At this moment I have very mixed feelings about returning to the UK for 3½ months. It's certainly about time after 4 years away, and I'm really looking forward to seeing my family and friends again. Also it has long been my plan to take a long break and try to get to my 100th country this year. But on the other hand, I'm returning in less than great health (not good for a packed itinerary of visits and travels) and I know that as soon as I arrive in the UK I'll start missing China, my life here, my friends and, of course, a certain young lady...
Tomorrow is my last day in China for a while. I think I've managed to pack everything into a smallish bag and a rucksack, aided by the promise of a wardrobe of hand-me-down clothes on arrival from my brother Dave (ie I haven't actually packed any clothes!). Ava helped me with some gift shopping this morning (shopping is not my forte) and then watched me pack with the repeated refrain, "You'll never get it all in that bag".
At this moment I have very mixed feelings about returning to the UK for 3½ months. It's certainly about time after 4 years away, and I'm really looking forward to seeing my family and friends again. Also it has long been my plan to take a long break and try to get to my 100th country this year. But on the other hand, I'm returning in less than great health (not good for a packed itinerary of visits and travels) and I know that as soon as I arrive in the UK I'll start missing China, my life here, my friends and, of course, a certain young lady...
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It's a bit surreal when three quite different "areas" of your life and are all suddenly sitting around the same table together. This weekend has seen the LEAF family passing through Kunming on their way to Beijing, where Lesley is to be awarded the very prestigious, "Friend of China" award from the Chinese Vice Premier! A very just reward for the hard work and commitment she and her family have put into their 4+ years with VSO in China. Then Emily, who was my best friend in JiangCheng and helped me so much when I moved to Kunming is back from studying the UK, and it was great to see her today after over a year. And I was, of course, delighted to introduce them all to my girlfriend Jiajia (aka Ava) and then just sit back and see all my best friends getting to know each other! Ava and Lesley then went shoe shopping, while Ali looked after the kids and I played Scrabble with Emily. Such great timing to see them all before I head off to the UK. [Photo L to R: Emily, Lesley, Edi, Freda, Jiajia, Ali] We flew back from Guilin today. My chest pains and dizziness have been getting more frequent, so I will go and visit a Chinese heart specialist tomrrow. If that doesn't help, I'll try and hang on until I go back to the UK in under a week. In the meantime, I have an odd few days with visits from the LEAF family (I haven't seen them for 4 months) and Emily who is back from Britain (I haven't seen her for a year). And in between all the goodbyes and meals I need to pack! A long bus trip to Guilin today and a chance to think back over a really nice trip. I've become very used to travelling by myself over the years, so it made for a novel, and I must say very enjoyable, experience to share the trip. Ava and I have worked together really well (for example, she use her charm and language to find out things that I would struggle to, whilst I can stop her getting hopelessly lost while walking around a new town!). As ever, I've kept my eyes peeled for amusing Chinglish. "Accommodation the beard knows" in a tourist brochure didn't quite make the top two. I did love the shower advice [see photo] to avoid ships. But my favourite was the allocated "Pest Area" in a phone shop. And I then got a telling off from the shop-keeper who wasn't happy with me taking a photo there! Worth the aggro though! Getting to ZhaoXing was always going to a bit tricky. The direct local bus we were promised didn't materialise, so we headed for LuoXing which had a more regular service. From there we managed to hire a minibus to get us to this amazing Dong village. Despite a dozen beautiful "Drum Towers" [see photo] and "Wind and Rain Bridges" it still remains largely untouristy and we had a lovely few hours investigating alleys, waterways and traditional buildings. The day was somewhat overshadowed, however, by my mobile phone and glasses being stolen. An old peasant lady insisted on trying to sell us some trinkets while Ava and I were eating lunch. When we showed no interest, she presumably took matters into her own hands and dipped into my bag as she walked out - I had left it on the back on of my chair. It could have been worse - my