3 months later

Today marks three months since I've arrived in Qiqihar (after the plane trips over on the 25th: Sydney to Shanghai & Shanghai to Harbin. Then spending the night in Harbin). It seems so long ago - that first day, that is. Time has certainly flown.

The fear in coming here that I felt at first has seemed to have washed away. I've had dozens of new experiences and seen ways of life that I couldn't have fathomed before. As always there's been the bad parts: beeing overworked and exploited by the school(s), being sick for weeks at a time, the horrible cold that creeps in a bit more each day, class after class of blank faces or sleeping heads on desks, and now: reports of Bird Flu close by!

Possibly the most painful, just now: my first tentative taste of (unfulfilled) lust & romance in such a long time finally crashing and burning - as it always had to, just not on the terms I would've liked...

I always have this feeling of what I'm missing out on. In some ways I miss my comfortable lazy existance at home before I left, but I know I am far better off for the experience. I won't be recommending these Aoqi (aka Auqi) people to anyone who wants to do ESL teaching, but it has been worth it for me. I guess I'm staying until the finish as a form of penance.

Right now, I'm really missing a very good friend, whom I don't get to see very much, since she was fired by the school. I must say that being in contact with her has kept me sane in many ways even if I've been miserable in my heart. I'm just hoping that I haven't completely lost contact, I'm very worried - I feel I've been a fool in many ways. Meeting her is easily the best thing about my trip here...

Anyway, so a few things that still surprise me: camorflage fatigues as a fashion statement; baijiu (a paint-stripper-like spirit) for sale everywhere - I had some at a fast-food joint [the comically named: Mr Lee: California Beef Noodle King U.S.A]; live turtles and frogs for sale in the supermarket; baby clothing with a split in the seat instead of using nappies.
I could go on for ages.

So my biggest concern now, is what will I do when I'm finished? We wind up on the 30th of December (I think) - hopefully I'll be travelling at the end - so many things I want to see before leaving the Middle Kingdom. Maybe I'll try for another job. When I return to australia, I'll be back to being a pauper and not knowing where I'm going - but I guess I'll have a bit more scope about life, now.

So I guess: To infinity and Beyond!

early November update

I guess it's been a long time since I've written. In many ways a lot has happenned, but it all seems like such a blur to me now.

Most weeks have been quite standard, being shipped off to towns to teach. Just this week I've been to the 2 furthest apart towns that we cover. From Tailai in the south (quite close to the borders with Jilin Province and Inner Mongolia - an 'Automous Region' of China) from Monday night until Thursday morning - when I took a 6 hour train trip to Nenjiang in the north (as far north as we go).

I was a bit annoyed that they wanted me to teach directly after that, luckily the train was late, so I had a small rest after - but no lunch.

We've now had 4 people leave (excluding old George who'd been here since February, and had 'earned' his trip home). A few weeks ago we had 3 people who left at night without telling anyone - a pretty weak act, really. And this week cranky old Jimmy left to go to Chongqing (in the south) to a new job and wife.

It's staring to get damn cold up here, I'm keen to see what things are like when it gets down to the -30 C they keep telling us about. Apparently snow is forcast for Monday...

Not much else to go on about, except that watching TV at the Nenjiang hotel the other night allowed me to see the worst piece of casting in a program or movie I had ever seen. It was some bizarre early 20th/late 19th Century Tibetan period drama (in Chinese, of course) featuring some German sounding guys as a British East India Company officer. Imagine listening to McBain from the Simpsons rattle off pompous sounding English Dialogue:

"I'm terribly sorry, old chap. I have no idea what you're saying"

ugh.

OK, I'm out. Bye.