As I bid farewell to China I have been reminiscing on my 3 years here. Such a mixed bag of emotions, there have been highs and lows, good and bad times but most of all it has been an adventure that I will never forget. Who would have thought that I would end up living this life!!!

So here are my A-Z memories of living and working in the middle kingdom!!

A= ancient history. With its rich history spanning more than 5000 years China is abundant in history and culture. It is the inventor of compass, paper-making, gunpowder and printing. The great wall, Grand Canal and Karez irrigation system are three great ancient engineering projects built 2,000 years ago. So many wonderful places to see that somehow escaped ruination during the Cultural Revolution.

B=Beijing first time became an imperial capital in 1153 and is again the capital. No visit to China would be complete without visiting here. From the Great Wall to Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace or the Temple of Heaven, exploring the hutongs or the myriad of other places there is history and culture everywhere. Unlike the glitz and artificial plastic that Shanghai has become Beijing has retained a feeling of being China's cultural mecca.

C= crowds. With a population of over 1.3 billion people one has to get used to crowds everywhere! Travel during peak periods is a true test of endurance. Pushing and shoving is a way of life especially on the many metro systems in the cities…..you wont get anywhere if you don’t use your elbows!!

D=dumplings. Dumplings or Jiaozi as they are called typically consists of ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together that are then boiled, steamed or fried. Jiaozi are eaten all year round, and can be eaten at any time of the day – breakfast, lunch or dinner. They can constitute one course, starter or side dish, or the main meal. These are just one of the many different foods to be found in China and turned out to be one of my favourites. In fact China could be considered a culinary delight with such diverse cuisines across the country. Northern china is dominated by noodles while the south is dominated by rice and there are cuisines typical across many provinces. With such variety there is something for everyone and you will always find new foods to taste. Mastering the art of chopsticks is a challenge for some. For me being left-handed I surprised many Chinese by using chopsticks with my left hand…..got many strange looks and asked countless times why I was using my left hand!!

E=ethnocentric. China is not really known for its ethnic diversity. If you resemble anything besides a native Chinese person, get ready to stand out like an alien walking down the street. If you happen to be pale with blonde hair like myself, then prepare to be stared at constantly. People are going to take your picture – at times sneakily, at other times you get ambushed. My picture is on millions of Chinese Iphones and cameras…..I can only buy imagine what stories they tell their families and friends!!

It never ceased to amaze me how many Chinese people have no desire to travel the world. For many the world is China!!! Many of my students would blissfully tell me that there was no need to go anywhere else as China had everything….it saddens me to hear young people speak like that as I truly believe you really only appreciate your own country when you have traveled to others and experienced different cultures. My Chinese friends who had traveled abroad were far more appreciative of what China could offer but also recognised that it is far from a perfect country – a balanced view of life based on experience not ignorance.

F= frustration. Never think that adapting to living in another culture is easy especially with the immense cultural differences between East and West. There are days when you want to pack it all in and just see something Western. At other times you can easily immerse yourself in everything China has to offer.

G= geography. Few countries boast such majestic and intriguing landscape as China, thanks to the infinite generosity and exhaustless bounty on the part of Mother Nature. Along, the Lijiang River of Guilin, the mountains are statuesque and there is something dreamlike about them….its like you are living in a painting. Breathtaking is hardly an adequate word for the sights of the Yangtze River and the Three Gorges. Mount Huangshan is a paragon of alpine grandeur with wonderful named peaks, magnificent pines and strange rocky outcrops. The Chinese have a saying: Shang you tiantang, xia you Suhang. Roughly translated this means above there is heaven, on earth there is Suzhou and Hangzhou – both beautiful places to visit. Make sure you get out and about to see all the magnificent scenery that China has to offer.

H=Healthcare and Hospitals. Should you have the misfortune to get sick then you will come into contact with the Chinese health system and its idiosyncrasies. China has a "user pays" system which is quite comical if you are not violently ill. First you have to pay a fee to register and then pay to see the doctor, then pay for any tests, x-rays or treatment etc etc The funny part is that each item must be paid for separately…...NO you cannot get everything done and then pay a bill the end…each item needs a receipt pasted on the back in order to get done!!! You seem to spend half your time at the cashier’s window!! BUT in saying that the costs are minimal compared to Western countries and depending on the hospital the healthcare is equivalent or better. As in any country there are places to avoid and this is where having a Chinese friend comes in handy. Luckily for me teaching at a medical university I had access the opinions of many healthcare staff who were all to willing to assist me…..the downside is when I did get sick I was in another province and received the worst care!!!