passport, money, camera, MP3 player were all in there too - but it will be a hassle to replace all the stored telephone numbers and to have to wear my (prescription) sunglasses for the rest of the trip, day and night! The return journey to Congjiang at the end of the day proved even more awkward. We couldn't find a minibus willing to go to LuoXiang, and ended up hiring a tractor for the very bumpy 40 minute ride [see photo] to LuoXiang. Ava and I compared bruises the next day! From LuoXiang we managed to catch the last bus back for a well-earned shower and rest. Tomorrow is our last big bus journey - 8 hours to Guilin. Overlooking the town of CongJiang is the Miao village of BaSha, where the twentieth century seems to have been completely ignored. Ava and I had a very special morning just wandering around watching a way of life that still includes pigs living in houses, hand-dying of clothes, kids gasping when they see their faces appear on the digital camera screens, and men carrying swords and hunting rifles. Unfortunately, another bad dizzy attack meant we had to abandon thoughts of walking the 10km back to CongJiang and instead hailed a passing minibus. A frustrating end to a delightful day. Having only seen Jiajia before in city situations - taxis, fashion shops, restaurants, etc, I did wonder how she'd cope with the more "basic" requirements of travelling in the countryside. It wasn't helped by an episode on Day One as we prepared to board the train. I saw her rucksack had no locks and suggested she use one of mine. "Oh, thanks," she said, "Shall I lock the zip where my money is, or the one where my cosmetics are?". I feared the worst! But I needn't have worried. She's really loving "roughing it" and seems to enjoy the "chicken buses" even more than I do. It's not her first trip either - she went on a solo trip to Thailand and Cambodia in the 90s when few Chinese were able to make it out of the country, and with no English then either. So there's actually a tough and resourceful side to her that only makes her more attractive in my eyes. Today we enjoyed (endured?) a 9 hour bumpy and windy bus journey to CongJiang. This town is much smaller than Duyun or Kaili, but is the best place from which to head to Dong villages - an ethnic group I've not seen before. We head off to our first village tomorrow. For our last day based in Kaili we decided to head out to a market in the nearby village of ZhouXi. As it turned out, it wasn't anything particularly special, although there were plenty of Miao people buying and selling. The two highlights for me were, firstly, feeling a lot better than yesterday and, secondly, snapping this photograph when the opportunity suddenly presented itself. Now just how cute is she? Today promised a lot and, after a shaky start, delivered the goods. The shaking was down to a nasty attack of chest pains and dizziness on the bus as we headed to XiJiang - the largest Miao village in China, and indeed the world. By the time our bus arrived I was finding it hard to walk and breathe, so I was ushered straight to a local clinic and seen immediately by two doctors and a policeman! It was a really nice change from my usual solo travelling to have Jiajia there sorting everything out while I was laid out flat with the room spinning. After consultation by phone with my usual doctor in Kunming, I was given the usual Chinese remedy of "have a rest and drink lots of water". An hour later, however, I was feeling a lot better and after a short walk to get lunch, I felt fine. We then had a wonderful afternoon exploring the fantastic city-sized village. We left Duyun today and travelled 3 hours to Kaili, a pretty town surrounded by small ethnic minority villages. After finding a hotel, Ava and I took a bus out to one of these, inhabited by Gejia people. The Chinese government class the Gejia as a subset of the larger Miao group, but those we spoke to in MaTang Village were not at all happy about that, pointing out the differences in their clothes, songs, language, beliefs etc. The village wasn't at all touristy and we were able to watch the people going about their, fairly tough, daily life [see photo]. Jiajia and I set off to try and find my "Chinese daughter" today. 