Holidays

It is National Holidays here in China.  From tomorrow, Tuesday 1st, everyone is off for the week.  This is supposed to be one of the most expensive holidays in China apart from the Chinese New Year Holiday.

Some gifts given by the school for National Holiday

 



Well I have managed to become a member of Taobao where I can buy anything at next to nothing prices.  The Chinese staff at school were shocked that I had found out that I could and that I could buy vouchers to put money on my Alipay (Paypal) account.  They were like 'but you only been here two month, how?'  So I have made my first two purchases and just waiting for them to arrive.

Our school has broken up on holiday, so yes, I am having a well deserved break for a week.

Vivian, the Chinese Language teacher, met Paul and myself to show us where the Chinese post office was to buy our Taobao voucher.  Then she asked us if we wanted to go to the convention centre where the Koreans were displaying their goods for sale.  When we were at a stall, we got there and it was empty, then all of a sudden there were plenty of Chinese also wanting to look at the same merchandise we were looking at.  And we had a photo shoot.  Some Chinese man decided to take not one, or two but many photos of us from different angles.  Needless to say, we have now gotten the hang of being aloof and ignoring the photo sessions and being stared at.  Unless directly asked to pose.  (Ha Ha)

Some rice cakes, fresh as ever, watched them being made and packaged in front of us.

We also bought some shrimp flavoured chips and tammeleitjie (spelling??) suckers.



Then we went to Dio Coffee this evening to have some supper.  Well what can I say about them.  Firstly no waitress understand or speaks any English.  So a patron who heard us battling to order walked up and helped us by interpreting between us and the waitresses.  The patron that assisted us with translation landed up being the Deputy Dean for the Translation and Interpretation School for Teachers University and asked if we knew any teachers wanting to teach English at the University.  The service was not that good as they brought our food in drips and drabs.  I got my salad after we had finished eating our mains and finished drinking our coffee.  Paul didn't get his salad at all and by that time the kind patron had left so we could not even ask the waitresses where it was.  The food was okay, but Yummy's is better.  Paul and I ordered fillet steak, Kerry a Pizza (again), and Sarah ordered skewered chicken (we thought).  When Sarah started eating hers we found out that the cartilage was still in the meat. (who can guess what we had, cause we don't know !! :))  )

Relaxed,Lisa and Kerry (Kerry reading the Cosmopolitan Magazine)

 

Paul and Sarah enjoying

 

   
Sarah's chicken something   Paul and my fillet steak

  

Kerry Pizza                             Potato salad with Tarter sauce (Mayonnaise)

 

Ice Cuppachino                Iced Columbia            Iced Yogurt and Apple blend



Sarah's birthday present arrived and she was so excited.
    
   
Anyway keep reading as it is holidays and we are hoping to do something here in Rizhao to get to know the place better.

Time to update all !

Well the days are seeming to be flying by.  It has been almost 2 months that we have been here and living here has begun to get easier and easier.

I haven't been too well this week and have had a serious ear infection and sore throat.  By Wednesday I had a migraine of note and mixing that with a screaming child just didn't go too well.   So I decided to go to the school nurse and ask for some help.  With a bit of charades, I managed to explain to the nurse what was wrong and she came back to the classroom with some medication.  Well it was in a little vial, and there seemed to be a little needle with it.  Inside the vial was some black liquid.  I immediately said to her that she was not putting that in my arm.. NO WAYS!!  But she just laughed, and stuck this needle into the vial, and showed me it was a straw and I had to suck this black liquid through this straw.  UUUUrrrrrggggg!  Awful.  It tasted ghastly.  That apparently was for my throat.  Then she gave me a tablet for the migraine.  I showed her the medication we bought from the pharmacy previously for headaches and she said they were for sore throats not headaches.  OH WELL.  Thank goodness it wasn't something more serious.  And within half an hour I no longer had a sore throat or headache.  Marvellous stuff I tell ya.

Thursday we had a public holiday which I must say was well deserved.  Paul and I went out to to supermarkets.  We get some of the groceries we used to from one and the rest from the other.  While there Paul managed to save a translated message on his phone to ask the pharmacist it they had strong pain killers.  And what do you know.  They pulled out some I-brufen.  What a surprise.

On Friday we were in for a shock.  I was at school and the others at home.  Suddenly we heard a war siren or warning siren going off.  It went off for about half an hour.  Paul whats app'd me and asked what is was for.  He was standing by the window watching out for a tsunami that may be coming in or for bomber planes coming over.  He said he lost his virginity that day.  All he could think about was, if it is a tsunami I was too near ground level and too near the sea.  So I went to find out.  The siren was to commemorate the people who died in the Mukdin Massacre.  And we thought we were either under attack or that a tsunami was on its way.  HA HA

This week Paul put together a kitchen cupboard.  When it arrived there were no instructions on how to put it together.  I went to work the next day and asked one of the Chinese staff to get hold of the supplier and ask him to email me the instructions.  There weren't any.  So they did one better and video recorded one of the suppliers staff putting the cupboard together.  Didn't we laugh as they also didn't know and as they were putting it together so they were taking them apart.  Paul managed without the instructions and it turned out pretty well.