I= Internet. Probably the bane of every foreigner (and many locals) is the heavy censorship in place. All the usual sites – Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, etc are blocked unless you have a VPN. Even a simple Google search without a VPN will give you limited results. The censors (or the “boys in Beijing” as we like to call them) are constantly on the alert and have also been known to block Yahoo, Gmail, Skype and other commonly used sites known to foreigners. My first 6 months in China was horrendous until someone hooked me up with a VPN so I could communicate with the outside world again.

J= job. Well let’s face it this is what I came to China for!! Initially came for 6 months and had a wonderful introduction with Buckland teaching at a senior high school which I thoroughly enjoyed and have lasting happy memories of my time there. Then I found the perfect position as Adjunct Professor of Nursing in Nanjing where I could pursue both loves – nursing and teaching. Up until the last semester it has been fantastic but things have changed and this last semester I have not enjoyed my work at all. The nursing curriculum in English is being disbanded through what I think is short sightedness and will set the university back in its academic standing. When I left my senior executive government job I always told myself I would not stay where I was not happy so it is time for me to move on…..go where I am appreciated not just tolerated.

K=kaidangku. These are split pants worn by young children instead of nappies/diapers. Basically you end up seeing bare baby butts everywhere!! Pooing and peeing right on the street, in restaurants, in shopping malls and even in the airport customs area. It seems to be taken as perfectly natural by Chinese people but for me there is a time and place foe everything. Having some child pee on the floor while I am trying to eat my dinner is not a sight I will forget

L=Lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, usually in February or March in the Gregorian calendar. As early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25), it had become a festival with great significance. Lanterns of various shapes and sizes are hung in the streets, attracting countless visitors. Children will hold self-made or bought lanterns to stroll with on the streets, extremely excited. "Guessing lantern riddles" is an essential part of the Festival. Lantern owners write riddles on a piece of paper and post them on the lanterns. If visitors have solutions to the riddles, they can pull the paper out and go to the lantern owners to check their answer. If they are right, they will get a little gift. In the daytime of the Festival, performances such as a dragon lantern dance, a lion dance, a land boat dance, walking on stilts and beating drums while dancing will be staged. At night, except for magnificent lanterns, fireworks explode in the air…...and seem to go ALL night. The style of lantern is only challenged by one’s imagination – everything you could possible think of is represented in lantern form and they are a sight to be seen.

M=Mao. Revered by many, hated by a few, there is no doubt that the impact of Mao is felt throughout China. Many people see him as a true hero responsible for making China what it is today. For others Mao created a moral wasteland and a land of hatred. No matter what your opinion is when you live and work in China keep it to yourself.

N= Nanjing. My home for 2 ½ years of my time in China. A city of 8 million people it is known as the “old capital of Six Dynasties” and therefore has significant historical and cultural sights for any visitor. What amazes me is that it is rarely included in tours of China and if so only for a day. There is much to see here – Presidential Place, Fuzimiao, Dr Sun yat-Sen’s Mausoleum, Ming tombs, Chaotian Palace, Mochou Lake, Xuanwu Lake, Zhangyaun Garden, Jiming Temple, Memorial Hall to the victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders (a MUST see), Yuejiang tower, N0 1 Bridge of the Yangtze River and the Yuhuatai Scenic area – to name only a few. In addition the city is filed with small parks and gardens that give one respite from the concrete jungle.

O= Oomulangma as Mt Everest is known in China. Unforgettable experience getting to the base camp and standing staring in wonder at this majestic mountain at sunrise – totally awe-inspiring. In fact my tour of Tibet was probably one of the highlights of my time in China.

P= Panda. The national symbol of China for many Westerners. I was fortunate to visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and see these beautiful animals up close in a relatively natural environment. I could have watched them forever as they played. Unfortunately there are far too many of these beautiful animals being kept in zoos with little resemblance to their natural surroundings.

Q= qipao. This traditional dress is rarely seen these days except for special occasions such as weddings and traditional festivals. It has a stand up collar, fitted waist, slits up the sides and can be worn at various lengths. Naturally I could not leave China without purchasing one for myself….also naturally in silk

R=Resident Permit. This is the vital document that allows you to legally live and work in China. At least once you have this you are no longer an alien….which is what you are referred to via Immigration and Customs. In fact I think China is the only country in the world where I have seen the immigration lines stating “Chinese nationals” or “Aliens”. Initially I thought is strange but then realised that this is how we are often viewed. There were many times when I felt I was being “tolerated” not respected for my knowledge and skills which I thought were needed in this country!!!