15 years ago, when living in Duyun, I stumbled across a village during a walk in the countryside and met an old lady with a screaming baby. Nicknaming it "Weeping Willow" and, hearing that the tiny girl's parents had abandoned it, I said I would keep in touch and visit with gifts when I could. Thus, a little connection was made and I tried to bring or send postcards, photos and small gifts over the years. I managed to find the village and the family 3 years ago when I revisited Duyun. Once again this time, we received a very warm welcome from the "Gran" but heard that Willow was now a boarder at a school 30 minutes away. Unfortunately I had promised to give a lesson at Wang Hui's school an hour later, so there was no way we could get to the school and back in time. After looking through a box of photo souvenirs of my previous visits, which the family keep, we started to leave. Unknown to us though, the uncle had headed off on his motorbike as soon as we arrived and collected Willow to meet us! I could hardly believe it when she walked in and said, "Hello Foreign Father" to me in Chinese! She has grown such a lot, though still very petite, and I hardly recognised her. It was such a moving surprise to see her, and also to introduce her to Jiajia (who is now "Honorary Mother", according to the Gran!). My first two years in China were spent in the sleepy town of Duyun. It's now a thriving city with skyscrapers where there used to be creaky wooden houses, and parks where there used to be fields. Even the College where I used to teach is now a Middle School and a big University has been built in the outskirts. Thankfully some things never change and it was such a pleasure to share meals with various old friends there today. They'd been rustled up by Wang Hui [see photo] who was my best friend when I lived there. She's now married with a delightful son and a kind husband who spent today faithfully taxiing us from place to place around town. And despite having travelled extensively throughout China, I still believe the dumplings in Duyun [see photo] are the best anywhere! Jiajia and I decided an overnight sleeper train to Guiyang would be more fun than flying there. We arrived early this morning, checked into a hotel and headed for a nice park. Later we tracked down an old friend of mine, Li Ying. I've known "Dawn" for 15 years and together we met her daughter ("Rachel") from school before a delicious lunch at a Miao ethnic restaurant. The food included this "Fat Meat Mountain" [see photo] - a lot tastier than it sounds! Later it was an early night to catch up on the sleep missed from the night on the train. Apart from a slightly worrying dizzy attack in the park, it was a lovely start to the trip. I spotted this unlikely pair in a pottery shop the other day and suggested to Ava that it looked a little like us - me on the left with the cute hairstyle and glasses, and her on the right... errr... well Ava's surname is Zhu which means "pig" in Chinese (albeit with a different tone!). That was my excuse anyhow, as I got a swift beating! So today this unlikely couple head off for a ten day trip to Guizhou Province. Both Ava and I have been working especially hard lately, and we're both looking forward to a relaxed holiday trip. Whether we can travel together successfully remains to be seen! I'm expecting frequent "beatings" as I open my mouth and put my foot in it! This week sees the Kunming local government’s valiant attempt to stop people spitting in the city. Each day 116,000 antibacterial phlegm bags will be distributed in streets, at bus stops etc by the wonderfully named, "Kunming Municipal National Hygiene City Establishment Task Force"! I wish them every success, but frankly I fear they have no chance of breaking such an ingrained habit. People here spit all the time and all over the place - even in the corridors of my school, unless I spot them first! It’s often the first sound I hear when I wake up. At least someone in leadership has at last recognised how unhygienic and unsavoury it all is. I’m off on 10 days travelling tomorrow - a 12 hour train journey to the neighbouring province of Guizhou, where I started my Chinese life 15 years ago. After meeting old friends there, I’ll be heading east into Dong minority towns – an area I’ve long wanted to explore. I say "I", but in fact it will be a "we", as I’ll be travelling with Jiajia ("Ava"). For those regular blog readers who haven’t put two and two together yet, we’ve been seeing each other for about 5 months now. It’s taken someone very special to knock me out of bachelor mode. As well as always looking terrific (she owns a fashion store and is really pretty – see photo) she’s clever, independent and very patient with me! To find an attractive, unattached, English-speaking woman in her 30s in China is so rare – I feel very lucky. Having said that, we face two big tests. Travelling together for 10 days will give us an indication of whether with can cope with each other 24/7, and then being apart for 3½ months while I am in the UK will clarify how much we really mean to each other. It’s all very new for me, but I’m enjoying the journey so far! A quick plug for the LEAF family's terrific blog. Their