...we will see.....

Lots of stuff happening now.....we have exams coming up..some awards ceremonies....they are in to show here.but not a lot of substance....have been frustrated by the lack of backbone to some of the things that are going on....teachers are getting a little pissed......most aren't returning so it is no skin off their nose....still am having fun with the kids though...I get a kick out of some of their antics.....

Met a lady at the New Zealand cheap drink night....she is an Australian working for the Italian embassy in China....funny.....also the fellow who organizes the Beijing hockey league......I think I will try to get in on that next year..sounds like a lot of fun.....he said to bring sticks and tape and you will be set....so my blades will go a long way here I bet......also a lady who teaches in TongZhou...we are supposed to meet for coffee....she has a bike and we will meet sometime in Tonzhou and maybe swap some English stuff...she teaches at a private place as we....theere is a job fair for English teachers and others who have English......I thin...Bob too..that I will go there and see what is up with that....never hurts....

Jennifer had the baby....a girl.....Kenzie Kaitlyn (sp)...everyone is doing good....6lbs...15oz but with volleyball hands and football feet....she will do well....just like her Mom.....hahaha....but I had to phone to find out......kids these days....

Lost my debit card and now have to go throough the rigamarole of getting an new one...

Tickets are going on sale for the Olympics and they are going to be relatively inexpensive I think....will be getting on line for them....still haven't heard re a move to Beijing to teach but have put the word out..

Weather is good here now...got my ball glove and am waiting for the league to start...no one else has a glove to play catch with....so I went and tried to buy a bat...got a short one and that was after a lot of searching.....

May start running again just for fun....to get in half decent shape...may go into the marathon again but only 1/2 or 10 km or something like that....not full...no need... have been getting better on the subway at getting around here.....go on my own fairly easily now....still get lost but that doesn't matter.....have been seeing some different parts of town

Mark Chapman is in mourning.....his Byeeeeehabs didn't make the playoffs...yahoo and his only consolation was that the Leafs didn't get in too...the hockey pool is off.....waiting to see if the Wings go out in the first round....so I can wear my black armbands again.....

Will try to put on some pictures again.....wish me luck and I will get this away...

Will see some of you when I get back...July 14th.....Rerba McIntire(sp) is at Craven and J said she will get tickets for it....

Nope not going to let me put any pictures on the blog....bon't know why.....

Went to a soccer game with my friend Henry and in a city of 15 million, they can't fill a 15000 seat arena...in fact it was just over half full....imagine...we have 1 million all over the province and will put 20,000 in Mosaic Stadium......go figure....but they say the team is bad....and their point is...wonder if they will sell out in 2008....

The Canadian Embassy ball is on May 19th...another chance to wear the Tuxes...this time i will have a red bow tie...you know patriotic and all...eh

They are constructing a new hospital and a new school just down the road from us.....I am betting in 3 years time, some of the stuff that is standing here will be gone to make room for some new buildings.....our restaurant, the drycleaners, etc

A city of contrasts....Skyscrapers....overlooking shacks.....on brand new roadways that get torn up two months later to put wiring underneath the streets for the street lamps instead of doing it before the pavement goes down....and we complain....about poor planning..but people are working....and things are getting done....

Byeeeee