S=squat toilets. Say goodbye to your porcelain throne and say hello to the humble squat. Chinese people believe that if you sit on a toilet seat you will get germs that can make you sick so they prefer the squat style toilet where your skin does not touch the toilet. To say that initially it is brutal on the knees and thighs would be an understatement but like many things you get used to it. As to the state of cleanliness, or lack thereof, one could write a book on toilets in China alone!!!

T= traffic. Total chaos is the only way to describe the roadways of China whether as a pedestrian or in a vehicle. Cars and buses driving along oblivious to the line marking on the roads, horns constantly tooting, motorbikes and electric bikes just adding to the confusion and chaos. As a pedestrian you take you life in your hands every time you cross the road – drivers rush through lights irrespective of the colour. Yet somehow I have seen very few accidents.

U=unusual foods. There is a famous Chinese saying that states “Anything that walks, swims, crawls, or flies with its back to heaven is edible.” Needless to say I have had a few surprises such as snake and dog along with fried scorpions and grasshoppers. Others that I managed to miss but the more adventurous may want to try include stinky tofu, thousand year old eggs, ducks blood soup, pig brains, turtle heads as well as the genitals of several animals….not for the faint hearted.

V= Venice of the East – Suzhou. It has a long recorded history of 4000 years, being one of China's top 24 historical and cultural cities. This city is bustling with historical remnants and culture in particular it has 3 of the top classical Chinese gardens – Lingering Garden, Humble Administrators Garden and the Garden of the Master of the Nets. A trip on the Grand Canal brings you up close and personal with the locals who live along the canal edge. It is also home to many silk factories….which if you are like me could turn out to be an expensive place to visit.

W=weddings. I had the delightful experience of attending several weddings while living in China – both city and rural ones. Firstly the couple have to seek an auspicious date for their wedding so unlike the West this can occur on any day of the week – they are guided by a fortune teller. My first wedding took place on a Tuesday and we all had to teach the next day. No expense is spared and in fact the whole arrangement is like a film production. Wedding photos are taken days or weeks before the actual event so that giant posters of the bride and groom can be displayed at the reception. The bride wears several dresses – a western white one, 1-2 coloured ones and ends with a red one (often a qipao). The reception is a lavish affair with so much food and drink that you could feed all the guests for a week or more!. Gift giving is in the form of a “hong bao” or red envelope in which you place cash…..no worries about choosing the right gift here!! One of my favourite was a country wedding held in a small rural village. I was the only foreigner there (which caused quite a stir but gave the bride and groom kudos) and was invited to sit with the grooms family. We dined and drank all day; I got to share in decorating the “bridal room”, burning the paper money to ward off evil spirits and even setting off the fireworks!! What a truly memorable day.

X=Xian. Most famous for being the home of the Terracotta Warriors which were an amazing sight that continues to change as more are unearthed. But Xian also offered so much more and for me a visit to the little known Banpo Museum. The Banpo Site is a typical Neolithic matriarchal community dating back about 6,000 years. At that time, the people used tools made primarily of wood and stone. Women, the crucial labor force, were responsible for making pottery, spinning, and raising the family, while men fished. This site was discovered in 1953 and it is astonishing to see what has been found to date. Well worth a visit to see such an ancient culture and gain an understanding of village life from 6000 years ago!!

Y= Yangshuo. This is where my journey truly began. Two weeks spent here being orientated to China through the Buckland group. Made many new friends as we all began our adventure – some stayed for 6 months, some will probably stay forever. The topography of Yangshuo is marked by karst formations with the famous Li River flowing through the town.

Z= Zhangjiajie. A truly wonderful and magical place to visit that is not included in the usual tours of China. Home of the scenery for the film “Avatar” I simply run out of adjectives to describe the beauty and magnificence of this place.

Other common sights include seeing people walking around in their pajamas at any time of the day or night. At first I thought they were patients from nearby hospitals until I came across people in the markets walking around as though they were dressed in the height of fashion!!!

A sight that is commonplace is the spitting and blowing the nose onto the ground. GROSS. It is something I will never adapt to and even more so when it is a woman doing it. My stomach turns every time I hear someone hawking up ready to spit.

My best piece of advice….be open minded and not quick to judge (even thought you may be judged by them). There is a story or reason behind everything that may not be instantly recognisable (if ever!) but it makes sense in the cultural values that govern Chinese society.

Living in China is like taking a flight on an airplane held together by invisible duct-tape. The flight may get to its destination and the airplane itself might look snappy from afar, but you’re definitely going to encounter a few unexpected surprises and patchwork along the way.