comprehensive "old" website has always been amazing to read, but their "new" blog is updated very regularly and gives a real flavour of their life in Simao (some 6 hours south of me, by bus). It's well worth checking out (just click on the bold words above). The Lattitude training course finished yesterday. It's the third time we've run it and it seemed the most successful to me, with some fresh new elements and a very motivated and reliable group of volunteers, whose lucky schools are going to benefit a lot from their 6-month time there. Certificates were duly handed out [see photo], followed by a delicious Thai banquet. The volunteers fly off to their projects around China throughout today. My remaining task is to pack away the resources, collate the volunteers' written feedback and write a report for Lattitude UK. Once done, holiday travels are just a few days away! This morning we took the Lattitude volunteers to Kunming's Minority Middle School - for most, their first taste of a Chinese school. 70% of the students at the school are from ethnic minority groups (36 groups in all) and we were welcomed by girl wearing a variety of colourful clothes. After we chatted with them for a while, it turned out that the clothes they weren't necessarily from the ethnic group represented by the clothes they were wearing. Thus, the Bai girl was wearing PuMi clothes, while the PuMi girl was wearing Zhuang clothes, etc. As ever in China, it's more important for things to look right, even if they are not actually correct! The volunteers observed to lessons. The first was by a teacher from the school, all in Chinese and 100% grammar. My lesson followed with no Chinese and no grammar! It was clear which one the students enjoyed the most, but I guess they highlighted the extremes of teaching methodology and students would probably benefit from something in between, on a week to week basis! Today was the day that the Lattitude volunteers had been building up to for the last five days - their first real taste of teaching. They had prepared an hour's lesson and this afternoon delivered it to our school's guinea pig students. They did really well, yet were honest enough to share their mistakes and feelings afterwards. One volunteer said, "I simply had no idea teaching was so complicated". Another confessed, "I used up my emergency activity and was still 15 mins from the end of the lesson." They all related how their hearts were pounding and the adrenaline was flowing, which I suggested was all part of the buzz of being a teacher. Tomorrow, we are spending the morning at a Middle School where I've been asked to teach a demonstration lesson for 150 students, watched by a dozen volunteers, a dozen teachers, school leaders and possibly a TV crew. No pressure there, then... bring on the adrenaline! The Lattitude Training course is over halfway now. The volunteers are still managing a 100% attendance record and are always keen to have a go at everything. Yesterday, their Chinese language teachers [see photo] took them out onto the streets to practise asking direction and buying stamps and fruit with real people! One volunteer asked a lady selling flowers where the Post Office was. The bemused lady pointed across the street to a very obvious building. Flushed with success at being understood, the volunteer punched the air and shouted, "Yes!". The flower lady was even more confused seeing that! Yesterday evening we all went out for a hotpot meal. It looked nice enough, but I already had an upset stomach, so I just chatted and watched them eat. I think the poorly tummy was the result of my lunch. I went to a new restaurant and saw a picture in their menu of 6 small spring rolls. Feeling hungry, I ordered two plates. However, the first arrived with 12 spring rolls on it and I was told the second plate was on it's way! I managed to get through nearly 20, but I think I must have overdosed, as my stomach rebelled later. Serves me right! Today was the training course's most intensive day. Most other days have some sort of light relief at some point. Rob was off ill, too, so I had to do all of the training sessions myself - about 6 hours of teaching. The volunteers have been particularly excellent this time though - on time for all lessons, willing to get involved in even the silliest games and full of bright ideas and thoughtful comments. A pleasure to teach. We had a session on using songs to end the long day today, and managed a variety of action songs, jazz chants, invented songs and even a round. |
AuthorPaul Hider lives and works in Kunming (SW China) and regularly updates this blog about his life there. Past blog entries
February 2024
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