Today we went to lunch for Sarah's birthday.  Her birthday is tomorrow, but we had promised to go out today.  Yes we went to Yummy's again.  But this time for a sit down lunch.  And it was delicious.  You enter and order at the counter, pay and then you get your number and sit at the table.  They then bring your meal to your table.  While we were enjoying our meal, we had the manager, I think, come up to us and ask to take our photo.  Who knows, maybe the photo will be placed on their wall sometime soon.,

 

Our place mats

 

They did actually enjoy themselves.

I like this photo

 

 Orange juice

Sarah's fillet steak on mash

Paul's sirlion steak on mash

Kerry ordered pizza

Lisa's Lamb chops on mash

The gravy was so delicious that we ordered potato wedges so we could finish the gravy.

And the same with the chips.

 

At the end of next week it is the National Day Holidays, and school closes for a week. I am told that the whole of China is on holiday then and it is the most expensive part of the year, apart from their new year in February. We are hoping to go and see some more of Rizhao then. It has also started to cool down in the morning and evenings. Which is very enjoyable I must say. We do however have to start buying some warm clothing as winter is coming soon.

Well that's my weekly update. Don't stop reading because there will be another post soon.

First Official Week of School

Yes it has started.  And it really has hit me six love. 

Kershnee Naicker - I don't know how you do it.  Preparing for 4 grades and I only prepare for 2.  It is hard work.

On Monday we had a general arts and crafts for the first two hours to keep the learners busy.  (Also another way to quickly get art on the walls around the school.)  Then we had an official opening of the school. 

Entrance to the school hall

 

 Flowers were everywhere

 

 

Opening the school with cutting of the ribbon

High government officials, principals of other schools, and anybody who is everybody and the parents attended the event.  There were a few speeches, some local teachers did a dance and a magic show.  Then Micky Mouse made a grand entrance for the children.  This all happened within an hour.

 IMPRESSIVE!!!

 

By the time I got home I was absolutely finished. (Tired, exhausted)

On Tuesday we started the normal routine of school.  Yes, I am an expert with mime.  Not one child in my class can speak English.  So I have some help from Vivien, the Chinese Language Teacher who is filling in for my co-teacher, but the rest of the time I have to use body language.  I had one child crying, but soon settled.  I have a Korean/Chinese, Swedish/Chinese, Russian/Chinese, Taiwanese/Chinese and American/Chinese in my class.  And they all speak the home tongue and Chinese, except for the American who only speaks Chinese.

Today, Friday, things have started to get a bit easier and routine has started to take place.  I thought, wow this is getting good.  JA, THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT.  Then the smallest child decided she wanted to go home and she will let the whole school and the neighbours know this by screeching her lungs out.  She kicked me, pinched me, bit me, and tortured my ears for 1 and 1/2 hours.  Eventually she stopped and fell asleep.  When her mom came to pick her up, she didn't want to go home. What the heck!!! WHEW!!

 

But I was spoilt today by the principal.  She took myself and the Chinese language teacher out for tea.  It was relaxing and delicious.  A good way to start the weekend.

 

 

 

But have plenty of work to do for next weeks preparations as well.

 

Will post again so don't stop reading.

Chloe and John for supper

Before I get to dinner, I must say that when in South Africa we would joke about what would happen if the electricity went out in our apartment building.  How would we get to the 26th floor.  Well I know the answer to that.  On Wednesday we, Kerry and I got home after work and the lifts were out of order, yes, we had to walk up 26 flights with 17 stairs in each flight.  Well I was finished.  So now I know what will happen if it goes out again.
 
Went onto a Chinese website called Taobao which is similar to amazon and bought some goodies for Paul and the girls.  Paul got some Converse All Stars, Kerry got a Lenovo Mini Pad, and Sarah some clothes. We also ordered two 'camp' cupboards for our linen.  Still have some goods to be delivered.  Thanks also to Sanchia, Sarah's books have arrived and she is very excited to start her school work.

 


Today is Sunday and we had Chloe and her fiance around for dinner.  We put on a spread as we normally do.

   

    

 
We had roast beef, roast pork, baked drummets, roast potatoes, green salad, aubergine dip, tomato/onion/coriander salsa, caramelised carrots, fried green beans,and a fruit platter, and then we ended off with bananas and cream and chocolate and tiramasu ice cream.  The roast potatoes were the hit of the evening as they had never eaten potatoes like that before.
 
We sat and chatted and showed some photos from home.  John thinks that Anton looks like Bill Clinton and the T'leecio side profile looks like Barak Obama.  She has always seen Paul as being tall, then she saw the photo of the guys, Derek, Anton, Paul and Brendan the night before we left and couldn't believe how tall they are.  We also took photos and they took tons of the food.

                                     


When they arrived they bought us a present. They bought us some Chinese food to try.  It is ready to eat fish snacks and she also bought me some flowers.

      
   

 
Tomorrow I start teaching.  Quite excited to start.  But really exhausted in all the preparations for the school and my school work.  We have a high government official coming through to cut the ribbon to officially open the school.

Will post again soon, so keep reading.