Well guys, sadly this is the end of my Wuhan, China journey. There have been many farewell lunches and dinners... and more to come. I had hoped to lose some weight in China but, alas, the food is so cheap and too yummy to knock back...
Three photos are attached:
- A Xmas dinner put on by an Australian teacher (from the right): Lynne (the host), John (the American) with his Chinese wife (Ting), me, and 3 teachers from Singapore. As an aside, Ting also means 'stop' in Chinese, so I can imagine the confusion when John is making love to his wife and sighing "Ting, oh Ting"!
- John and I eyeing off the turkey.
- My best friend (Sharon) and I on my birthday outing, at the Yellow Crane Tower. This is a YouCam photo of a photo we had taken (I am still cameraless!)
I had a great birthday: I was taken to a popular street-food place where there were dozens of small shops and stalls selling an incredible variety of flavoursome and delectable food from which to choose (good pickings when guided by a Chinese person); then a visit to the Yellow Crane Tower which "is one of the most renowned towers south of the Yangtze River. Its cultural significance led to its being made the symbol of Wuhan City"; finally, dinner at the revolving restaurant of the 400-metre tall tower next to the Yangtze River, with spectacular views of Wuhan at night.
My efforts now are devoted towards making 37kg of luggage appear to be the 27kg capacity which I am allowed on my flight home! I have investigated all possible means of alternative transport but all are too expensive - even China Post charges the equivalent of AUD$33 per kilo! I may need to find someone travelling on the same flight who is travelling light!
My other efforts are dedicated to looking for another teaching position. Wuhan University has no work for their permanent English teachers in the next semester, let alone pay for a foreign teacher. However, the Dean has given me an open invitation to rejoin them in the second semester when they will have completed their contract with a new Australian sister university (Curtin University in Western Australia). I have had two job offers to teach in Dalian, a very touristic part of China... but it's to teach 10-12 year-old children! However, I do have a phone interview next week with a private school to teach small classes of 17-45 year-old students (including business people); this too, according to my Chinese friends, is in a very attractive part of China, namely, Hangzhou which is approx a 90-minute bus ride to Shanghai. I am hoping that they will overlook my teaching inexperience and judge me on my professionalism and content of my character.
I have also thought of going to Japan for a teaching job: after seeing a very funny video clip on YouTube I could always become a PPP (Professional Peope Pusher) if a teaching job is not available - refer attached hilarious video clip. Other irons I have in the fire include teaching jobs in beautiful northern Italy where Ferraris and Ducatis are manufactured: I would love to go motoring through the Italian Alps in a Ferrari or, preferably, on a Ducati ST3... at least I can dream about it!
Finally, my "Neurotic Nurse': after a serious of cancellations and miscommunications (her English is very poor and my Chinese is non existent) I apparently left her standing at the hospital gate for 2 hours, waiting for me to arrive; she had said she would call me at 8pm and when that didn't happen I gave up on her. Problem was she was expecting me to pick her up at 8pm and when she tried to call me soon after, my SIM card had run out of money! She eventually contacted me on the QQ internet system at 10:30pm asking why I stood her up! After many apologies on my part she insisted on still seeing me (she must have had a bet with her nursing friends!), so we agreed to meet at my school gate. As she had not had dinner and all restaurants close at 9pm (apart from McDonalds) she came back to my place, where I fixed up a snack for her. We watched half a movie until 12:30am at which time she announced she had to leave, as her hospital shift was due to commence at 1:00am - a most uneventful encounter...
Well, that's it from me until I can land another job and another adventure. I am looking forward to catching up with you, as well as many of my Chinese students (some of whom I failed a week ago) who are already in Melbourne to continue their studies at RMIT.
Happy Chinese New Year to all... Renzo the Red and Nosey Emperor
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