...I think they mean "exit"!?
 As I pound around my neighbourhood running 20 laps (3km), I can get pretty bored. So I've started to look out for puddles and cracks in the concrete which look like famous land-masses ...as you do!
I photographed a few of them the other day and I've posted them here alongside the relevant maps ...hmmmm, well they looked a bit similar as I ran past them.  It seems like my e-bike might well survive all the way until we leave China despite, over the last decade or more, having new brakes (twice), 3 pairs of tyres, 4 boxes, 3 sets of mirrors, 8 sets of batteries and a new seat. It's done over 60,000km in total!  New back brake
So I sketched a picture [above right] while JD made a 3D train [below left] out of card and glue. He was also in charge of planning our journey there and back by underground train. So, a pleasing mix of academic, art and life lessons!
JiaJia took her IELTS English language proficiency tests a fortnight ago and the results came through yesterday.... 
We woke yesterday to see two guys in a basket hanging from a crane outside our upstairs window! They were apparently "pruning" the trees outside, swinging a chainsaw around, with no harnesses or safety lines. Life here is cheap!
I've been home-schooling JD for three weeks now. I feared he might try and take some liberties, but he's been working really well - getting up by himself on time, focusing on his work (whether I am sitting next to him or not), and trying to master the endless spellings which are definitely his weak point.
As well as English reading, writing and spelling we have been doing topic work each day in History, Geography and Science. These are areas which his Primary School rarely covered and, when they occasionally did, it was inevitably China focused. So far, JD has done reports on subjects like the Romans, Canada, A380 aeroplanes, Spectacled Bears and Volcanoes. He says he really enjoys the lessons but I put that down to the later starts in the morning, less homework and a more relaxed atmosphere, as much as any curriculum planning on my part!
It's the end of an era but, so far, JD appears to be taking it all in his stride. Nonchalant, even!
Some 12,000 pieces, over 26 hours of work, and the Imperial Star Destroyer is finally complete! Here's how....
It's not his first, but the others were cheap and broke fairly quickly. We struggle to find wide open spaces, but he's flown it in our neighbourhood basketball court a few times with only a few crashes. The inbuilt camera can take photos and video from quite a height, albeit low res.  JD has left his Chinese Primary School for the last time. After 5 years there, he said his goodbyes. He will miss his friends and some of the teachers, but he won't miss the daily 3-4 hours of homework!
The plan, starting today, is for me to home-school him for 6 months, to try and get his English level (spellings in particularly) up to the right level to start in a UK Secondary School in September 2024.
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 AuthorPaul Hider started this blog to share his rather odd life living in China for over 20 years. Since returning to the UK in 2024, the blog now records his more "normal" lifestyle! Past blog entries
May 2025
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