Oops... It appears that the gaps between my journal entries are becoming longer and longer. I should probably just accept the fact that I will only be disciplined enough to write once a week during my time here in Nanjing. It's probably for the best anyway... I'll run out of things to write otherwise... And you'll get sick of reading about it... If you're not already. I haven't really been up to much this week. Just settling into a routine, soaking up some sun, and generally chilling. Happy days! I am enjoying teaching more and more. I feel as though I am beginning to understand the children better, and am getting to know them individually. There is nothing nicer than the feeling when you arrive in the morning and the children come running up to you shouting your name and hugging you. I have enjoyed some more of Nanjing's nightlife, and am looking forward to sampling some more tomorrow night. So watch this space. Last Friday I visited a lovely Mexican restaurant called Behind The Wall. The food is excellent, the beer and food are reasonably priced, and the live music is fantastic. A lot of the bars and restaurants aimed at Westerners are very pretentious and over-priced, but Behind The Wall has a really laid back and friendly atmosphere. It will definitely become a regular haunt. I also paid a visit to Blue Sky Bar, which is another reasonably priced and laid back venue... And yet another venue that I can see becoming a bit of a regular thing. I am noticing funny little signs everywhere I go at the moment. How about these - 'It's a duty to keep clean for everyone' - Do not litter. 'Rubbish that cannot be rescued' - Unrecyclable rubbish. 'This door merely sopply to the exigence must keep it very expedite' - Emergency Exit. Keep Clear. Hee hee hee... Oh dear! I have signed up for Mandarin lessons, which start on Tuesday. I am really looking forward to them, but I'm extremely nervous as well. I know from past language attempts that I do not have a language brain! I am having 6 individual lessons and then 30 group lessons... I'm sure I'll still be perfecting yes, no, hello and thank you by then. The people who work at the language training centre seem really, really nice and gave me loads of hints about where to go for a good night out. They also gave me directions to Skyways Bakery, which is a place I have been searching for since I got here. Skyways is known for producing real bread... Which doesn't sound like such a big deal, but it really is here! The Chinese put loads and loads of sugar in their bread so that it tastes more like cake... And then they often fry it as well. So you buy what looks like a loaf of wholegrain, and when you get it home you notice that it is oily and sweet... Gross! Well, thanks to the directions, I found Skyways and bought myself the most delicious chicken sandwich and a salad... And not just any old salad. No siree! A salad with actual vegetables that hadn't been fried... AND OLIVES! I nearly died of shock! I have spent loads of time walking to, and around, the Shizi Qiao area of the city. It is a really vibrant part of town with hundreds of restaurants selling every type of food you can imagine. It is quite a distance away from my apartment, but the walk there is really interesting and very scenic. The area is pedestrianised, and in the evening it has a tunnel of lights that make you feel extremely dizzy... I love it! I also got round to having my photos burnt onto CD, so you will now notice some Nanjing photographs have been added to this site. I've added a few pictures of my apartment, although I have made some changes and still need to take some pictures of my bedroom. As soon as I get a new charger for my camera I'll add some more! There are also a number of photographs of Fuzi Miao, Zhonghuam Men, The Presidential Palace and Yuhuatai Park. Well, overall it sounds as though I've had a boring week, but I really haven't. I suppose it has just been my most normal week yet. No sightseeing as such, just blending in a little more. I have noticed that I'm getting fewer 'hellos' as I walk down the street, and far less people poke me... Although I have noticed a lot more people hanging out of cars trying to take photographs of me with their camera phones. What is that all about?! I even had someone drive round in a circle yesterday... Obviously the first photo hadn't come out very well?!? Well... It is a school night, and I want to be all fresh tomorrow in preparation for a real night out. so I'm off to bed. Good night!