My desire to see so much more of this beautiful city without the requisite ability to read Chinese signs is becoming a bit of a drama......I headed off again this weekend, map in hand, with plans to visit the area to the south from where I live. Most of my exploring to date had been in the city centre and to the north slightly. All started well as I headed towards Xinjiekou - literally the heart of the city where I've been before but had never found the "pyrami...

This last week we are definitely seeing Spring in the air. Flowers are starting to bloom everywhere and the days are decidedly warmer. Hence I've been able to get out and about to see more of this wonderful city. Work wise things are going very well - students finally getting used to me and starting to talk a lot more - we are even managing to inject some mutual humour into the classroom!! I was asked to judge the NMU debating contest on Thursday and Friday whic...

Spring is definitely in the air now......flowers are starting to appear, blossom trees starting to bloom and the sun is shining. It was time for me to start some serious sightseeing so I've spent the last few days playing tourist. Headed out from the Uni on Friday with the intention of walking to a nearby park. Along the way I unexpectedly came across the most beautiful scenic area called Wulongtan. I ran into one of my students and she was able to give me the b...

Not a lot to report this week. I am gradually getting into a routine and working out when will be the best time to start my Chinese language lessons etc. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my teaching days and so off I go on our rather colourful school bus on those days. It takes about an hour to get to the other campus and I think what a great opportunity to read and relax......but at the moment I find myself busy watching the daily life of suburbia in Nanjing!! I know ...

Tuesday night I got to meet my postgraduate students for the first time. Most of the students have usual English names but one has the delightful name of "timely rain"!! My role with these students is to have them speaking English fluently and be able to read and understand English nursing literature. The number of students will vary from week to week depending on their work commitments. All of the students are working, studying for their Masters and some are als...