June 2010 Update

Finally back on! We've been unable to get onto some sites since May (this time around) and so have felt a bit out of touch. We're also unable to get onto Facebook, boo :( We've just found a way to look at Fb but not to update or write anything.

We are just back from a mini vacation in Jinan. We had a few holiday days saved up so decided to go and visit our old school. We had a horrendous time getting there but are very happy to report that the trip home was relatively uneventful.

What was supposed to have been a short 3 hour plane ride to Beijing from Shantou turned out to be a freakin' nightmare. Our 4 p.m. flight was delayed due to a brief storm in Shantou so we waited along with the other passengers for hours. There was no word when the plane would arrive so we waited and waited and waited. The natives started getting restless. People were shouting at the airport reps and a large crowd formed. I found some Cantonese speaking passengers so got the scoop. People were mad because nobody was telling us anything. They tried to appease us with free drinks and "dinner" in a small cafe that could not accommodate us all. We even got some money back. When the rumour that a plane was going to arrive around 10:30 p.m., we didn't believe it. When it did, we thought that our saga was over. Sadly, it continued. We boarded the plane but there was another delay. Again, there was no announcement to explain why the cabin temperature was getting more and more uncomfortable when the air was turned off. People started getting off the plane and the flight attendants became scarce. I went to the open back door and crowded around it with other passengers to try to get some humid but fresh air. After what seemed like an impossibly long time, we found out that an angry passenger had left without his luggage so that ground crews had to be found and the bag retrieved. I don't think I have ever been so uncomfortable and claustrophobic on a plane. Finally, we left at around 1 a.m.!

We arrived in Beijing and finally checked into our hotel, exhausted. The plan had been to arrive there around 8 p.m., have a good night's sleep and do the Temple of Heaven in the morning before taking the express train to Jinan. We still wanted to visit the Temple of Heaven so we slept for a few hours and headed out. We were sad to only enjoy such a short rest in the softest bed we've had in China. Unfortunately most beds here, including ours in Shantou, might as well be boards.

So that we could enjoy the Temple of Heaven knowing we had train tickets to Jinan, we decided to head to the train station first. That was another adventure. Due to the lack of English speaking ticket agents, we had a difficult time with what should have been a simple task. With the help of a friendly and helpful lady in the next line, we found out that they had been trying to tell us that there were no seats but that we could buy standing seats. Stand for 3 hours to Jinan, why not? Because we would have had to wait a couple of days before there were seats available (this is why travelling in China during any festival or holiday is a really really bad idea), we had no choice. We set off to try to enjoy the Temple and hopefully buy a small stool that would make our train journey bareable.

When we got to the Temple, I spotted a storekeeper sitting on a small foldable stool near the front gate. I went over to try to buy one and would have paid almost anything. Others have since told us that I paid too much but it was well worth the 25 yuan (around $4 Cdn). It made for some great shots during our visit. We will post our photos of the Temple of Heaven soon. Stay tuned. I'd have to say that it was worth it to see such an iconic site. The beautiful round building that I had seen so many images of was just as beautiful when I stood in front of it. Check that off my list!

While our standing trip to Jinan was uncomfortable, it was not as bad as it could have been. In a small area between the cars, we stood along with up to 9 people off and on. Some of our students have stood for a much longer time going home on holidays so we really can't complain. There was air conditioning and food if we wanted to buy it. Our little chair gave us respite and so did my luggage. I even managed some short cat naps.

Our main reason for the trip back to Jinan was to see some of the graduating students before they dispersed to different areas of China for jobs or further studies. So our trip back was filled with meals. We ate very well. A pleasant change from our less colourful menus here at this school. Our old school was kind enough to offer us a room in the teacher's residence so we were close to campus. We were able to see many of the students and catch up with some of our other friends there. We were even lucky enough to be included in the official graduation pictures. After a few short days though, it was time to go.

We are headed into two very busy weeks of oral exams here to finish off our term. We will be doing over 300 exams each. After that, we plan to come home for the summer holidays so we hope to see everyone soon. We have agreed to come back to this school next school year so we'll be travelling light, yay! Take care everyone. We'll post our pics as soon as we can. Check back for the link.

J & D